Brussels - The US ambassador to the European Union yesterday said the EU had overreacted to the Bush administration's decision to quit the Kyoto treaty on global warming but he maintained the row could have positive results. Washington triggered a global outcry last month by rejecting the 1997 treaty which aims to cap emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide.
An EU mission has toured key world capitals in recent days trying to rally opposition to the US move. "I would argue that the big flap over the Kyoto Protocol may have a silver lining," Mr Richard Morningstar told a gathering hosted by the European Policy Centre, a Brussels think-tank. "We can argue over tactics, but today we are dealing with each other on this issue more openly," he said.
The envoy noted that an EU delegation had met senior officials in Washington shortly after President George W. Bush's announcement.
"They got assurances that climate change is an issue (for the US) and they agreed to consult," he said. "We are not walking away from the process. We recognise the problem and we know it has to be negotiated."