Bonn - A new round of United Nations climate change negotiations kicks off in Bonn on Sunday, as 2,000 delegates from around 180 countries gather in the former German capital.

The 10-day conference is the first of three planned meetings paving the way for December's Copenhagen summit, where final talks are due on a renewal of the Kyoto Protocol, which is set to expire in 2012.

The United States' position will be keenly observed in Bonn, since Washington has recently changed tack on climate change under President Barack Obama.

The US on Saturday invited the UN and 16 major economies to Washington, to prepare for international efforts to reduce climate changing greenhouse gas emissions.

The previous US administration, under president George W Bush, had not signed the Kyoto Protocol. (dpa)