Polluting countries talk climate control in Rome

The meeting is part of periodic negotiations of the Major Economies Forum, a group created last year by the United States to prod along the slow-moving U.N. negotiations on a global climate change agreement by bringing together leaders of 17 key countries in a private, relaxed setting.

This time the talks have been expanded to include five more countries, including Bangladesh and Ethiopia, who could be severely affected by droughts and floods brought on by global warming.

On the agenda of the talks are funding methods and ways to ensure countries respect their voluntary pollution-reduction pledges.

The closed-doors talks finish later Thursday.

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