Lee Proposes Deal to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions
By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter
President Lee Myung-bak proposed Tuesday the establishment of a ``registry'' under the United Nations to monitor greenhouse gas emissions by developing countries, saying both developed and emerging economies need to work under a shared goal to address global warming.
The proposal, made at the U.N. summit on climate change in New York, seeks to address sharp differences between countries over a future climate change treaty.
At the upcoming talks in Denmark's Copenhagen in December, countries are expected to set up new targets for global emissions beyond 2012, when the Kyoto Protocol expires.
``The U.N. needs to create a registry to encourage developing nations to join efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions and monitor their related programs,'' Lee said.
``The world should reach a consensus as soon as possible to tackle the issue under a shared goal.''
Lee and Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd co-chaired a roundtable discussion on climate change, where the leaders of 26 countries exchange views on major environmental issues.
President Lee, who once said he wants to be an environmental activist after finishing his term, said Korea will become the first emerging country to set up carbon reduction goals this year, although it has no emission cut obligations. Under the Kyoto Protocol, developed nations have to slash their emissions by an average of 5 percent below their 1990 levels by 2012.
At a luncheon jointly hosted Monday by the Korea Society, the Asia Society and the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations in New York, the first stop on his seven-day U.S. trip, Lee warned of the growing economic gap between South and North Korea.
He reaffirmed his earlier pledge to help the North build up its economy if it abandons its nuclear ambitions, saying the unification of the Koreas can only be possible after the North improves its economy.
``The disparity should be eased so that we can push for reunification. We are always ready to provide economic and political assistance if North Korea scraps its nuclear program,'' Lee said.
He proposed inter-Korean efforts to cut spending on defense, saying the readjustment of the budget will help improve the quality of life of Koreans.
``We don't want an armed reunification like Yemen, but a peaceful one,'' Lee said. He also has a skeptical view over the German-style sudden unification. The President said,`` We need a unification after full preparation.''
Earlier in the day, Lee proposed a ``grand bargain'' between North Korea and the five other countries engaged in the six-party denuclearization talks in an effort to peacefully resolve the nuclear issue.
Under the initiative, the United States, Japan and South Korea would provide a firm security guarantee and economic aid to Pyongyang, if the communist country scraps its nuclear program at the same time.
North Korea is expected to top the agenda during Lee's planned summits with new Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and Chinese President Hu Jintao Wednesday on the sidelines of the General Assembly of the United Nations.
``Lee plans to strengthen coordination not only with the U.S. and Japan but with China and Russia to find solutions to the nuclear issue,'' Cheong Wa Dae spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye said.
The North hasn't reacted to Lee's proposal yet.