Finland to give 1.5 million to pull plug on nuke

VILNIUS (BNS) - Finland will donate 1.5 million euros for
decommissioning the first reactor at the Lithuanian nuclear power
plant, Finnish Foreign Affairs Minister Erkki Tuomioja said in
Vilnius on June 12.

"The Finnish government is prepared to help Lithuania to decommission
the first reactor," he said.

The funds would be transferred to a foundation managed by the
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

The Lithuanian ambassador in Finland, Neris Germanas, told BNS that
the minister of defense responsible for regional cooperation would
represent Finland at the Vilnius donor conference to be held June
20-21.

Tuomioja said that his country was glad that Lithuania was invited
to the second stage of EU enlargement and said that Finland would
assist Lithuania in EU membership talks and later in its integration
with the EU structures.

"We have always maintained that membership talks should be based on
objective criteria. On the other hand, we do not make it a secret
that we favor the Baltic states and that we will render them
all-round support," Tuomioja said.

Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus and the Finnish foreign affairs
minister discussed Lithuanian-Finnish political, economic relations
and regional cooperation at the meeting June 12.