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Italy Criticizes US "America First" Attitude on Kyoto Protocol
The European Union should unilaterally ratify the Kyoto protocol regardless of the US administration's intention to back out of the accord, Italian Environment Minister Willer Bordon said in Rome on March 30.
Bordon, on his way to an informal meeting of European environment ministers, affirmed that Europe should ratify the Kyoto protocol together with Japan, Russia and other countries that signed the accord.
The minister also said that the United States would commit a serious offense if it were to back out of Kyoto agreement.
"The US has not yet formally withdrawn from the protocol: if they did, it would be an extremely grave and unheard-of act from the perspective of international relations," he said.
US President George W. Bush, however, Thursday confirmed his opposition to the protocol, asserting that the economy is more important than the environment.
The European Union responded to Bush's statements, in line with his "America first" attitude that has dominated the administration 's foreign policy decisions so far, with warnings of broader repercussions if the president pulls out of the Kyoto protocol.
The European Union continues seeking support for the ratification of the Kyoto agreement. Next week, EU and US officials will hold emergency talks on the issue, and the following week, the EU will send diplomatic missions to some countries to muster support for the protocol.
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