HAMBURG, Germany -- European and Asian foreign ministers agreed to set a 2009 deadline to complete negotiations on a new international climate change pact to limit greenhouse gases, diplomats said Tuesday.

Under the agreement, which came during two-day talks here, Asian nations -- including China and India -- will not have to adhere to binding targets for reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

Instead, ministers outlined the responsibilities of richer and poorer nations in combatting climate change, the diplomats said on condition of anonymity.

The meeting of 40-some ministers, chaired by German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, also brought agreement on the promotion of sustainable energy and on developing environmentally friendly renewable energy sources, the diplomats said.

China and India balked at European Union attempts to get them commit to carbon dioxide emissions cuts after the Kyoto Protocol ends in 2012.

Diplomats said setting the 2009 deadline to reach a new emissions-cutting agreement was needed to avoid a lapse in cuts after the Kyoto Protocol expires.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said the European Union should not expect developing countries to share the same burden of cuts as richer nations.

He said China "was not to blame for the problem" of climate change but that his country had taken measures to reduce its emissions.