Germany, Britain to cooperate on climate protection

Oct 24, 2006, 13:49 GMT

Berlin - Germany and Britain intend to step up cooperation on ways to improve climate protection, German Foreign Minister Frank- Walter Steinmeier said on Tuesday.

The two countries plan to work closer together during Germany's presidency of the EU and G8, which begins in January, Steinmeier said after talks with British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett.

Beckett said she envisaged the two countries working together on drawing up a document on the links between climate change, energy security and conflict.

'The added stresses of climate change increase the risk of fragile states dropping over the precipice into civil war and chaos,' the foreign secretary said.

'In short, a failing climate means more failed states,' Beckett said in a keynote speech at the British Embassy.

Referring to recent surveys which showed that without a reduction in emissions and it will probably be impossible to avoid catastrophic effects of climate change, Beckett said tackling the issue 'is an imperative, not a choice.'

'By tackling climate change we can help address the underlying securities that feed and exacerbate conflicts and instability. By ignoring it we resign ourselves to the same crises flaring up again and again. And new ones emerging,' she said.

The talks between Beckett and Steinmeier also covered Turkey's continued refusal to recognize Cyprus, which is threatening to derail talks on Turkish membership of the EU.

The foreign secretary also said Britain will scrap its open-door policy to east European workers by restricting the inflow of Bulgarian and Romanian immigrants when their countries join the European Union on January 1.

Referring to Iraq, Beckett, who met Monday with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barhim Salih, said 'we still see substantial remaining difficulties' in bringing security to Iraq.