Nuclear negotiator needs to be 'active' politician

VILNIUS - The role of Lithuania's negotiator for extension of Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant operations would be best performed by an active politician or a member of parliament, says Parliamentary Speaker Viktoras Muntianas.

He told the Ziniu Radijas news radio on Feb 27 that ex-prime minister Aleksandras Abisala, who currently works as a business adviser and was appointed as the head negotiator by the government on Tuesday, may lack political influence.

"My proposal was to designate an active politician, I made proposals that it could be a parliamentarian. My proposals were based on the fact, that solution of the matter will require consensus within the EU, which means that we should act through parliaments, as well. It could also be a parliamentarian representing the state who could work through parliaments of EU countries," said the parliamentary speaker, noting that the government assumed too much responsibility in this case.

In Muntianas' words, the Lithuanian aspiration to extend operations of the Ignalina nuclear plant after its planned closure in 2009 would be supported or not objected by Latvia, Estonia, countries of the Nordic Council and the Visegrad Group. He said certain efforts could result in support of the remaining EU members.

Meanwhile, Abisala says that the probability of the successful outcome of the negotiations is about 5 percent.

Lithuania is considering a possibility of keeping Ignalina operational because it plans to build a new nuclear power plant in about a decade, while decommissioning of the second reactor at Ignalina is planned for the end of 2009.

Lithuania made this commitment upon accession to the EU, where Soviet RBMK-type reactors are deemed unsafe. Lithuania closed the first reactor of the N-plant in the end of 2004.

After Lithuania becomes deprived of nuclear energy, the country's power production market would become fully dependent on supply of natural gas from Russia.