Lula told the Financial Times he would urge US President Barack Obama at an upcoming meeting to take part in the final days of next month's UN-sponsored conference, in an attempt to save it from failure.

"We may not reach an agreement because of a deficiency of global leadership," Lula said, in comments published Friday in the newspaper.

"The discussions have been outsourced to advisers but it is better that the ones who say yes or no are prime ministers and presidents."

He singled out Chinese President Hu Jintao and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as key players at the conference.

The comments come after European Union climate change negotiators said the much-trumpeted pact would likely not be sealed at the December meeting as planned, with negotiations instead to drag until 2010.

The talks call for a global accord beyond 2012 to curb emissions of heat-trapping carbon gases that cause global warming, and channel funds to poor countries most threatened by resulting drought, floods, storms and rising seas.

Lula has ended a two-day visit to Britain where he held talks with Prime Minister Gordon Brown, including on climate change.

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