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HEILIGENDAMM, Germany - The United States said today it opposed setting firm targets for greenhouse gas cuts at a G8 summit but offered reassurance that its plan for fighting climate change would not undermine UN efforts.
President George W Bush told German Chancellor Angela Merkel that he had a "strong desire" to work with her on greenhouse gas cuts beyond 2012 even though he has resisted her appeals for agreement at the June 6-8 summit in Germany.
Police and protesters clashed near the summit venue on the Baltic coast as G8 leaders gathered for a meeting likely to be dominated by issues including climate change, missile defences and Russia's frosty relations with its partners.
Bush told reporters that Russia did not pose a threat to Europe despite a vow by Moscow to target the continent if the US deploys a missile shield in central Europe.
"Russia is not going to attack Europe," Bush said. "I will continue to work with President Putin -- Vladimir Putin -- to explain to him that this (shield) is not aimed at him."
Summit host Merkel has been pushing for cuts of 50 per cent in greenhouse gases by 2050 to curb a rise in temperatures that scientists say could cause more droughts, heatwaves, floods and rising seas.
But Washington said it was not ready to sign up to such fixed goals in Heiligendamm where Bush will meet leaders of Japan, Russia, Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Canada.
"At this moment in time on that one particular issue we do not yet have agreement," said James Connaughton, a senior White House adviser.
"Will we have agreement, the answer is yes, from the US perspective we want agreement on that point, we want it within 18 months, so stay tuned," he said.
Bush said his plan announced last week for talks among the top 15 emitters of greenhouse gases with the aim of agreeing long-term reductions by the end of 2008 would "fold into the UN framework" on tackling climate change.
Many European nations had expressed concerns that Bush's plan might undermine UN talks on a global deal to replace the Kyoto Protocol, the main UN plan until 2012 for curbing greenhouse gases released mainly by burning fossil fuels.
The United States is the only G8 nation outside Kyoto.
"I also come with a strong desire to work with you on a post-Kyoto agreement about how we can achieve major objectives," Bush told Merkel after a lunch which included veal schnitzel and asparagus.
"One of course is the reduction of greenhouse gases. Another is to become more energy independent -- in our case from crude oil from parts of the world where we have got some friends and sometimes we don't have friends," he said.
Merkel has also been pushing for a pledge to limit warming of global temperatures to 2degC, seen by the European Union as a threshold for dangerous changes.
But she is now likely to settle for an expression of US support for United Nations efforts to combat climate change and an agreement to tackle emissions at a later date.
Near the summit venue, police used water cannon to disperse groups of protesters trying to disrupt the meeting.
Eight police officers were injured in the clashes. Police spokesman Luedger Behrens said roughly 10,000 protesters were violating a ban on demonstrations in the area and risked being detained.
- REUTERS
