MOSCOW, July 3 (Xinhuanet) -- French President Jacques Chirac expressed the hope on Sunday that a breakthrough on climate change could be made at the summit of the Group of Eight (G8) this week in Britain.

    Speaking at a joint press conference in the Russian city of Kaliningrad after one of a series of scheduled meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, Chirac said, "We had difficult discussions and it seems, I sincerely hope, that we are heading for an agreement."

    "We are waiting to know the American position, which was ... far more moderate, or less demanding than ours. I hope we can find a sufficiently clear, firm agreement in this field," the French president said.

    "I am hopeful, given the current state of affairs and discussions, that we will manage to reach an agreement," said Chirac.

    In their meeting, Chirac, Putin and Schroeder also discussed the situation in Iran, Germany's bid for a UN Security Council seat and the latest developments in Central Asia.

    Chirac and Schroeder were in Kaliningrad to participate in the 750th anniversary of the city's founding. Enditem