India said Friday that December's climate meet in Copenhagen should aim to agree on modest goals, calling on wealthy nations to be less "evangelical" in their push for a deal.

Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh renewed India's vows not to be the deal-breaker in Copenhagen but stood by the developing world's refusal of binding requirements on cutting emissions blamed for global warming.

"I would say the developed world should be less evangelical and I think the developing world should be less polemical as far as Copenhagen is concerned," Ramesh said on a visit to Washington.

"If we approach it in this constructive spirit, we will have an agreement in Copenhagen and we will come back to Copenhagen next year for a larger agreement," he said.

Expectations have been dwindling ahead of the December 7-18 talks in the Danish capital. The meeting was initially set to seal a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, whose obligations on emission cuts run out at the end of 2012.

"One large mega agreement to solve all the problems is not on the cards in Copenhagen," Ramesh said before the US-India Business Council, which promotes trade between the world's two largest democracies.

"What is certainly on the cards is a series of agreements to form the building blocks," he said.

Ramesh called for an agreement on "low-hanging fruit" such as on the sharing of green technology, the creation of a fund to help Africa adapt to climate change and the role of forests in offsetting global warming.

India, like fellow developing giant China, has pledged action against climate change but said that only wealthy nations should be obligated under the next treaty to cut emissions by a quantifiable target.

"India has not caused the problem of global warming but we want to make sure we're part of the solution," Ramesh said.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has pledged that the billion-plus country will never exceed developing nations in carbon output per capita.