NEW DELHI: The United States has formally submitted a communication to the United Nations ( UN ) regarding its intent to withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change, but said that the country would still take part in negotiations under the global deal to keep open its future policy options.In its formal communication to the UN on Friday, the US noted that the country would withdraw from the deal "as soon as it is eligible to do so, consistent with the terms of the Agreement".Fully aware that it won't be technically possible for the country to formally withdraw from the deal before November 2020, the US in its formal communication on Friday indicated the country's willingness to re-engage itself on terms favourable to its people and business."As the President ( Donald Trump ) indicated in his June 1 announcement and subsequently, he is open to re-engaging in the Paris Agreement if the United States can identify terms that are more favorable to it, its businesses, its workers, its people, and its taxpayers", said a statement of the US state department.About the country's future engagement, the statement said, "The United States will continue to participate in international climate change negotiations and meetings, including the 23rd Conference of the Parties (COP-23) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ( UNFCCC ), to protect US interests and ensure all future policy options remain open to the administration".The country emphasised that "such participation will include ongoing negotiations related to guidance for implementing the Paris Agreement".The Agreement was adopted by 195 countries, including the US, in December, 2015. The global deal is meant for taking multiple mitigation (emission reduction) and adaptation actions by all the countries to save the world from the disastrous consequences of climate change. The US under the then President Barack Obama had even ratified it in 2016, making possible for the Agreement to come into force from November last year. The deal would be operational from January 1, 2021 and the participating nations are currently engaged in framing rules for its operationalisation. The rules are supposed to be finalised by 2018.The US in its communication to the UN, depositary for the Paris Agreement, however, emphasised that the country would continue to reduce its greenhouse gas emission. It also reiterated its position of balanced growth."The United States supports a balanced approach to climate policy that lowers emissions while promoting economic growth and ensuring energy security. We will continue to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions through innovation and technology breakthroughs, and work with other countries to help them access and use fossil fuels more cleanly and efficiently and deploy renewable and other clean energy sources, given the importance of energy access and security in many nationally determined contributions", said the state department's statement.The US had last month also managed to put its point in the G-20 joint statement despite opposition from other members of this group. Trump had announced his administration's decision to withdraw from the Paris deal in June.Rules under the Paris Agreement, however, clearly say that the US, technically, cannot withdraw from it before November 4, 2020 -- nearly the end of Trump's current tenure.Article 28.1 of the accord stipulates that a party can withdraw from it by giving a year's written notice to the UN secretary-general only after three years of the agreement having been in force.Since the pact entered into force on November 4 last year, the US would be able to give notice of withdrawal earliest on November 4, 2019, and can thereafter withdraw only by November 4, 2020. This is likely to coincide with the next US elections which are usually held between November 2 and November 8.It will take lesser time if the US decides to withdraw from the parent treaty, the UNFCCC. But then Trump will have to face the US Senate. It is, however, uncertain whether courts would hear a judicial challenge to Trump's unilateral withdrawal from deal or UNFCCC if the executive and Congress are at an impasse. The question of whether a President has unilateral authority to withdraw from a treaty remains unresolved.The US communication to the UN, however, made it clear that the country has no intention to withdraw from the UNFCCC. The country is, rather, willing to take part in future negotiations under the Convention.This is not the first time the US is opting out of an international climate pact. It had earlier pulled out of the Kyoto Protocol saying emerging economies do not have quantified emission targets.But, unlike the Paris accord, the US had not ratified the Kyoto Protocol adopted in 1997. The Kyoto pact had binding targets for emission reductions only for the 38 developed countries. The Paris deal is more comprehensive because it has a universal application.