TOKYO, Nov 10: The European Union is ready to compromise on its target for cutting greenhouse gas" emissions to forge an agreement in the battle against global warming, the top EU negotiator said today, reports AFP.

Jorgen Henningsen. EU chief negotiator and director for environment quality and natural resources, said Europe was sticking to its proposal for a 15 per cent cut in emissions from 1990 levels by 2010.

But all parties had to be ready to compromise, he told a news conference following two days of informal ministerial talks before the December 1 UN Kyoto conference on climate

The EU has not moved away from its position that it believes industrialised countries should show their willingness to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 15 per cent by the year 2010," he said.

There is no doubt about that."

But participants with The most ambitious targets In the

negotiations... will never be able to push, go through, unless they can pull the others with them." he added.

"It would be unrealistic to believe that we could strike a compromise with others if we would just sit on our high horse and Insist, and that 15 per cent and nothing but 15 per cent could make us sign at the end."

Taking 1990 greenhouse gas emissions as a base, Europe is calling for a 15 per cent cut by 2010, Japan for a five per cent cut by 2008 to 2012 and the United States for no change by 2008 to 2012.

But each of the three offers has different bases. The United States says its proposal, for example, includes six "greenhouse gases" blamed for trapping the Earth's heat while Europe and Japan's include only three.

"Off course, we are all in the process where we have to look for compromises." Henningsen said, adding that the weekend's tajks in Tokyo had succeeded in clarifying some of the thinking behind the figures.