Czech foreign minister: Austrian anti-nuclear border protesters "loonies"

The Czech foreign minister, Karel Schwarzenberg, has described Austrian protesters against a Czech nuclear power plant as "loonies" ("magory"). Speaking to Czech television cameras, Mr Schwarzenberg said "knowing those loonies, they would continue holding border blockades". This week Austrian anti-nuclear activists said they would block all 16 crossings between the two states, if Vienna did not file a lawsuit against the Czech Republic. The Austrian government has sent a diplomatic note, saying the Czechs had not fulfilled the Melk agreement on safety at the Temelin nuclear station in south Bohemia.

Speaking on a visit to Prague on Friday, Austrian Interior Minister Gunther Platter said his government was committed to ensuring free movement on the border, regardless of developments in the dispute over Temelin.