20 February 2004 13:16
Putin aide calls Kyoto Protocol "an economic Auschwitz"
Moscow, 20 February: The Russian presidential adviser on economic affairs, Andrey Illarionov, has called the Kyoto
Protocol [on reducing emissions of greenhouse gases] "an economic Auschwitz".
"This is already an economic Auschwitz. This is an economic Auschwitz not only for Russia but also for other
countries," he told a news conference within the framework of an international forum on the Kyoto Protocol and the
attraction of investments into energy-efficient projects.
Illarionov said that the agreement envisaged the establishment of "a bureaucratic monster which will set quotas
on emissions not only for countries but also for particular companies".
He said that, at the rate of Russia's economic growth of six to eight per cent, the country would exceed the set
quota by 2009-10. These quotas are expected to be raised after 2012, he said.
"Russia is defending not only its own interests but also the common interests of the humanity," he
said.
[RIA news agency] |
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