PRESS CONFERENCE BY FRANCE’S ENVIRONMENT MINISTER

France and other European countries had been taken aback by the changed position of the United States on the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the French Environment Minister, Dominique Voynet, told correspondents at Headquarters this afternoon.

Responding to a question at a press conference sponsored by France's Permanent Mission to the United Nations, she said that while United States participation was important to the Protocol's success, other States parties had been dismayed by that country's approach.  There had been no official contacts to inform other signatories of its change in attitude, and they had only learned of it through an indiscretion.

The changed United States position was based on a mistaken evaluation of the situation and a denial of the seriousness of climate change, Ms. Voynet said.  Furthermore, the country could not unilaterally declare the Protocol dead.  If proposals that the United States Government was understood to be preparing were workable, they would be considered.

Pending such proposals, other States parties had no alternative but to continue work, the Minister said.  While the United States would have to return to the process at one stage or another, there was less optimism about continuing work without the country that alone was responsible for 25 per cent of world gas emissions.  However, all participating States must be convinced that their interests were at stake and that supporting the Kyoto process was the only approach available today, she emphasized.

Asked about the possibility of exerting pressure to change the United States posture towards other signatory States, the Minister noted that Washington was no longer trying to declare the Protocol dead.  It acknowledged Kyoto's existence, even though it had temporarily withdrawn from the process.  Dialogue with the United States Administration was continuing in the hope that it would come up with alternative proposals, Ms. Voynet added.

She pointed out that the bulk of public opinion in the United States was not happy with its Government's position.  Many American citizens would choose the environment over their traditional high energy consumption.  However, it was not necessary to choose between comfort and protection of the environment, as there were many ways to conserve energy and to reduce consumption.

Earlier in the press conference, she discussed this morning's United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Ministerial Meeting on International Environmental Governance, saying France had not excluded the idea of a global environment mechanism that would deal seriously with questions relating to poverty and safeguarding the world's resources.  It could also deal with issues not dealt with anywhere else, such as the link between trade and the environment.

Ms. Voynet said that, although the idea was met with reluctance by some developing countries, they would be among the first to benefit from a strengthening of international institutions for the environment.  There must be a pragmatic and concrete response to such reservations, and developing countries must be convinced that there were no ulterior motives and was no intention to restrict their access in any way.