| PM Rudd ratifies Kyoto |
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At last, PM Rudd ratifies Kyoto PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd has formally handed the official document ratifying the Kyoto Protocol to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. Mr Rudd met Mr Ban this morning before the UN climate change conference on the Indonesian island of Bali. The new prime minister kept Mr Ban waiting, turning up six minutes late for the meeting. But when he arrived, he was bearing the instrument of ratification for Kyoto, a document his predecessor John Howard refused to sign for almost a decade. "I would like to stand and formally hand to you the instrument of ratification on behalf of the Commonwealth of Australia to the Kyoto Protocol of the United Nations Framework on Climate Change Convention," Mr Rudd said. "This has been a decision of our Government, a decision taken on the first day that my Government was in office. "So it is with great honour that I present you with this instrument." The two men smiled and shook hands as Mr Rudd handed over the document. Mr Ban thanked him for the move. "I congratulate you on this ratifying of the protocol so soon after you were sworn in," Mr Ban said. "It is very important." |