Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen says that he is ‘really happy’ that President Obama has decided to take part in the summit of heads of state and government due to take place at the end of the COP15 United Nations Climate Summit which starts in Copenhagen on Monday.

The White House announced late last night that Obama will be taking part in the final summit of the meeting on Friday December 18 – a development that Løkke Ramussen says shows ‘a growing political momentum towards reaching an ambitious climate agreement in Copenhagen’.

“President Obama’s strong focus on climate change and his global leadership is decisive for the negotiations in Copenhagen. I look forward to welcoming President Obama in Copenhagen along with other world leaders,” Løkke Rasmussen says.

So far, 103 heads of state and government have announced that they will be taking part in the final days of the COP15 conference.

“Together they represent an as yet unseen political decisiveness on efforts to put the brakes on global warming. As host, Denmark will do all in its power to negotiate a fair and effective agreement,” Løkke Rasmussen says.

Obama’s decision to arrive in Copenhagen for the heads of state and government summit at the end of the conference, means that he will not be coming to Copenhagen on Dec 9 as planned. He is due in Oslo on December 10 to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009.