MONTREAL, Canada, Dec. 10 (Xinhuanet) -- More than 150 countries agreed early Saturday to start formal talks on mandatory reductions in greenhouse gas emissions after the year 2012, while the United States has refused to join the talks.

    The administration of U.S. President George W. Bush, which rejects the Kyoto Protocol binding signatories to curb greenhouse gas emissions, will only participate in nonbinding talks.

    The two-track talks showed that the gap between Washington on one side, and Europe, Japan and other supporters of the Kyoto Protocol on the other, still remains after two-week talks during the UN climate conference.

    "These countries are willing to take the leadership," Swiss delegate Bruno Oberle said, "But they are not able to solve the problem. We need the support of the United States."

    But the president of the conference, Canadian Environment Minister Stephane Dion spoke highly of the decision.

    The decision taken here amounted to "a map for the future, the Montreal Action Plan, the MAP," Dion said.

    The 157 countries that signed the Kyoto Protocol have come to Montreal in the hope of carrying out new negotiations from May 2006 on new ways of checking greenhouse gas emissions after the protocol's first phase ends in 2012.

    Most scientists believe that growing emissions of greenhouse gases may lead to disastrous climate changes, causing more devastating storms, tsunami, desertification and rising sea levels around the globe. Enditem