French Foreign Minister Lauren Fabius, who is leading the U.N. conference, stated that he still intended to release a nearly final draft on Thursday afternoon in order to minimize disagreements and pave the way for a final round of revisions. Fabius emphasized the need for a final agreement to be reached by Friday, the official closing date of the meeting, rather than extending the conference as has been done in the past. However, there are still disagreements among ministers and negotiators from 195 countries on key issues such as which countries should provide funding to assist developing countries in transitioning to cleaner energy sources. The disagreement has heightened tensions behind closed doors between the United States and China regarding the "minimalist" stance taken by some countries, according to US Secretary of State John Kerry. While the Chinese did not delve into specifics, they indicated a willingness to find a middle ground. The question remains whether the target should be 1.5 or 2 degrees. Chinese negotiator Gao Feng mentioned that a new draft will be released today with fewer unresolved issues, but emphasized the need for further discussions with colleagues. Feng hinted that an agreement could be reached by Friday or Saturday. The discussions have brought back disagreements about how ambitious the agreement should be in addressing the increase in global temperatures. Developing nations are pushing for a long-term goal of limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, despite the fact that current carbon emission reduction pledges fall short of that target. Many are still wary of the failure to reach a deal in Copenhagen in 2009. Alex Hanafi from the Environmental Defense Fund notes a strong desire for an agreement this time, but questions whether it will be effective. Jose Ramos-Horta, a former president of East Timor, emphasizes that no country should expect to achieve all of their demands in the agreement. He told Reuters that a treaty should not be treated as infallible like the Bible, and that it can be reviewed and strengthened in the future.