Schwarzenegger praises Blair over climate change Matthew Tempest, political correspondent
Tuesday June 26, 2007
Guardian Unlimited
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tony Blair meet outside Downing Street today. Photograph: Johnny Green/PA Wire.
Mr Schwarzenegger, the former actor turned governor of California, is in the UK for a day of round-table talks with Mr Blair, the environment secretary, David Miliband, and business leaders, on climate change.
He revealed that it was only thanks to Mr Blair "getting everyone back round the table" at this month's G8 that any deal at all was achieved.
In an early morning press conference between the two men, Mr Schwarzenegger said that the prime minister's visit last year had "been an inspiration to everyone in California", and the state had now copied a British style cap-and-trade model on curbing emissions.
Mr Blair, in his turn, praised Mr Schwarzenegger's "vision and leadership" on the issue, which has seen California lead a small number of US states in adopting Kyoto-style targets, despite Washington having pulled out of that treaty back in 2001.
Asked if the meeting would be Mr Blair's last bilateral talks at No 10, his official spokesman said: "I suppose that will be the case."
The PM signed a deal with Mr Schwarzenegger and BP last year in California, and today the governor praised the UK's ten-year economic growth with carbon emission reductions as "truly a model for the rest of the world".
Mr Blair cracked a gag with the assembled press corps, harking back to Mr Schwarzenegger's role in the Terminator movies.
Without confirming or denying whether he would become an international envoy to the Middle East, the PM joked: "My press officer said to me, whatever else you do this morning, don't say: 'I'll be back'."
Mr Schwarzenegger said he would support Mr Blair's appointment as envoy for the quartet of the US, EU, UN and Russia, which is leading the international drive for Middle East peace.
But the governor, who has made the battle against climate change a personal crusade, added: "Out of selfish reasons I hope that he becomes the envoy for the environment and brings all the countries of the world together to join some kind of treaty - a Kyoto kind of treaty - that everyone can join and we can all together reduce greenhouse gases.
"I think the prime minister is the only person who can do that."
The governor spoke with the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, yesterday on climate change, and today put California's success in agreeing action on the environment down to getting Republicans and Democrats to work together. "It's the only way we're going to fix anything", he told reporters in Downing Street.
He also joked that Number 10's "delicious British breakfast" had caused him to put on five pounds in weight.
Source: http://politics.guardian.co.uk/green/story/0,,2111687,00.html
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