Russian parliament raps US on Kyoto, trade rules

MOSCOW, Jan 10 (Reuters) Russia's parliament called on the US Congress today to approve the Kyoto Protocol on cutting carbon emissions and urged Washington to remove a trade restriction dating back to the Cold War.

''Russian deputies ... call upon the Americans to set out objectively how they plan to deal with the problems of ratifying international agreements that are key for guaranteeing the security of the human race,'' the parliament said in a statement.

The statement was approved by 368 deputies in the lower house of the Russian parliament, known as the Duma, which is controlled by the pro-Kremlin United Russia party. No deputies voted against the statement and one deputy abstained.

Analysts say the Duma rarely takes a decision without the tacit consent of the Kremlin. The United Russia party has yet to criticise any of President Vladimir Putin's policies.

Deputies said a Cold War trade restriction known as the Jackson-Vanik amendment, a constant irritant to Moscow, should be removed.

That legislation linked normal trade relations with communist countries to the rights of Jews and other religious minorities to emigrate. It remains on the books for Russia even though it has not been applied for years.

''The Jackson-Vanik amendment remains a relic of the times of confrontation and it is considered in Russia... to be an attempt to use the unacceptable practice of political pressure in the interests of economic competition,'' the deputies said.

Russia formally ratified the Kyoto Protocol in November 2004. Russia's support was crucial after the United States, the world's biggest polluter, rejected the pact in 2001.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President George W Bush say they are friends but relations between the United States and Russia have been strained over the last few years.

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