In his invitation to the September 27-28 meeting, President George W Bush said that the US was "committed to collaborating with other major economies to agree on a detailed contribution for a new global framework by the end of 2008" This would then contribute to a global agreement under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change by 2009, he added.
As well as the EU and the UN, the US has invited representatives from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, South Korea and the United Kingdom.
At the Group of Eight summit in June, Bush agreed to make "substantial" but unspecified cuts in emissions and to negotiate a framework to seek a replacement for the Kyoto Protocol by the end of 2009.
See full story