The United States will work with other nations in seeking a global goal for cutting greenhouse-gas emissions, President George W Bush said Thursday. Bush, in a speech looking ahead to next month's Group of Eight summit, made it clear that he expects nations with fast-growing energy needs like China and India to join the initiative. "The United States will work with other nations to establish a new framework on greenhouse gas emissions for when the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012," Bush said in Washington.

However, he made no mention of mandatory reductions in greenhouse gas emissions such as those contained in the Kyoto accord, which the US refused to sign.

Bush proposed that the US and other countries set "a long-term global goal for reducing greenhouse gases" by the end of next year.

To develop the goal, the US will convene a series of meetings of the nations that produce the most greenhouse gas emission, including nations with rapidly growing economies like China and India, he said.

Each nation would also set "mid-term national targets and programmes that reflect their own mix of energy sources and future energy needs," Bush proposed.