German Greens aim to heal split on nuke waste in March
Date: 08-Feb-01
Country: GERMANY
Nuclear waste has been building up in Germany since the French reprocessing plant at La Hague refused to take any more German fuel until it can return reprocessed waste for permanent storage.
"There is hope of consensus at the March meeting on anti-nuclear demonstration activities," a Green Party source said.
The party's chief Fritz Kuhn said on Monday it was "close to agreement" on the controversial transport from France to the permanent storage site in Gorleben, Lower Saxony.
Speaking after a sitting of the party council in Berlin, Kuhn said: "It is normal that we clarify disputed questions at a national party meeting."
While the Greens support Germany's nuclear compromise deal, they will demonstrate further for their energy and nuclear political goals, Kuhn said.
But they should not block the transport of German nuclear waste from France to Gorleben expected at the end of March, he added.
Germany's nuclear compromise deal followed commitments made by the industry last summer to gradually phase out atomic energy by the mid-2020s.
"We shall demonstrate for our political goals, but not against the atom compromise," Kuhn said, adding that he wanted to clarify this position to those who thought the party council had previously called for the abandonment of non-blocking demonstrations as well.
Kuhn and Environment Minister Juergen Trittin (Greens) have both said there should be no protest against the Castor transport of waste, which the government is committed to taking back as part of the compromise deal.
"We stand by the atom compromise and will not block the measures it is committed to," Kuhn said.
Greens in Lower Saxony have nevertheless planned protests against the Castor transport.
But Kuhn said he was confident that a meeting with them on Friday would produce a mutually satisfactory solution.
He added that he could imagine taking part in demonstrations against the use of Gorleben as a permanent waste disposal site.
The Green Party conference will be held in Stuttgart on March 9-11.