Merkel, Blair: Bush's proposal welcome, not enough

BEIJING, June 4 (Xinhuanet) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Sunday described President Bush's new initiative on global warming as "welcome" just days before the G-8 summit, but made it clear it was not enough.

"A sensible analysis would say that it is good that the United States has committed to being part of a global agreement," Blair said at a press conference with Merkel in Berlin.

"However we then need to go further. We need to make sure that we set a clear global target on cutting greenhouse gas emissions and set out how we are going to meet that target."

Bush on Thursday proposed the 15 biggest emitters of greenhouse gases hold meetings and set an emissions goal. But he would let each country — including the U.S., China, India and the major European countries — decide individually how to implement it.

"The U.S. initiatives on climate protections are very welcome to us, under the condition that they are channeled into the framework of the U.N. program," Merkel said.

Washington has strongly objected to plans by Merkel to make the leaders of the industrialized world endorse a target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent compared to 1990 levels before 2050.

She is also seeking a commitment to holding global temperature rises to 2 degrees Celsius by century's end.

Merkel will host Bush, Blair and other leaders of the Group of Eight in a three-day summit beginning Wednesday in Heiligendamm, Germany, and the final statement will be closely watched for how much agreement can be achieved on measures to stem climate change.

The G-8 countries are the United States, Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Russia, Canada, and Japan.