Klaus: Nuclear energy solution to Europe's problems

Prague, Jan 8 (ČTK) - The solution to Europe's energy problems is the rise
of nuclear energy, President Václav Klaus said at news conference Thursday
after meeting his Polish counterpart Lech Kaczynski.

Klaus expects the current Russian-Ukrainian dispute over gas deliveries
will be resolved withing several days.

On Wednesday, Klaus met Russian ambassador to the Czech Republic Alexei
Fedotov and spoke to Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko on the phone to
discuss the situation concerning gas supplies to the Czech Republic.

Russia and Ukraine have failed to reach an agreement that would lead to the
restoration of gas supplies despite intensive talks Thursday.

Czech Industry and Trade Minister Martin Riman, who represented Czech EU
presidency at the talks in Brussels Thursday, expressed disappointment about
the outcome of the talks.

The current crisis is very deep and will have considerable impacts on
debates about energy safety, Riman said.

One of the paths to a possible solution will be bigger pressure on revival
of nuclear energy, he added.

The dispute between Russia and Ukraine became dramatic after Russian gas
company Gazprom halted gas deliveries to Ukraine in early January as it
failed to agree on new prices with the country.

As a result, several EU states have been left without gas. Countries
affected by the shortage of Russian gas have been using gas from their
storage tanks and are leading talks about raising gas supplies via
different routes.

The situation is the worst in the Balkans where tens of thousands of people
go without heating. Slovakia also reports serious problems.

The European Union, which is holding the EU presidency, expects a solution
to the dispute will be found rapidly, EU ministers of foreign affairs and
European affairs said in a joint statement after meeting in Prague Thursday.