Protests threaten Czech nuclear plant talks

Some Austrians are worried about the safety of the Czech power plant Temelin

PRAGUE, Czech Republic (Reuters) -- Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman on Sunday threatened to break off talks with Vienna over a controversial Czech nuclear plant after Austrian protesters said they would block border crossings until Thursday.

Fiercely anti-nuclear Austria fears the Soviet-designed Temelin power plant, 50 km (30 miles) from its border, is unsafe and has called for safety and environmental impact studies.

The Czech Republic says the plant, which has been upgraded with Western security technology and began operating last month, meets EU standards.

But thousands of Austrian protesters have repeatedly blocked Czech border crossings.

ALSO Inside Temelin

On Sunday, protest organisers were quoted by Czech CTK news agency as saying three locations would remain blocked until Thursday despite an agreement between the two countries to end the blockades by Monday evening.

Zeman responded by threatening to call off a dialogue over Temelin with Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel.

"I don't see a reason for such a meeting (on Temelin), why meet with a government that is that weak that it cannot ensure the free passage of its borders," Zeman said on a political television programme.

He said the Czech government would attempt to force Austrian officials to pay damages to truck drivers and businesses that have lost money due to delays at the border.

Czech media said dozens of cars were tailing back up at most of the 15 border points between the two countries.

Austrian opposition to the plant has grown into the Czech Republic's biggest diplomatic row since the end of Communism.

The Austrian government has said it will not sign the energy chapter needed for Czech entry to the EU as long as the Temelin reactor remained active and no comprehensive security check was undertaken.

The plant has caused serious diplomatic issues between Austria and the Czech Republic

The European Union has urged other candidate countries in Central and Eastern Europe to close their Soviet-era reactors before joining the bloc. The Czech Republic began negotiations to enter the EU in 1998.

Zeman and Schuessel tried to break the ice in relations between the two countries at a meeting on Tuesday, agreeing to promote the creation of pan-European nuclear safety standards, hold more talks on the plant, and consider carrying out the environmental impact study which Austria demands.

But the protesters said the steps were not enough, and renewed the blockades on Thursday.

When Temelin's two reactors are fully operational by 2002, the station will provide about 20 percent of the Czech Republic's power needs.

The plant was originally conceived in 1980, and work began in 1983. But the project to build four VVER-1000 megawatt reactors was re-evaluated after the collapse of communism in 1989.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Austrian anti-nuclear activists step up protests
November 3, 2000
Nuclear protests strain Czech-Austrian relations
November 2, 2000
Anti-nuclear protesters block Czech border
October 13, 2000

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