SG/SM/8251
 3 June 2002

SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES EUROPEAN UNION RATIFICATION OF KYOTO PROTOCOL

NEW YORK, 31 May (UN Headquarters) -- Following are the remarks by Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the luncheon hosted by Ambassador Inocencio Arias of Spain, on the occasion of the ratification by the European Union and the European Commission of the Kyoto Protocol:

The unanimous ratification of the Kyoto Protocol by the European Union is good news for the entire world. Climate change is one of the greatest challenges the world will have to face in the twenty-first century. With these ratifications, the European Union shows that it takes this threat seriously. I hope others will follow suit so that the Protocol -– a sound and innovative response to a truly global threat affecting rich and poor countries alike -- can enter into force as soon as possible.

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