Washington, July 21 - Seeking to underplay differences with India over climate change, the US says it is 'encouraging' that both countries are committed to do whatever they can to reach an agreement on a new UN climate treaty at Copenhagen.

'Well, I don't think so,' Philip J. Crowley, Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, told reporters Monday when asked how sharp differences between India and US on the climate change issue would impact the strategic ties between them.

'I mean, obviously, there are differing points of view. They did come up in the event that the secretary (of state Hillary Clinton) had over the weekend,' he said referring to Indian Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh's assertion Sunday that India can't accept legally binding greenhouse emission targets.

'I don't think they were necessarily as sharp as perhaps some of the reporting would have suggested. You know, this is a subject of ongoing negotiations,' Crowley said.

'I think what is encouraging is that both the United States and India are committed to do whatever they can to reach a successful agreement in Copenhagen later this year,' he said.