Russia and Hungary are currently negotiating the transfer the waste from the Paks nuclear plant to the south of Budapest, to Russia's only factory processing nuclear waste, Maiak, in the region of Cheliabinsk, Vladimir Sliviak, the co-president of Ebozachtchita told AFP.

"Maiak has a monstrous heritage," according to a message to the Hungarian premier signed by 5,000 inhabitants of the region of Cheliabinsk. "Over the past 50 years a lot of people (living in the area) were victims of radiation."

The statement said that if the transfer went ahead Hungary would "become an accomplice to the kinds of nuclear experiences practiced on millions of Russians. Hungary's ecological problems should not be resolved at Russia's expense".

Russia's Supreme Court in May 2002 banned Hungary from sending nuclear waste to Russian territory after ecological organisations and inhabitants of the region for stocking.

However, the court did not ban to delivery of the waste for processing.

All rights reserved. © 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.