BERLIN, May 31 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel hailed Thursday an initiative by U.S. President George W Bush to backing limits for greenhouse gas emissions.

    She said that while she could make only a "brief assessment," Bush's remarks were an "important step on the road" to the Group of Eight (G8) summit on June 6-8 in the Baltic resort of Heiligendamm, Germany.

    "What is positive is that we can see from the speech given by President Bush today that no one can get past climate change: It is there," she said.

    "That is the shared basis on which we are now acting," Merkel added, admitting that a lot of work had to be done.

    Bush said in Washington Thursday that his country was ready to accept a global goal for curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

    "My proposal is this: By the end of next year, America and other nations will set a long-term global goal for reducing greenhouse gases," Bush said.

    Germany took the U.S. move as a positive change from its previous position, as the Bush administration opposed a proposal by Germany to curb greenhouse gas emissions to 50 percent below 1990 levels by the year 2020.

    The United States would reportedly block a declaration on climate change at the summit, while Merkel would make a last-minute effort by meeting Bush right before the summit begins on June 6.

    Germany, which takes the fight against climate change as one of its priorities during its G8 presidency, has vowed to fight to the end for a climate change declaration.