Canada confident of Russian ratification

http://calgary.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=ca_kyoto20031203
Web Posted   Dec 3 2003 08:04 AM MST

Russia's Kyoto stance still unclear
Calgary - The province's oil and gas industry is taking comments that Russia
won't ratify the Kyoto accord with a grain of salt.

Tuesday, an economic advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin said
signing the international deal on greenhouse gases will hurt Russia's
economy. The accord can't be ratified without Russia.


Related story: Chrétien confident Russia will OK Kyoto

But Pierre Alvarez, president of the Canadian Association of Petroleum
Producers, says similar comments have come from Russia in the past and he
isn't viewing the statement as an official decision.


"This isn't the first time that we've heard this kind of message out of
Russia," Alvarez said. "We've heard this from the economic side of the
government before, just as we've heard from the environmental side of the
government that Russia indeed would ratify.

"So, you know, it's yet another unclear signal at this point and we're
ultimately waiting to see what the parliament and the Russian president are
going to do."


Environmental groups are also dismissing the aide's statement, saying it's
not the official word from the Russian government. ( which responded by
reiterating it's commitment)