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Some finance ministers absent from G20 gathering

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Discussions also overshadowed by sharp disagreements

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Climate finance, financial reform, inequality in focus

(Recasts paragraph 1 with absences, adds remarks by South

African president in paragraphs 5-6, adds comments by South

African central bank governor in paragraphs 7-8)

By Kopano Gumbi and Andy Bruce

CAPE TOWN, Feb 26 (Reuters) - A number of finance

ministers skipped a gathering of the Group of 20 top economies

in South Africa on Wednesday, and other top officials curtailed

trips to a meeting marred by disputes over the main issues of

climate, debt and inequality.

Agreeing on a declaration has always been tough for a

gathering that includes China, Russia, the European Union and

the United States. But differences are starker than ever and

some finance ministers were too consumed with domestic politics

to show up for the two-day meeting in Cape Town.

Finance ministers from many of the G20's biggest economies -

the U.S., China, Japan, India and Canada - cancelled their

attendance of the event, which is meant to bring them and

central bankers together to discuss global economic challenges.

The EU's senior economic official also stayed away.

Their absences reduced what was already a small chance of

agreeing on a communique. There also seemed little hope of

accord on issues that the host, South African President Cyril

Ramaphosa, sees as key: scant climate finance from rich nations,

reform of a financial system that penalises poor countries and

widening inequalities.

"At this time of global uncertainty and escalating tension,

it is now more important than ever that the members of the G20

work together," he said in his opening remarks.

"The erosion of multilateralism presents a threat to global

growth and stability."

South Africa's central bank governor, Lesetja Kganyago, said

a number of recent G20 meetings had finished without agreement

on a communique and that the fact that some countries were being

represented by deputy ministers was not a problem.

"There is no one in the room then saying ... 'I'm going to

make this point, but I think I am too junior so they might

ignore it'," he told Reuters.

Alex van den Heever, political scientist at the University

of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, said the absence of the United

States from G20 talks - it also declined to send its top

diplomat to a meeting of G20 foreign ministers last week -

"makes it very difficult to see how people will move forward".

CLIMATE WOES

South Africa had hoped to make the G20 a platform for

putting pressure on rich countries to do more to tackle climate

change, and to give more towards poorer countries' transitions

to green energy and adaptation to worsening weather.

"Those most responsible for climate change have a duty ...

to support those least responsible," Ramaphosa said last week.

Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa told Reuters on

Tuesday that "what the American presidency does, effectively, is

reconfigure the conversation (on green energy by) ...

reintroducing elements we thought were resolved".

"Where it leads is anyone's guess," he said, adding that

some countries might reconsider the scale and pace of their

transition from fossil fuels to green energy as a result.

Some analysts said the retreat of the G20's biggest economy

from the discussions raised questions about its relevance.

Others saw an opportunity for moving ahead without the U.S.

"There could very well be synergies between large portions

of what's left by excluding the U.S. on particular issues," said

Daniel Silke, director of the Political Futures Consultancy.

"It's an opportunity for South Africa to take its leadership

role."

(Additional reporting by Wendell Roelf, Duncan Miriri and Tim

Cocks, Writing by Tim Cocks; Editing by Bernadette Baum and

Timothy Heritage)