Oct 25, 2004. /Lesprom Network/. French Minister of environment Sergй Lepeltier said France should put pressure on the US in order to force the country to ratify the Kyoto protocol, Itar-Tass news agency reported. ‘We have to make all possible efforts in order to make the US negotiate the issue. The United States is the only large country that has not ratified the Kyoto protocol yet’ the French minister stressed. According to the minister, it is necessary to uphold to this political course towards the US, no matter who wins the presidential elections on November, 2. The American society will soon become conscious about the necessity to join the Kyoto protocol, he said. The French minister of environment said that a number of US enterprises located in Europe will be obliged to comply with the rules and norms concerning the greenhouse gases set by the Kyoto protocol. Otherwise the US runs the risk of losing the European markets with 450 million customers. According to the minister, US enterprises operating in Europe will become an example for the companies operating in the US. ‘I am sure that the Americans will not tolerate that someone uses more advanced technologies than they do, besides the technologies are essential for the future development’ the French minister said. Sergй Lepeltier praised the ratification of the Kyoto protocol by Russia and called the decision taken by the State Duma a ‘historical one’.