A politically binding deal on climate change will only be struck with the agreement of leading South American countries, Foreign Secretary David Miliband told Latin American journalists in London.

Speaking with London-based journalists from Brazil, Argentina and Mexico, on 16 November, he said that those countries were 'at the heart' of an agreement at the climate change conference in Copenhagen in December. 

'You are countries that are growing, countries that embody some of the big issues of low carbon economic development of technology transfer and the big issue that is sometimes forgotten but should never be forgotten - deforestation that contributes 18% of total global emissions.'

'There won't be a deal unless countries like Argentina, Mexico and Brazil are clear that responsibility is being taken by advanced industrialised societies,' he said. Mr Miliband said they needed to see that advanced countries such as the UK had clear and binding commitments.

'But that there also needs to be appropriate weight for all countries to make their contributions. The richest should do the most but everyone should do something – and that's a good social justice principle'.

'With 20 days to go I think it is important that the Latin American voice is heard but it is also important that there is a dialogue between European countries and Latin American countries.'

Mr Miliband said the UK believed that there was still room to strike a climate change deal that was 'effective, fair and ambitious', which he said were the three aims of the British Government.

'Ambitious: not because every last dot and comma of a treaty is resolved in the next 20 days but ambitious because there is a serious political agreement that then be turned into a treaty following Copenhagen,' he said.

Mr Miliband said that a fair agreement would involve rich countries doing the most and emerging economies being helped to develop. A deal must be effective in terms of ensuring that money flows from rich to poor countries to help them mitigate and adapt to climate change, he said.

Watch David Miliband's interview with Daniela Milanese of Grupo Estado of Brazil

Watch David Miliband’s interview with Vytas Rudavicius of Televisa of Mexico

Watch David Miliband’s interview with Graciela Iglesias-Rogers from La Nacion

Latin America voices in negotiations

Earlier this month, Eduardo Durand from the Peruvian delegation, spoke from the UNFCCC negotiations in Barcelona about Latin America's role in a Copenhagen deal.

Eduardo Durand, Peruvian delegation, on Copenhagen deal (English language)

Eduardo Durand, Peruvian delegation, on Copenhagen deal (Spanish language)