Kremlin Aide Insists Russia Rejects Kyoto

MOSCOW - - A Kremlin aide insisted recently that President Vladimir Putin had rejected the Kyoto protocol, directly contradicting the economy ministry and threatening to kill off the landmark environmental treaty.

Andrei Illarionov, who advises Putin on economic issues, stood by remarks he made recently that the pact, which aims to cut emissions of gases that cause global warming, would harm the Russian economy and was unacceptable in its present form.

Deputy economy minister Mukhamed Tsikhanov had contradicted him on Wednesday, in the latest in a series of what the United Nations calls ``mixed signals'' on the treaty, which Russia can effectively veto. He said Moscow was heading for ratification.

But on Thursday Illarionov told reporters: ``The statement (on Tuesday) was made physically by me, but the words I was using were those of the Russian president.'' He said there was no split between the government and the presidency on the issue.

``There are no differences. The deputy economy minister is mistaken. He is mistaken in his timing. What he said was the position of the Russian Federation in August.''

Russian approval has been vital to overall adoption of the protocol since Washington pulled out of the pact in 2001.

It can only come into force if countries responsible for 55 percent of developed nations' emissions approve it. That means Russia, which emits 17 percent of greenhouse gases, has the casting vote.

Environmentalists said they believed Moscow was still on course to ratify the pact, as it had been until an ecological conference two months ago, when Putin shifted Russia's position.

``The Russian president is in a position to make his own statement,'' said Steven Guilbeault at the Greenpeace environmental group. ``Illarionov speaks only for himself. We remain confident that Russia will ratify.''

Diplomats in Moscow, however, said that if Putin took a personal interest in an issue, the economy ministry frequently lost influence.

``On these energy issues, the president is quite aggressive himself...he has the last say and often it is against the proposals of the economy ministry and even the prime minister,'' one diplomat said.

``We believe that this situation means we cannot expect any decision until after the presidential elections in March.''