The Clinton administration is trying to delay until 2001 an international conference to finalize the Kyoto climate change treaty, a shift that would give the next administration the final word on the treaty. The international conference is currently scheduled for October 2000, a month before the presidential election. The postponement is intended to give negotiators more time to develop the treaty’s complex compliance mechanisms, said Frank Loy, undersecretary of state for global affairs. Vice Pres. Al Gore, the main democratic presidential contender, is a big supporter of the treaty. Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the Republican frontrunner, has been harder to pin down on the issue — he comes from a big oil state, but last month he said he believes global warming is real.
