Bush, Merkel Clash on Global Warming at G-8

President Bush prepares for potential clash with world leaders at G-8 summit.

ByABC News via logo
June 6, 2007, 7:16 AM

June 6, 2007 — -- Thousands of European protesters converged on the G-8 summit in Germany as world leaders began arriving Tuesday.

But the real fireworks are expected when President Bush meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Relations between the two have been tense recently after Putin's threat to restart the Cold War in response to Bush's proposed missile defense system in Europe. And Bush took a verbal swipe at Putin's recent record on democracy.

"In Russia, reforms that were once promised to empower citizens have been derailed, with troubling implications for democratic development," Bush said Tuesday.

Even old friends of Bush -- remember the famous shoulder rub with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at last year's G-8 -- take issue with some U.S. policies. This year Bush and Merkel are at odds over climate change.

Merkel wants a binding agreement on reducing emissions that would cut greenhouse gases.

"At this point in time we are not prepared to adopt that proposal," James L. Connaughton, chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality, said this morning.

Merkel has told a German magazine, "Our opinions have long differed about how to limit global warming. You can assume that I will not agree to allow that topic to be watered down."

It seems as if Bush has some kind of disagreement with almost every leader present at the G-8.