German Conservatives Soften Line on Nuclear Power
Date: 01-Nov-05
Country: GERMANY
The conservatives under Angela Merkel are engaged in coalition talks with the SPD and had insisted the country must extend the life cycle of its nuclear power plants beyond a planned decommissioning deadline of 2020.
However, according to the paper, the conservatives are now prepared to resolve the issue at a later stage once a "grand coalition" has been formed.
"The running times of the nuclear power stations will be looked at," it said in the paper from senior conservative and designated Economy Minister Edmund Stoiber.
The conservatives are keen to provide Germany, a large importer of oil and gas, with greater energy security and allow industry to earn more by extending the life of their plants.
But neither side wants the nuclear issue to be a stumbling block in the coalition talks, expected to last until next month, party officials from the main parties have said.
Nuclear power has been an emotive issue in Germany, especially since the Chernobyl accident in 1986 and many in the SPD see decommissioning as a core demand.
