The article discusses the postponement of the inaugural ministerial meeting of the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, a U.S.-backed forum aimed at reducing greenhouse gases. Australia had not set a date for the meeting, which was originally scheduled for November in Adelaide. Critics said the partnership was a ploy to undermine the Kyoto Protocol, while supporters hoped it would develop cleaner energy technologies more effectively than Kyoto. The postponement was seen as an embarrassment for the Australian government.

1. CE.9330
From: Peel. Kenneth.L.
To: Connatnhof, ams Shirzad, Faryar:
C., Hnutto.
CC: Ha ngnRrynJlunter, Roszell; C~adeDayna
Chase;
Australia
Subject: Rice and Asia Pacifi Partnership launch in
Date: Monday, October 24, 2005 6:50:21 PM
Attachments:
Jim and Faryar,
AN.
x

2. Ken
Copyright 2005 Associated Press
All Right4 Reserved
Associated Press Worldstreamn
October 1'2005 Friday
SECTION: INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Middle East; Africa; India; Asia;
DISTRIBUTION: Europe; Britain; Scandinavia;
England
LENGTH: 464 words
HEADLINE: Australia says no cate set
for US-led cleaner
energy forum
Writer
BYLINE: ROD McGUIRK; Associated Press
DATELINE: CANBERRA, Australia
BODY:
for hosting an inaugural U.S.-backed
Australia said Friday it hasn't set a date dealing a setback to an effort that
summit aimed at reducing greenhouse gases, global warming pact.
Kyoto
critics have called a ploy to undermine the
The Asia-Pcfcprnrhpo lan Energy Development - which also
and Australia - was launched in July
includes China,, Japan, India, South korea
of carbon dioxide and other gases
to develop technologies to reduce emissions It was touted as a more effective
believed to be warming Earth's atmo phere. Protocol.
solution to global warming than theKyt
to undo the Kyoto pact and an excuse
Critics, however, suspected it was a ploy
protocol, which took effect in February
for Washington and Canberra to reject the

3. greenhouse gas emissions by
and aims to cut carbon dioxide and other their 1990 levels by 2012.
belw
industrialized nations by 5.2 percent
does not do enough to curb global
Asralia is among critics who say Kyot 2
on developingecnmsicldg
warming because it doesn't impose targets
China and India.
the cleaner energy partnership was
The inaugural ministerial meeting of in November, but Environment
scheduled to be held in the city of Adelaide
20date had been set.
Minister Ian Campbell said Friday that
as we've got that date," Campbell
"The particular date wi I be announced ~ssoon
told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radi
unidentified senior official involved in
The British Broadcasting Corp. quotednmeeting had been postponed until
the
the process as saying Thursday that
January at the earliest.
Greens party, said the summit
Christine Milne, a senator of the enviroprmentalist
hadn't made progress toward
had been postponed because the grouptechnologies.
developing and sharing cleaner energy
d~eveloping, deploying and transferring
The group's vision statement talks of technology in which
technologies such as nuclear power and clean coal burning coal.
eliminated while
greenhouse gases are extracted and
-rship is nonbinding and sets no emissions
Yet critics note that the U.S.-led partn
reduction targets.
Australia to sign Kyoto, said the
The opposition Labor Party, which waInts an annual U.N. meeting on
government wanted a November summit to pre-empt will plan how the Kyoto
on Nov. 28 and
climate change that begins in Montre~l enforceable from 2008.
targets will be monitored when they bcome
the government because it
Postponing the meeting "would be hjmiliating for as a major international
attempted to spin the pact and the Adelaide meeting environment spokesman
cange," Labors
breakthrough for addressing climate
Anthony Albanese said in a statemetbit.
which have signed Kyoto,
He suspected China, India, Japan aijd South Korea,
alternative.
did not want to present the pact as an