'Ready to lead' climate change fight: Clinton

US: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told envoys from 17 major economies meeting here Monday that the United States is ready to lead the fight against global climate change.

President Barack Obama "and his entire administration are committed to addressing this issue and we will act," Clinton told delegates from major European countries, China, India, Indonesia and other powers.

"The United States is fully engaged and ready to lead and determined to make up for lost time both at home and abroad," she told a forum Obama set up to build political momentum for the climate talks in December in Copenhagen.

"The United States is no longer absent without leave," she said alluding to widespread criticism that the preceding administration of president George W. Bush played down the threat from climate change and failed to do much about it.

German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel hailed the US turnaround, saying he was glad "the Americans are no longer standing aside but are participating actively in negotiations about climate protection."

"The atmosphere in the negotiations is completely different from how it used to be under the previous US administration," he said.

But he warned that the negotiations would be tough.

"I don't expect a breakthrough before the UN conference in Copenhagen in December," he said.

Carroll Muffett, campaigner for the environmental group Greenpeace, called for tougher action by Obama and the US Congress to commit the United States to reducing greenhouse gases.

Washington, tuesday, AFP