MINISTER: OPEN ISSUES WERE NOT SOLVED AT KIEV CONFERENCE

ZAGREB, May 27 (Hina) - Croatia's Environmental Protection and Zoning Minister Bozo Kovacevic said on Tuesday the declaration adopted at the ministerial conference "Environment for Europe" in Kiev reflected all disagreements from the world summit on sustainable development, held in Johannesburg last year. #L# The issues which were not solved at the Johannesburg summit were not resolved at the Kiev meeting either, Kovacevic said at a news briefing on the conference, which took place in the Ukrainian capital on 21-23 May. The conference was attended by ministers in charge of environmental issues from all European countries, countries of the Caucasus and Central Asia and the United States and Canada. Representatives of Russia and the United States expressed their disagreement with the Kyoto protocol (on the reduction of greenhouse gases) and again refused to ratify it, so its future remains questionable, Kovacevic said. The European Union countries, which have ratified the protocol, have started considering changing their policy since the protocol imposes considerable limitations, while Russia and the United States can develop their economies without any limitations, said Kovacevic. According to the minister, due to opposition from Russia and the USA, participants in the conference also failed to reach agreement on renewable energy sources, genetically modified organisms and nuclear power plants. The Kiev declaration incorporates Croatia and Macedonia's proposal that the countries of South-East Europe participate in implementing EU projects in the countries of the Caucasus and Central Asia. Croatian and Italian representatives at the conference met for bilateral talks to discuss a project for the protection of the Cetina river. The Italians supported Croatia's approach to the Master Plan for the Protection of the Adriatic, which Kovacevic said all Adriatic countries were interested in. (hina) rml sb