Kavan insulted by German Environment Ministry

In an interview for the Austrian daily, Die Presse, the Czech Foreign Minister Jan Kavan said that he was insulted by last week's letter sent by the German Environment Ministry asking for Temelin to be shut down. He said that the Czech government would never have put Temelin into operation if it didn't believe the plant was safe. Mr. Kavan also said that he was sure the Czech government would succeed in convincing the people of Austria that their safety would be guaranteed as highly as Czech citizens. He said it was insulting that the Czech government had been accused of toying with the safety of not only its own citizens but also those from Austria and Germany. He said such views were arrogant and political statements, which did not respect the rights of sovereign states to make their own decisions on energy policy. Mr. Kavan welcomed, however, the stand of the Austrian Environment Minister, Wilhelm Molterer, who said that he hoped to continue with the Melk agreement and constructive dialogue.