Environment Minister George Pullicino said yesterday he was "not optimistic" that a workable pact to avoid dangerous global warming will be reached at the climate talks in Copenhagen.
"Things are moving too slowly and the gap between developed and developing nations is too wide. If I have to be honest, I am not very optimistic about a deal.
"However, I am still hoping for a breakthrough. Sometimes with conferences of this magnitude you never know," he said, speaking at the tail end of a conference for environment ministers in the Danish capital.
At stake is a deal to transform global economies by putting greater curbs on planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, mainly from burning fossil fuels, from 2013, after the present international climate deal, the Kyoto protocol, expires.
The impasse, which has now characterised talks for the past days, hinges on two documents which are at the centre of talks. One relates to long-term cooperation and the other deals with the revision of the Kyoto agreement.
In both cases there is a split between rich and poor countries. Countries in the so-called G77, which represents developing nations, want more money to be pledged under long-term cooperation and are resisting a request by rich nations to have more of them included among the states that would be legally bound to cut their emissions.
In an attempt to bypass this problem, the Danish government, which is presiding talks, is proposing that delegates should discuss a third agreement that would find a compromise on these sticking points. However, developing nations insist on keeping talks going on these two main documents.
Mr Pullicino said the difference on previous years was that the G77 was split on the idea that countries like Brazil, India and the mighty China should be exempt from the strict binding targets of the Kyoto protocol. The protocol at present also excludes the US, which has so far refused to ratify the document.
"The problem is that the developing countries that are signed up to the strict Kyoto targets only emit about 30 per cent of the world's greenhouse gases. If we do not find a way to include the big countries the deal would just not be worth it," Mr Pullicino said.
China, the US, Russia and India are the top emitters and have all set goals for curbing emissions in recent months. But rich and poor nations are demanding more than the other side is willing to give.
Mr Pullicino's words come as the world's leaders, including Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi who heads for the Danish capital today, join delegates for the talks.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was quoted by BBC television saying he thought an agreement would be an "uphill struggle". "There is a goodwill, there are huge barriers but they are not insurmountable."
US President Barack Obama expressed confidence a climate deal can be clinched, a White House spokesman said.
But others shared Mr Pullicino's gloominess.
"The current position is nearly hopeless. We can only hope that today and tomorrow the heads of government are going to deliver," said Habibur Rahman Shiraz with the delegation from Bangladesh, one of the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of a changing climate.
Meanwhile, outside the main conference centre in the capital police used truncheons and pepper spray and detained 230 as hundreds of protesters demanding tough action tried to push through barricades, Reuters reported.
The formal summit of more than 120 world leaders will be held today and tomorrow to try to break the deadlock on who should cut greenhouse gas emissions, by how much and who should pay.