John Howard focuses on climate change

SYDNEY, Aug. 27 (UPI) -- Australian Prime Minister John Howard says chances of a breakthrough on climate change topics at the APEC meeting in Sydney are slim.

But, he added, there are hopes of taking meaningful steps forward on the issue, the Melbourne Herald-Sun reported Monday.

He reiterated that climate change would be Australia's priority at APEC, which starts Sunday, but the biggest-ever gathering of world leaders in Australia would be just one important step forward.

"I am not pretending for a moment that achieving these outcomes in Sydney will be easy," the prime minister said.

APEC will host some of the world's most influential leaders, including U.S. President George Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin.