Indonesia has submitted the Manado Ocean Declaration (MOD) on the role of the ocean in climate change for the first time at the Major Economic Forum (MEF) in Paris last week, a delegation member said here on Monday.

"We informed the forum about the Manado Ocean Declaration. In principle, other countries welcomed it, but formal discussion will take place at the Bonn climate change meeting next week," the Jakarta Post quoted Masnellyarti Hilman, a member of the Indonesian delegation as saying.

Masnellyati said that the MEF was initiated by the United States and discussed climate change and energy issues. Indonesian team was led by Minister for the Environment Rahmat Witoelar, she added.

Countries attending the forum include Australia, Canada, Brazil, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, India, China and the United Kingdom.

According to her, the MEF was crucial ahead of the Copenhagen climate change conference in December when countries were expected to agree on a new protocol on emission cut targets as a substitute for the Kyoto commitment which will end in 2011.

Indonesia requested that the ocean issue should be included on the Copenhagen agenda despite the ongoing debate on whether or not the ocean could absorb carbon.

Source: Xinhua