Fnance, Germany, Spain call for UN Environment Agency

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France, Germany, Spain call for autonomous UN environment agency

Thu May 26,10:27 AM ET

BERLIN (AFP) - The environment ministers of France, Germany and Spain called

for a beefed-up

_United Nations_ (http://search.news./search/news/?p=United+Nations)

environment agency, a proposal opposed by the United States.

" The time has come: we need a strong UN organisation for the environment, "

said France's ecology minister Serge Lepeltier, Juergen Trittin of Germany and

Spain's Narbona Ruiz, in an open letter to appear in Friday's

edition of the left-leaning furter Rundschau newspaper.

" Despite the many environmental problems in the world, only a small UN body

has been set up since 1972, " the ministers added.

" Since then the global environmental problems have increased and, although

several treaties on the environment have been drawn up and ratified, there is a

massive lag in the introduction of global environmental policies. "

The three ministers met in Berlin on Thursday to discuss their call.

Trittin said the process of creating an environmental agency could begin in

September as part of a wider programme of reform of the United Nations.

The United States opposes proposals to change the status of the UN

Enivronment Programme (UNEP) in order to make it an autonomous agency with

increased

powers and a bigger budget.

Washington opposes the condition that it would be funded by compulsory

contributions from member states.