Obama Launches Major Economies Forum

President Obama unveiled an international forum of 17 major economies on Saturday. The Major Economies Forum (MEF) on Energy and Climate will meet in Washington, DC April 27-28 to work on creating a new international agreement to curb greenhouse gases which will replace the Kyoto Protocol when it expires in 2012. The meeting will be followed by a G8 summit in Italy in July.

The White House said in a statement that "the Major Economies Forum will facilitate a candid dialogue among key developed and developing countries" to achieve the political leadership necessary to reach an international agreement in Copenhagen this December, as well as explore "concrete initiatives and joint ventures that increase the supply of clean energy while cutting greenhouse gas emissions."

MEF represents a modified version of the Major Economies Meeting started by President George Bush, which was criticized by several UN negotiators as an attempt to undermine the UN process. However, the Obama administration believes the meetings could help in the development of an international agreement through the United Nations. The 17 major economies are Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States. Read more at Washington Post