Prague- The Czech Republic is negotiating to buy a share in the Transalpine Pipeline (TAL), which pumps Azeri oil from the Italian port of Trieste to Germany, in a bid to lower energy dependence on Russia, a Czech official said Tuesday.

"We are interested in it. It's a long-term project," said Vaclav Bartuska, a Czech ambassador-at-large for energy security.

According to earlier reports, the Czech Republic has been negotiating with pipeline's eight shareholders to buy a 2-per-cent stake. Bartuska declined to elaborate.

The central European former Soviet satellite receives some 30 per cent of its oil via the IKL pipeline, which connects to TAL in Ingolstadt, Germany. The rest of country's oil arrive via the Druzhba pipeline from Russia.

Russian oil supplies continued to be down in August at 74 per cent of the contracted amount, Bartuska said.

The cutbacks started in early July, at a time when Washington and Prague signed a deal on placing a missile-defence radar base on Czech soil, a project fiercely opposed by Moscow.

"I don't believe it would be punishment," Bartuska said. The cutbacks were likely caused "by some problem among the middlemen in Russia," he said.

Czech leaders say they are committed to further diversifying energy supplies.

Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek recently threw his support behind the EU-backed Nabucco pipeline planned to import Central Asian natural gas to Europe without crossing Russia.

But Bartuska said he was unimpressed with the Czech Republic's level of commitment.

"I don't see a similar level of enthusiasm" compared to the efforts that led to building IKL in early 1990s, he said. "Words will build little. I need to hear the ringing of money." (dpa)