Athens  - Environmental groups slammed Greece on Tuesday for failing to meet standards set under the Kyoto Protocol, resulting in it being suspended for three months until it comes up with a reliable way of testing its pollution levels.

The United Nations Compliance Committee on the Kyoto Protocol suspended Greece from taking part in the accord, saying that Athens does not have a reliable way of measuring and observing greenhouse gas emissions.

"Greece is unfortunately the only country in the world that has been singled out for the inefficiency of its system for measuring emissions," the head of the WWF Hellas Dimitris Karavella was quoted by the Greek daily Kathimerini as saying.

"Apart from meaning that Greece cannot take part in the Kyoto mechanisms, this decision has also shamed Greece on an international level."

The committee said that the explanations given by Athens were not good enough and has now barred Greece from being able to trade emissions with less industrialized countries so that it can meet its air pollution targets.

It has demanded that Athens develop a new system of measuring emissions and submit it to the panel within three months. If approved, a team of experts by the compliance committee will then be responsible to monitor Greece to make sure that it sticks to the scheme.

Back in March, the Greek government insisted the country was on track to meet its Kyoto target of reducing emissions by 8 per cent by 2012. (dpa)