Koizumi, Howard agree on Kyoto Protocol, E. Timor

Koizumi, Howard agree on Kyoto Protocol, E. Timor

TOKYO (Agencies): Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and his Australian counterpart John Howard agreed Friday to continue cooperating to bring the United States back into the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on combatting global warming.

During a meeting at his official residence in Tokyo, Koizumi told Howard that while Japan is committed to the goal of putting the Kyoto pact into effect in 2002, it still wants Washington to reverse its stance and rejoin the agreement, a Japanese government spokesman said.

The spokesman quoted Howard as saying Australia holds a similar view and believes that without the participation of the U.S. and developing nations, the world cannot create an effective framework to combat global warming.

The protocol, when in effect, would place binding limits on emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases by an average of 5.2 percent below 1990 levels from 2008 to 2012.

The two leaders also agreed to cooperate in achieving stability and reconstruction in East Timor, which will hold an election later this month for the territory's constituent assembly, the Japanese government spokesman said.

Howard arrived in Japan late Thursday. He was scheduled to meet Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka and Trade Minister Takeo Hiranuma before heading home later Friday.

Meanwhile in Canberra, the opposition Labor Party on Friday accused Prime Minister John Howard of treating South Pacific nations with contempt by refusing to attend an annual summit of the region's leaders.

In a low key announcement, Howard's office said the prime minister will not attend the 16-member Pacific Forum meeting hosted this year by the tiny Pacific nation of Nauru in mid August.

"Mr. Howard has treated the South Pacific with contempt this year, even failing to notify the Forum Secretariat or the host nation before his office briefed the Australian media," said Laurie Brereton, Labor's foreign affairs spokesman.

Howard was visiting Japan on Friday and did not immediately respond to the criticism.

The summit is an opportunity for the 14 smaller and largely impoverished island nations in the forum to gain the attention of their larger, wealthier neighbors, Australia and New Zealand.

As the largest and wealthiest nation in the South Pacific region, Australia has traditionally seen itself as playing an important role in the development and security of its tiny neighbors

However, Brereton said Howard was signaling that Australia is no longer bothered.

"Mr. Howard's failure to attend means that he will have appeared at only three of the six forum meetings during his two terms as prime minister," Brereton said.

Brereton said Howard is unwilling to face the Pacific leaders because of Australia's prominent role in watering down the Kyoto Protocol on climate change which aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions, attributed with global warming and rising sea levels.

The Pacific islands, many of which only rise a few meters above the ocean, fear they will be the first and worst affected by any rise in sea levels.