G-8 backs N-deal; differences persist on climate change

Toyako (Japan), Jul 10 (PTI) Wrapping up their three-day summit here, the leaders of the world's top industrialised nations Wednesday tacitly backed Indo-U.S. civil nuclear deal and agreed to tackle rising oil and food prices amid differences with the developing nations on fighting theclimate change.

In a breakthrough for the troubled Indo-U.S. nuclear deal, the G-8 decided to adopt a "more robust" approach to civil nuclear cooperation with India to help meet its growing energyneeds.

"We look forward to working with India, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Nuclear Suppliers Group and other partners to advance India's non-proliferation commitments and progress so as to facilitate a more robust approach to civil nuclear cooperation with India to help it meet its growing energy needs in a manner that enhances and reinforces the global non-proliferation regime," the Chair's Summary releasedat the end of the G-8 summit said here.

The statement came hours after U.S. President George W.

Bush met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here on the sidelinesof the G-8 summit.

The G-8, made up of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the U.S., also held a customaryoutreach session with developing nations like India and China.

Singh, in his intervention at the Major Economies Meeting (M.E.M.), firmly rejected pleas by Bush that developing countries like India must also reduce emissions and told industrialised nations not to use climate change as a ruse toimpose conditionalities that will hurt their growth.

Singh put the onus on the developed countries to do much more in cutting greenhouse emissions when he said "the quicker you reduce your emissions, the greater the incentive for us to follow." Earlier, the G-8 leaders expressed their "strong will" toconclude an "ambitious, balanced and comprehensive" W.T.O.

Doha agreement. "We are strongly committed to use opportunities of globalisation for the benefit of our citizensand global growth," the G-8 Summit Leaders Declaration said.

"We reaffirmed our commitment to resist protectionist pressures and expressed our strong will to work toward theconclusion of an ambitious, balanced and comprehensive W.T.O.

Doha agreement," it said.

At the same time, they agreed on the need to address, in particular, issues of elevated oil and food prices and global inflationary pressure, stability of the financialmarkets and fight against protectionism.

In response to the sharp rise in oil prices, the leaders agreed to improve balance between supply and demand through efforts and dialogue by both producing and consumingcountries to improve transparency.

"We emphasised the need for increased production and refining capacities as well as expanded investment on the supply side, and reiterated the importance to make further efforts to improve energy efficiency as well as pursue energydiversification on the demand side," the statement said.

Recognising also the need for greater transparency of energy markets, "we supported the analysis on real and financial factors behind the recent surge in oil and commodity prices and the efforts taken by relevant national authorities and international organisations including for increasedtransparency of commodity futures markets," it said.

On pressing political issues, the G-8 leaders voiced "serious concern" over Iran's nuclear programme, asked North Korea to abandon its atomic weapons and sought the immediate release of Myanmar's political detainees, including Aung San Suu Kyi. PTI