MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chile, Argentina urges rich countries to cut greenhouse emissions

Argentina and Chile on Friday agreed to jointly study climatic changes here in the southern tip of South America and urged the developed countries to reduce their emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases.

The commitment was contained in a statement signed by the President Nestor Kirchner of Argentina and his Chilean counterpart, Ricardo Lagos, as they sailed the chill waters of Lago Argentino, against the imposing backdrop of the Perito Moreno glacier.

Both presidents arrived in El Calafate, a tourist resort in Kirchner's native Santa Cruz province, and from there traveled to Puerto Punto Bandera to board the vessel. The agreement calls for scientific cooperation in the study of changes in climate and in the ozone layer.

The statement underscores the concern of the two South American countries over "the negative effect the deterioration of the ozone layer and climatic change are causing in the southern tip of the continent and in Antartica and the adverse consequences which increased ultraviolet radiation have on living beings." Talking to the press, both Kirchner and Lagos agreed that the statement is a warning on the damage that developed countries are causing with their pollutant emissions.

The statement urged developed nations to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, aimed at reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. While Europe accepts in principle the targets set in the protocol, the United States rejects the document.

In a Thursday speech to the Argentine Congress, Lagos complained that "the emissions of northern developed countries weaken the ozone layer in the countries of the south," adding that it was most "important for Argentina and Chile to raise their voices to denounce the situation." The statement signed Friday also included an Argentine-Chilean commitment to improve physical integration between the countries. Lagos plans to return to Santiago later Friday.

The statement was signed in an area which for decades was the object of territorial dispute between the nations, a situation eventually resolved by the signing of a boundary treat in 1998 by then-Presidents Carlos Menem of Argentina and Eduardo Frei of Chile.