First meeting for first ministers

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The first ministers of Wales and Scotland have held their first official meeting since the May elections.

Rhodri Morgan is in Edinburgh for a series of speaking engagements and met Alex Salmond at Bute House.

Mr Morgan will also give a speech on devolution at Edinburgh University's politics society.

In a speech at Holyrood on Thursday, he spelt out how the Welsh Assembly's coalition government would create jobs without harming the environment.

He said the Welsh economy depended far more on heavy-polluting industry than England and Scotland.

"How do we reduce greenhouse emissions by cleaning up the emissions from the smokestacks?" he said.

"Not by closing down the smokestacks, especially as they might simply move to less well regulated countries that have not signed the Kyoto Treaty."

His administration's approach to renewable energy was based on wind, water and wood, he said.

Assembly-owned forestry has been made available for wind farms, ministers have backed a proposed tidal barrage on the River Severn and a wood-chip burning plant that could power half the homes in Wales has just been given the go-ahead.

Labour and Plaid Cymru operate in a coalition government in Wales.

In Scotland, the Scottish National Party is in power with a minority administration.