Putin: Russia wants to complete Kyoto talks

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Friday that Russia would like to see the expiring Kyoto Protocol extended on fair terms that do not harm the interests of developing nations. Emerging countries such as Russia have previously refused to sign up to a new round of targeted carbon cuts that could see the environmental protection treaty extended beyond its end of 2012 expiry date. Putin told workers in the industrial Ural Mountains city of Magnitogorsk that Russia would like to see a balanced new deal that would not harm its interests. "Although past negotiations have been very tough, and to be truthful fairly unsuccessful, we have to persevere," Russian news agencies quoted Putin as saying. "We will support these negotiations because I personally believe that the world community should reach the finish line and agree on new common rules that share the burden instead of laying it on someone else," Putin said. The next round of talks is scheduled to conclude in South Africa in December. European diplomats at the May G8 summit in France said that Russia along with Japan and Canada had confirmed plans not to join the second round of carbon cuts. Russia ratified the treaty in 2004.