Kyoto carbon trade post-2012 hangs on talks: EC

LONDON (Reuters) - Carbon trading between rich and poor countries after 2012 depends on international climate talks on extending the Kyoto Protocol on global warming, a European Commission official said on Thursday.

The European Commission is deciding on the rules for its carbon market beyond 2012, and has said it will remain open to carbon credits that European companies buy from poor nations under Kyoto's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).

But such trade after 2012 depended on other industrialized countries taking part, said Jos Delbeke, director at the European Commission's directorate. Present Kyoto emissions cap and trading framework expire in 2012.

"We cannot have the EU and developing countries building an international CDM market and other countries not taking part," he said.