- - - -

AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER JOHN HOWARD

"This is an historic agreement for the cause of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The fairness and effectiveness of this proposal will be superior to the Kyoto Protocol."

"It demonstrates the very strong commitment of Australia to reducing greenhouse gas emissions according to an understanding that it's fair in Australia and not something that will destroy Australian jobs and unfairly penalise Australian industries."

- - - -

U.N. ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR KLAUS TOEPFER

"It is important to mention that this new initiative is not a substitute for the Kyoto Protocol, its legally binding emission reductions and its various flexible mechanisms.

"We also urgently need more investment in climate-vulnerable developing countries to help them adapt to the climate change that is already underway."

- - - -

STEVE SAWYER, CLIMATE POLICY EXPERT AT GREENPEACE

"It doesn't have anything to do with reducing emissions. There are no targets, no cuts, no monitoring of emissions, nothing binding," he said.

"It's a technology transfer and trade agreement and if it results in the better distribution of some of the better technology then that can help," he said, but added the pact was not a credible alternative to Kyoto.

- - - -

ROBERT ZOELLICK, US DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE

"We are not detracting from Kyoto in any way at all. We are complementing it.

"Our goal is to complement other treaties with practical solutions to problems."

- - - -

JAVIER SOLANA, EUROPEAN UNION FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF

"It has nothing to do with other, much bigger initiatives, which are of a global nature. This doesn't have an application to be global."

- - - -

CHINESE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS STATEMENT

"This pact has no power for legal restrictions. It is a complement to the Kyoto treaty, not a replacement.

"We hope countries signing the pact will take effective measures, strengthen technological research and development, exchange and expand cooperation and forge a new path for effectively fighting climate change and continuing economic growth."

- - - -

CATHERINE FITZPATRICK, GREENPEACE ENERGY CAMPAIGNER

"All the evidence around the world shows that voluntary schemes don't work, which is one of the reasons that the Kyoto protocol became a legally binding treaty.

"I think it's a tragedy that we have the Australian government and the US government doing whatever they can to undermine international action on climate change."

- - - -

CLIVE HAMILTON, DIRECTOR OF THE AUSTRALIA INSTITUTE RESEARCH CENTRE

"The main beneficiaries will be Australian coal companies, some of the world's biggest greenhouse polluters. It's a Machiavellian pact."

- - - -

ALEXANDER DOWNER, AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER

"The key to solving these problems is going to be technology. Cleaner technologies, making those technologies work better, making those technologies more economic.

"These things are going to be a lot more effective over time than just political declarations."

- - - -

CHO HAN-JIN, SOUTH KOREAN ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY OFFICIAL

"We plan to increase the number of countries in the pact by the end of the year. We aim to announce a charter along with the partners by the end of this year with details on technology areas where cooperation is needed."

- - - - AMIT KUMAR SINGHAL, INDIAN ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY OFFICIAL "There is nothing secret about in this partnership. India is a member of the Kyoto Protocol under which we are not (legally) bound to reduce emission of greenhouse gases.

Yes, under this new pact we have no target dates to cut emissions."

- - - -

LEE SANG-HUN, OF THE KOREAN FEDERATION FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT

"Efforts to form the new pact raise the possibility of hurting the basic framework already agreed, which is the Kyoto Protocol and could be controversial."

- - - -

PHIL GOFF, NEW ZEALAND FOREIGN MINISTER

"How to deal with the problem of flatulent cows and sheep? That is a tougher problem because the science has to be found to enable us to do that."

To read the main story, click on [nSP324032]