The Indian delegation was led by the minister of environment and forests (MEF) Saifuddin Soz. That the Indians had decided to keep a low profile was apparent as the negotiations progressed. The Indian delegation decided to keep silent at the time of important discussions. For most of the times, it sided with the G-77, barring the tricky issue of the forest convention, where the G-77 itself was divided. Indian delegates were rarely seen getting closely involved in most of the ongoing negotiations and chose to remain silent during the heated debate around climate and energy issues. On climate change, the Indian position was similar to that of the European Union (EU) but even that was not clearly stated. The only issue on which India was always ready to speak was matters of finance, reminding the developed nations about their obligation to contribute 0.7 per cent of their GNP for the implementation of Agenda 21.

Therefore India's opposition to the forest convention