Deal possible on German nuclear pullout-Schroeder

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@earthlink.net>]

Deal possible on German nuclear pullout-Schroeder

BONN, Germany, Feb 4 (Reuters)  - Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said 
after talks with senior managers of Germany's top four energy firms 
on Friday he believed compromise was possible over a government 
commitment to withdraw from nuclear energy. 

The energy industry has threatened huge legal claims for any 
financial damages caused by being forced to pull out of the fuel 
form, prompting Schroeder to seek to manage the move in consensus 
with the firms involved. 

Negotiations had however been put on ice for seven months following a 
row over a ban on the transport of nuclear waste and because of 
disagreements between Schroeder's SPD and coalition partners, the 
ecologist Greens, on the issue. 

``We want to reach an agreement,'' said Schroeder after the talks in 
the former capital of Bonn with chiefs of Veba, Viag, RWE and EnBW. 

Between them, the four produce enough nuclear energy to meet around a 
third of Germany's power needs. 

Schroeder said the broad outlines of a possible agreement had been 
discussed. No reaction was immediately available from the industry 
side. 

The government wants all the country's 19 reactors to be closed 
within 30 years of their start-up. Industry has proposed a more 
gradual exit, with one option being to decommission plants after 35 
years of full-volume operation. 

The government said last month the two-year ban, which was introduced 
by the previous government after it emerged nuclear fuel containers 
had been leaking radiation for years, would be lifted in August. 

The ecologist Greens see the exit from nuclear fuel as one of their 
top policy commitments and have at times even warned they would walk 
out of the coalition if it was not fulfilled. 

After initially demanding a near-immediate pull-out, they have 
softened their stance following repeated threats from industry that 
the government would face huge legal claims for any damages caused by 
a too swift withdrawal. 

Greens Environment Minister Juergen Trittin, who was not present at 
the talks, said earlier the aim of the present meeting was simply to 
get a firm commitment from industry that they were ready to negotiate 
a compromise. 

He said the government would press ahead with legislation for an 
enforced exit if no consensus looked likely by February. 

``We have established that the 30-year model can be accomplished 
without consensus, is legally watertight and would not incur the 
payment of compensation,'' he told ARD television. 

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