(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-12-13 19:57

That did not satisfy environmentalists, who accused Washington of standing in the way of a meaningful deal - and not just on the inclusion of emissions targets.

In the end, however, all parties agree it is vital that the US is on board.

"Everyone wants the United States in so badly that they will be willing to accept some level of ambiguity in the negotiations," said Greenpeace energy expert John Coequyt. "Our worry is that we will end up with a deal that is unacceptable from an environmental perspective."

The Kyoto Protocol requires 37 industrial nations to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by a relatively modest average 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. Bush has argued that the pact would harm the US economy.

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