Argentine President Nestor Kirchner on Wednesday criticized developed countries for their lack of commitment to environmental protection.

Officially inaugurating the 10th United Nations Conference on Climatic Change held here, Kirchner said developed countries had shunned their responsibilities regarding climate change.

"What is happening (to climate) is a direct consequence of the implicit environmental subsidies received over the past 20 years in developed countries," he said.

He insisted developed countries pay off their environmental debt as poor countries are demanded to repay their financial debts.

Argentina and the European Union (EU) are pushing for an agreement for developing countries, a package of financial incentives and technology transfers to promote their adaptation toclimate change.

But the conference has been polarized, with the EU and nations supporting the Kyoto Protocol in one camp and the United States, the world's biggest polluter, in the other.

Just two months before the Kyoto Protocol, signed in December 1997, goes into force thanks to Russia's recent ratification, the United States has made it very clear it will not sign up for Kyoto's mandatory caps on emissions after the Bush administration withdrew from the agreement in 2001. Enditem Related Story