Nuclear energy to play important role in Canada: PM


OTTAWA, May 19 (Xinhua) -- Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Friday nuclear energy will play an important role in future energy solutions in Canada.

Speaking at a joint conference with his Australian counterpart John Howard after their two days of meetings, Harper said althoughhis government has not made final its nuclear policies, he thinks nuclear energy is "going to be an important part of the mix as we deal with energy and environmental challenges in the next century."

Both Harper and Howard said they will be studying American-led proposals on uranium production and nuclear energy at the press conference held in Gatineau, Ottawa's neighboring city.

Canada and Australia together account for 43 percent of the world's uranium deposits and more than half its uranium production.

Harper also said he and Howard discussed Canada's potential participation in the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Developmentand Climate, touted as an alternative to the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions.

The Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, also known as AP6, groups Australia, India, Japan, China, South Korea, and the United States. Member countries co-operate on development and transfer of technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But unlike the Kyoto Protocol which imposes mandatory limits, this agreement allows member countries to set their goals for reducing emissions individually, with no mandatory enforcementmechanism.

Harper has been publicly critical of Kyoto recently, describingits targets as unachievable. He said Canada is 35 percent behind its targets and wanted the protocol to be more lenient in its second phase.

The Australian prime minister reiterated his wish for closer bilateral ties at the joint conference. He said he believes his meetings with Harper this week "represent a new start in the contemporary relationship between Australia and Canada."

Both leaders said they had agreed to explore further collaboration in all fields, from international security and theircountries' respective roles in Afghanistan, to their roles in the Asia-Pacific region.

Howard arrived in Ottawa Thursday for a three-day official visit. He is the first foreign leader to visit Canada after Harper's Conservative government came into power in February. Enditem