Russia says Kyoto pact not dead yet

MOSCOW — Contrary to earlier statements, Russia has not ruled out ratifying the Kyoto Protocol and may even submit the climate-change accord to parliament for approval next year, a government official said Wednesday.

As a major producer of carbon dioxide, Russia's support is crucial to the treaty. Without it, the protocol cannot come into effect even if approved by every other eligible nation because only Russia's industrial emissions are large enough to meet its target threshold.

"Russia will ratify the protocol if it is proved that it is in our interest — all Russian political leaders have said so," the Interfax news agency quoted Deputy Economic Development and Trade Minister Mukhamed Tsikanov as saying.

Tsikanov said Russia was "moving toward its ratification" but emphasized that no decision had yet been made on the accord, Interfax reported.

Tsikanov's statement came a day after a top Kremlin official asserted Russia would reject the accord, effectively destroying it. Andrei Illarionov, President Vladimir Putin's top economic adviser, said Tuesday that Russia could not ratify the accord in its current form because it would limit the country's economic growth.

Illarionov has been one of treaty's harshest critics in Russia, while the Economic Development and Trade Ministry has expressed support for the pact. Putin has cast deep doubts on Moscow's willingness to ratify it but has not ruled it out entirely in public comments.

Tsikanov said the government might submit its decision on the accord to parliament next year, Interfax reported. Russia holds elections to its lower house on Sunday, and the new State Duma will not meet until next year.

The Kyoto Protocol, signed by many of the world's nations at a conference in Japan in 1997, sets targets for countries to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, which are seen as a key factor behind global warming. The European Union has led the push for Russia to ratify it after it was rejected by the United States.

Some of the protocol's backers said Illarionov's statement amounted to electioneering and indicated Russia would seek better terms when rules are worked out for a mechanism by which countries that are under emission target levels can sell credits to nations that still need to reduce.

In Rome, the Italian news agency ANSA quoted Italian Environment Minister Altero Matteoli as saying that Tsikanov's words "confirm my optimism about the fact that Russia, after further wavering which we must expect in the coming months, will ratify the document."