The eight-nation Arctic Council, of which the United States is a member, will discuss the recommendations during its biennial meeting on November 24 in Reykjavik, the US State Department said. The US state of Alaska is in the Arctic region.

The other nations in the council are Canada, Sweden, Russia, Iceland, Denmark, Norway and Finland.

"The United States supports a number of the draft policy recommendations and is considering other proposals," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said in a statement.

"We support those recommendations that are both consistent with the Administration's broader climate change policy, and that are appropriate for the unique attributes of the Arctic Council as a regional forum," Boucher said.

Bush, who was re-elected to a second four-year term last week, has refused to sign the Kyoto treaty, saying it would hurt the US economy.

Russian President Vladimir Putin last week signed the treaty, which requires industrialized nations to cut down on their output of so-called "greenhouse" gases blamed for global warming.

The United States has given two million dollars for the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, which will help determine the impact of climate change, Boucher said.

"The United States is committed to ensuring that its policies are informed by the best information that science can provide," he said.

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