Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a bill on the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, thus completing Russia's ratification of the treaty, the presidential press service said on Friday.

The treaty was ratified by the State Duma, the Russian parliament's lower house, on Oct. 22 and approved by the Federation Council, the upper house, on Oct. 27, 2004, the Itar-Tass news agency reported.

The decision to ratify the document was made with the consideration that the protocol is important for international cooperation, the presidential press service said.

The Kyoto Protocol will not come into effect without Russia's ratification. The treaty needs endorsement by 55 industrialized nations accounting for at least 55 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions in 1990.

Russia accounted for 17 percent of carbon dioxide emissions in 1990 and the United States, which has rejected the pact, accounted for 36 percent.

The Kyoto Protocol stipulates commitments of each of the signatories to limit greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere for the first period from 2008 to 2012.

(Xinhua News Agency November 6, 2004)