Press release - 2 December, 2003
The statement of a Russian economic advisor against the Kyoto Protocol was nothing more than pre-election bluster, ahead of Moscow's Duma election this Sunday, according to WWF and Greenpeace, participating in the Climate Change Conference in Milan.
A Russian economic advisor to President Putin, Andrei
Illarionov, had stated today that he believed Russia would not
ratify the Kyoto Protocol in its present form, because it placed
"significant limitations on the economic growth of Russia".
Alexey Kokorin, the head of WWF's Climate Change program in
Russia, said that
Illarionov's statement is of a pre-election political
manoeuvring and did not hold any weight as to what Russia would
actually do.
"Illarionov does not speak for the President or the Russian
Government," said Kokorin. "This is just the latest statement in a
long line of predictions by Illarionov which have failed to
eventuate. He opposed the Russian energy strategy which was then
adopted in May 2003, and he poured cold water on the economic plan
for GDP growth, which was also later adopted."
"While Illarionov's opinion will sound like music to the ears of
the US administration, it's far too early to be reading the funeral
notice of the Kyoto Protocol," said Steven Guilbeault, Greenpeace
International Climate Campaigner.
"The person who speaks for Russia is Vladimir Putin and not some
bureaucrat.
President Putin has made numerous statements in the past few
months, reaffirming Russia would ratify."
Elections for the Duma, the Russia Parliament's lower house,
will take place on Sunday 7th December.
The Russian Presidential elections will take place in March
2004. Russia is expected to ratify after those elections.