I can persuade George Bush on climate change - Blair·


Exclusive interview with PM on eve of G8 summit· Claim that US will agree to greenhouse gas target Patrick Wintour and Larry ElliottWednesday June 6, 2007The Guardian George Bush and Tony Blair talk at the White House. Photograph: Dan Chung
Tony Blair insisted yesterday that he could persuade President Bush to agree for the first time to a global target for a "substantial cut" in greenhouse gases within a framework sanctioned by the United Nations.
In an interview with the Guardian on the eve of the G8 summit, the prime minister said both elusive goals were now achievable and that America was "on the move" in its position on climate change.
Although Mr Blair said it would take tough negotiations over the next three days and it was still unclear exactly what the president would agree to, he was sure Mr Bush's speech last week, in which he talked about establishing a US-led initiative to tackle global warming, was not a ploy to undermine the UN or the G8.