The United States and the European Union failed in Gothenburg on June 14 to come to an agreement on the 1997 Kyoto Accord on Climate Change, but agreed to continue the dialogue and recognized that global warming was a pressing issue.

In a joint declaration summing up their day's work, the two sides limited themselves to saying that they were "determined to work together in all relevant fora to address climate change."

Bush left the 15 EU member states fuming in anger by claiming that the protocol's targets for significantly rolling back carbon dioxide emissions by 2010 were unrealistically high, and would cost the U.S. economy dearly.

the United States is the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases.

Bush also objected to the fact that the protocol, while setting high goals for industrialized nations, failed to set matching standards for developing countries.

At the end of the summit, Swedish Prime Minister Goeran Persson, whose nation is passionately committed to environmental issues, told the press conference, "The European Union will stick to the Kyoto Protocol and go for a ratification process. The U.S. has chosen another policy."

Carbon dioxide, or CO2, is the biggest culprit among six gases blamed for causing a slow but potentially dangerous rise in the earth's atmospheric temperature.

The United States pledged in 1997, when it signed the UN's Kyoto Accord, to reduce its emissions of these gases by seven percent by a 2008-1012 deadline compared with the level in 1990. However, Bush announced in March that the United States was abandoning the 1997 treaty.

The overseas service of the IRIB interviewed the spokesman of the Green Party in German Parliament for affairs related to environment and preservation of atmosphere, Rainhard Loske, about the outcome of EU-U.S. Summit on the Kyoto Protocol.

As regards the rejection of the Kyoto Protocol by the United States, Loske said that such rejection is by no means justifiable. "The EU leaders at the Gothenburg Summit said that it is hard to understand why the United States, which by itself produces nearly one-fourth of the gases harmful to atmosphere, so easily rejects any obligations to preserve the environment. But it is clear that the Bush's adamant position is due to pressure from the American coal and oil companies and the U.S. industries."

Considering that the United States is not willing to comply with the Kyoto Protocol, Loske was asked about the effects of the U.S. rejection, especially in the light of the fact that the U.S. produces some 25 percent of gases harmful to the atmosphere.

In response, he said, "The effects of such rejection on the environment are quite appalling, as the U.S. produces tens of tons of carbon dioxide every day. Therefore, the European countries along with other states like Japan and Russia should try to put pressure on Washington and force it to abide by this treaty."

Regarding the next move that should be taken by the EU, the Green Party spokesman in Bundestag said, "The EU should increase its contacts and try to coordinate its policy on this treaty with Japan and Russia, since at least 55 countries that are responsible for the production of 55 percent of pollutants in the atmosphere should sign the Kyoto Protocol so that it may be implemented."

In conclusion, Loske pointed out, "The Americans do not yet know whether they are going to sign this treaty or not, but they had better not create hurdles in the way of other countries that intend to do so."