Litouwen en Polen botsen met Duitsland inzake pijpleiding Russisch gas (en)

A state visit by Lithuanian president Valdas Adamkus to Berlin has led to an open spat with German chancellor Schroder on plans to build a direct gas pipeline between Russia and Germany.

Just before his visit to Berlin on Tuesday (25 October), the Lithuanian leader in an interview heavily criticised plans for the 1,200 km pipeline, which will link St Petersburg in Russia via the Baltic sea to Greifswald in Germany.

Mr Adamkus accused Mr Schroder of "complete ignorance" of neighbourly relations by sidelining his country in the bilateral deal with the Russians, German media reported.

The German chancellor reacted by saying that Mr Adamkus' remark was "in no way justified, neither in its form, nor in its content".

The pipeline, announced in September in the presence of Mr Schroder and Russian president Vladimir Putin, has huge strategic importance as the direct connection will bypass EU states which have difficult relations with Moscow, such as Lithuania, but also Poland and Ukraine.

Mr Adamkus said after talks with Mr Schroder that positions had not converged.

"We have confirmed the status quo", he stated, adding that "we feel that we were excluded from the discussions".

He also pointed out that the building of the gas pipeline poses a substantial environmental risk, as the Baltic sea contains large amounts of dumped chemicals and explosives.

"Nobody can guarantee that it will not come to an accident", he said, adding that this would "bring the whole Baltic sea out of balance".

But Mr Schroder reiterated "the sovereign right of Germany to secure its energy supply in the long term and free from disruptions", the government's press service said after the meeting.

The Lithuanian leader announced that he would raise the issue again with Mr Schroder's successor, German conservative leader Angela Merkel, who is set to take office on 22 November.

Poland sides with Lithuanians

Lithuania's opposition to the pipeline is shared by Poland, whose freshly elected president told German tabloid Bild that "this pipeline gives Russia the possibility - at least in theory - to suspend gas supplies to Poland, without affecting supplies to the rest of Europe."

"For us Poles and also for our neighbours in Lithuania this is not a very secure situation. We want good relations and relations based on partnership with the Russians".

Poland and the Baltic states have instead proposed a pipeline over land, running through their countries, which they claim is cheaper and environmentally friendlier, while at the same time providing them with steady supplies.

Approximately one quarter of Europe's gas is provided by Russia.

Poland gets almost all of its oil, and 40 percent of its gas, from Moscow through overland pipelines.

The St Petersburg-Greifswald line is expected to start up in 2010.