Bush is out of line.......BONN, Germany — Negotiators from 178 nations rescued the 1997 Kyoto Protocol after 48 hours of marathon talks ended Monday, leaving the United States isolated as the rest of the world embraced the first binding treaty on combating global warming.
Despite appeals from his closest allies at the G-8 Summit in Genoa, Italy, this weekend, President Bush refused to reconsider his rejection of the pact, which he deems harmful to the U.S. economy.
European envoys said the treaty would be stronger with U.S. participation, but that Washington would be welcome to join at any time.
"Almost every single country stayed in the protocol," said Olivier Deleuze, the chief European Union negotiator. "There was one that said the Kyoto Protocol was flawed. Do you see the Kyoto Protocol flawed?"
The U.S. delegation, which participated in the talks, declined to comment on the deal. |
