PM puts on a brave face amid doubts over leadership
Lost in translation … Mr Howard and Mr Putin listen to interpreters at their news conference yesterday.
Photo: Peter Morris
September 8, 2007
THE Prime Minister's hopes of using a historic first visit from a Russian leader to boost his political fortunes has ended in embarrassment with his leadership under question and his APEC agenda derailed.
The embattled John Howard was forced to field questions about his leadership in front of a bemused Vladimir Putin and late yesterday brought forward APEC's climate change declaration to divert attention from his own government's political problems.
Mr Howard was forced to take a confused Mr Putin aside afterwards to explain after the pair had just announced a deal in which Australia would export to Russia uranium worth $1 billion a year.
Mr Howard had made climate change the signature theme of APEC, and the Herald understands that under today's Sydney Declaration, the nations will commit in 2012 - after the Kyoto agreement expires - to setting an aspirational global target to reduce greenhouse gases.
For the rest of the article go here http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/07/1188783496589.html
another article Leadership, weather to rain on APEC at http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=71994
and for more APEC updates go here http://www.smh.com.au/specials/apec/index.html
