Blair, Bush call for action on climate change

British Prime Minister Tony Blair and US President George W. Bush on Thursday called for new consensus on how to tackle climate change as leaders of the world's wealthiest countries convened for a summit.

The two agreed that a new deal should be in place to tackle greenhouse emissions before Kyoto Protocol winds up its effect in 2012.

"Now is the time to get beyond the Kyoto period and develop a strategy forward that is inclusive of the developing nations," Bush said.

Blair agreed and said there was "no point going back over the Kyoto debate."

Along with climate issues, G8 leaders are also expected to discuss global trade and poverty eradication in Africa.

Earlier on Thursday, police placed a security cordon around Stirling, an eco-camp near Gleneagles where some 1,000 protesters stayed for the night, to prevent new clashes as G8 leaders get down to business. Officers in riot gear also cut off the campsite as a "security measure."

A series of anti-G8 protests on Wednesday across Scotland have resulted in more than 150 arrests and some injuries on the part of police and protesters.

More than 11,000 police have been deployed in Scotland to ensure a secure meeting of the world leaders who are expected to reach agreements on aid and debt relief to Africa and climate change.

Source: Xinhua