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Lithuania is not satisfied with Belarus' reassurances over nuclear power plant, ambassador says

Lithuania still objects to Belarus' plans to build a nuclear power plant close to its borders and is not satisfied with Belarusian officials' reassurances over the project's environmental impact, Ambassador Edminas Bagdonas told reporters in Minsk on October 12.

"Lithuania has repeatedly said that it regards the so-called public hearing [on the project's environmental impact] that took place in Vilnius two years ago as invalid. There were no specific consultations," the diplomat said.

Lithuania has filed a complaint over the project with the International Atomic Energy Agency and views the selection of the site near its borders for the construction of the plant as a "politically motivated decision," the ambassador said. "Belarus will still have to answer many questions about the nuclear power plant," he added.

Mr. Bagdonas denied a Belarusian government official's remark that all consultations with Lithuania on the project had been completed. "I would even say that it is knowingly false and is inconsistent with diplomatic standards. We would ask the Belarusian authorities not to provide misleading information not only to Belarusians but also to representatives of the European Union," he said.

The construction of the nuclear facility close to the Lithuanian border would rule out further cooperation between the two countries in the energy sphere, the ambassador warned. //BelaPAN