NUSA DUA, Indonesia, (Reuters) – India and China  have demonstrated commitment to a climate accord struck in  Copenhagen last year and their refusal so far to “associate”  with it should not be overblown, the UN’s climate chief said yesterday.

The Copenhagen Accord reached last year was not legally  binding, but over 100 countries have already said they are  willing to “associate” with it, which means their names are  listed at the top of the document.

China and India are yet to say if they will associate or  not, but the head of the U.N. Climate Secretariat, Yvo de Boer,  said he was unworried by that.

“Both China and India, together with about 60 other  countries, have submitted plans or targets on the actions they  plan to take. In that sense, I think there is both a political  and substantive commitment in the context of the Copenhagen  Accord,” he told reporters at a U.N. environment meeting in  Nusa Dua on the Indonesian island of Bali.

“The Indian prime minister has indicated that he supports  the Copenhagen Accord and India has submitted a national action  plan in the context of the Copenhagen Accord. India has  formulated eight national goals in different areas that are  directly relevant to climate change. India is moving forward on  this topic at the national level.”

People should focus less on the Copenhagen Accord and more  on finalising the implementation of a legally binding  agreement. Only after that, he said, would countries be  expected to sign up.

India’s environment secretary, Vijai Sharma, on Thursday  played down his country’s reluctance to associate with the  accord. “India has gone a step further. Wwe are already taking  action,” he told reporters.

De Boer, a Dutch national, will resign from the U.N. in  July to join consultancy firm KPMG.

When asked if he was interested in replacing De Boer as  chief, Sharma responded by giving the thumbs up sign.

De Boer said yesterday that Europe, Japan and the United  States were looking at using existing financial institutions  and mechanisms to distribute the $30 billion in climate aid  promised by developed to poor countries in Copenhagen.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said yesterday  that quick disbursement of this promised money was vital, but  Norway’s Environment Minister, Erik Solheim, said he was not  aware of any progress being made on that front.

“It’s too much up in the air, still. Time is very short. It  must be done in the next two months,” he told Reuters.