Prime Minister Zeman: No reaction to Germany's call over Temelin

The Czech Prime Minister, Milos Zeman, has said his government will not react to Germany's statement on safety at the Temelin nuclear power plant. Speaking after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Mr Zeman said the government had no reason to cast doubt on either technical or environmental safety at the plant, which is situated around 60 kilometres from the German border. Mr Zeman also said the statement, which caused controversy earlier this week, had been sent by the German environment ministry, and had been neither discussed nor approved by the German cabinet, as originally claimed in the media. Temelin has provoked anger in both neighbouring Germany and Austria, with environmental activists and some senior officials saying its mixture of Soviet design and Western operating technology poses a risk to safety. The Czech government says the plant, which is currently closed for repairs following a series of technical problems, is safe.