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RUSSIA HAS PLAN ON KYOTO PROTOCOL

MOSCOW, February 8 (RIA Novosti) - Prepared by the Russian Natural Resources Ministry, the national plan of action to implement the Kyoto Protocol and the system of account of greenhouse gas emissions will be submitted for government consideration on February 15.

Ministerial spokesman Alexander Ivashko said this at the State Duma (lower chamber of Russia's parliament) hearings on Tuesday, dealing with legislative support for implementing clauses of the Kyoto Protocol in Russia.

The documents will be presented one day before the protocol's coming into force, Mr.Ivashko said.

The national plan of action intends a set of general measures to be taken. It is, particularly, the drawing up of a cadaster of man-caused and greenhouse gas emissions, the ministerial spokesman said.

The cadaster is to be ready before the middle of 2006. It is also planned to take stock of carbon dioxide emissions, he said.

At the first stage of work on the Kyoto Protocol, quotation of greenhouse emissions for enterprises is not intended, Mr.Ivashko noted. It is unfeasible, he thinks, because the rationing of emissions will entail fuel-consumption limitations.

The Kyoto Protocol also provides for creating unique mechanisms of trade in quotas on the emission of greenhouse gases. "Reaching the international market of trade in quotas is no simple matter", believes Vladimir Grachev, head of the Duma ecology committee.

"Access to the market is so far closed for Russia for political and economic considerations", Mr.Grachev said.

In turn, Mr.Ivashko said that in order to enter the quota trade system one has to have the register of account of carbon dioxide emissions by enterprises. The Natural Resources Ministry has been instructed to prepare the document, he said.