KOENIGSWINTER, Germany - The United Nations chief negotiator on climate change says there will not be a comprehensive deal to fight global warming this year.

Yvo de Boer told reporters in Germany on Monday the next UN climate change conference in Cancun, Mexico, in December will provide a "first answer" on greenhouse gases "but it will not provide an answer that is good enough."

The UN climate chief says a good outcome of Cancun would be decisions on an "operational architecture on climate change" with an actual treaty coming later.

He says he expects such an international climate treaty before the end of 2012, but even that will "not be the definitive answer to the climate change challenge."

De Boer said earlier this year he will resign July 1.