Japan still hopes Russia will ratify a U.N. plan to curb global warming despite comments by a senior official saying Moscow could not accept the plan in its current form, an Environment Ministry official says.
At issue is the Kyoto protocol, a landmark 1997 environmental pact that aims to cut emissions of gases responsible for global warming.
"We think that...Russia basically has a will to ratify, even if it hasn't said clearly when it will do so," said Hiroshi Sagawa, an official at the ministry's global environment bureau.
Sagawa said Russia had not informed Japan through diplomatic channels of any decision not to ratify the protocol.
"The protocol won't come into effect unless Russia ratifies it. We will continue to urge Russia to do so," he said on today.
Japan may press Russia on this point during Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov's visit to Tokyo from December 15, when he is expected to meet Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, Sagawa said.
Kremlin adviser Andrei Illarionov cast doubt on the fate of the Kyoto protocol, saying Russia would not ratify the deal since doing so would threaten its economic growth.
"In its current form, this protocol cannot be ratified," Illarionov, who advises Russian President Vladimir Putin on economic issues, told reporters in Moscow on Tuesday.
"The Kyoto protocol places significant limitations on the economic growth of Russia," Illarionov said.
Sagawa said he thought there were differing views within the Russian government on the U.N. plan and that Illarionov's view was just one of them.
Russia needs to ratify the protocol, named after the Japanese city of Kyoto, for it to come into force.
The treaty, which aims to cut emissions of gases responsible for global warming, requires approval from countries responsible for 55 percent of global emissions.
The total so far is 44 percent and Russia's 17 percent is vital because the United States, with 36 percent, has said it will not sign.