The United States said today it opposed setting firm targets for greenhouse gas cuts at a G8 summit but offered reassurance that its plan for fighting climate change would not undermine UN efforts.
President George W. Bush told German Chancellor Angela Merkel that he had a "strong desire" to work with her on greenhouse gas cuts beyond 2012 even though he has resisted her appeals for agreement at the summit in northern Germany.
Police and protesters clashed near the summit venue on the Baltic coast as G8 leaders gathered for a meeting likely to be dominated by issues including climate change, missile defences and Russia's frosty relations with its partners.
Leaders from the G8 - the United States, Japan, Russia, Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Canada - are expected to discuss other foreign policy issues including Iran's nuclear programme, Sudan and the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
Mr Bush told reporters that Russia did not pose a threat to Europe despite a vow by Moscow to target the continent if the US deploys a missile shield in central Europe.
"Russia is not going to attack Europe," Mr Bush said. "I will continue to work with President Putin - Vladimir Putin - to explain to him that this (shield) is not aimed at him."
Summit host Ms Merkel has been pushing for cuts of 50 per cent in greenhouse gases by 2050 to curb a rise in temperatures that scientists say could cause more droughts, heatwaves, floods and rising seas.
But Washington said it was not ready to sign up to such fixed goals in Heiligendamm where Mr Bush will meet leaders of Japan, Russia, Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Canada.
Mr Bush said his plan announced last week for talks among the top 15 emitters of greenhouse gases with the aim of agreeing long-term reductions by the end of 2008 would "fold into the UN framework" on tackling climate change.
Many European nations had expressed concerns that Mr Bush's plan might undermine UN talks on a global deal to replace the Kyoto Protocol, the main UB plan until 2012 for curbing greenhouse gases released mainly by burning fossil fuels.
The United States is the only G8 nation outside Kyoto.
Ms Merkel has also been pushing for a pledge to limit warming of global temperatures to two degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit), seen by the European Union as a threshold for dangerous changes. But she is now likely to settle for an expression of US support for United Nations efforts to combat climate change and an agreement to tackle emissions at a later date.
Near the summit venue, police used water cannon to disperse groups of protesters trying to disrupt the meeting.
Police spokesman Luedger Behrens said officers "used water cannons twice after demonstrators bombarded police with stones". He said roughly 10,000 protesters were violating a ban on demonstrations in the area and risked being detained.