11 Nations Agree to Set Up Int'l Framework for Saving

Aomori, June 8 (Jiji Press)--Energy ministers of 11 nations on Sunday ended their two-day meeting in this northeastern Japan city by agreeing to set up an international framework to promote energy-saving efforts. The Group of Eight countries plus China, India and South Korea, which in total account for two-thirds of world energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, showed their resolve to fight global warming by enhancing energy conservation effort and developing new technologies. In a joint statement, the 11 countries said, "we must play an important role in achieving global energy security, climate change mitigation and sustainable development." The 11 countries adopted a joint statement on energy issues for the first time, Japan's Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Akira Amari told a news conference, stressing the importance of the so-called Aomori declaration. The Aomori meeting preceded the G-8 summit to be held in Hokkaido in July. As part of their talks on climate change, the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States are seen to discuss measures proposed at the energy ministers' meeting. The statement said the 11 countries will establish the framework, named the International Partnership for Energy Efficiency and Cooperation (IPEEC), and encourage other countries to join. The IPEEC will serve as a high-level forum for facilitating exchanges of information on energy-saving practices and the development of new technologies. Participants will hold their first meeting later this year. The statement said improvements in energy efficiency are crucial to fight global warming. Sectoral approaches, proposed by Japan, "could be useful methods for improving energy efficiency," it said, adding that the 11 countries will "work collectively on their practical development." The statement also called on the countries to set voluntary action plans to save energy and country-by-country targets on the use of clean energy. The 11 countries expressed their "serious concerns" over crude oil prices, which renewed record highs near 140 dollars per barrel in the weekend. The current high prices "are unprecedented and against the interest of either consuming or producing countries," the statement said. But they had no clear proposal on how to limit the inflow of speculative money into the oil market, which is believed to be a key reason for the recent price surge. The issue is seen to be discussed by the G-8 finance ministers at their upcoming meeting in the western Japan city of Osaka from Friday.