BRANDT IN MOSCOW Nuclear power plant hopes

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33887, 5 July 1975, Page 15

BRANDT IN MOSCOW Nuclear power plant hopes

z P A.-Reuter —Copyright) MOSCOW. July 4. The West German Social Democrat leader. Mr Willy Brandt, believes that an atomic power plant agreement between Bonn and Moscow may be signed later this year.

Mr Brandt, who is on a week's visit to Moscow, told reporters that the Soviet Union had not yet agreed on the details with Poland and East Germany, through which countries the power lines from the plant would run. But. after talks with the Soviet Union leader. Mr Leonid Brezhnev, the former West German Chancellor said that the problems holding up the deal could be ironed out by Mr Brezhnev and the pi esent Chancellor • Mr Schmidt i when they attended the European Security Conference in Helsinki. Negotiations on the nuclear deal, under which the West Germans would build a nuclear station near Kalingrad. in what was formerly East Prussia, and tap the power of the completed plant, have stalled over West German insistence that the electricity nes should run through West Berlin. East Germany wants the grid to pass through Magdeburg, south of the divided ' tty. maintaining that West Berlin should not be tied too closely to West Germany. The proposed deal is one r two important areas of Soviet-West German economic co-operation. The r-'-or. a complete iron and veel plant at Kursk, south

of Moscow, is running toj schedule. At a luncheon given in Mr| ' Brandt’s honour yesterday, Mr Brezhnev called for calm; (over the status of West Ber-I lin, pledging his country's; support for the future viability of the city. Mr Brezhnev's remarks came after expressions of 'concern in the West that the Kremlin was increasing pressure on the divided Berlin’s links with West Germany. “Our co-operation will ionlv increase if no passions are stirred up around West Berlin.” Mr Brezhnev told his guest, who in 1971 plaved a key role in negotiating the four-Power accord defining the status f I the city, which is isolated deep in East Germany territ;ory. “The Soviet Union comes out in support of good, busi-ness-like ties with the city, of ensuring its viability, and iof respect for the legitimate * rights of its inhabitants.” Mr Brezhnev said. The Soviet Union and East Germany recently made strong protests over the establishment in West Berlin of a West German environ- ' ment office, a Common Market job-training centre, and . a visit to the city by the Bonn Foreign Minister (Mr Hans-Dietrich Genscher).