Prague- Moldova and its rebel province of Transnistria could find a peaceful way out of their dispute, Moldovan Prime Minister Zinaidu Greceanii said Tuesday.

"We can't imagine a solution to the conflict other than a peaceful one," she said after meeting her Czech counterpart Mirek Topolanek in Prague.

Greceanii said Moldova continued to believe in solving the territorial dispute with Transnistria in talks brokered by Russia, Ukraine and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Following the crisis in South Ossetia, Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin said he plans to ask the European Union for more help to resolve the conflict that has been going on since the early 1990s.

Russian-speaking Transnistria ceded from Romanian-speaking Moldova after a civil war ending in 1992. Russia, Transnistria's chief backer, has peacekeepers and arms depot guards there.

The Czech premier said EU leaders discussed the issue at the bloc's emergency summit on Georgia on Monday, although it failed to get a mention in the final 10-point declaration.

"The truth is that after the conflict in South Ossetia we are worried about its implications in solving other frozen conflicts," Topolanek said.

A thaw between the regions on the opposing banks of the Dniester River was cut short by the Caucasus crisis between Russia and Georgia over South Ossetia.

Transnistria's authoritarian leader Igor Smirnov halted further talks until Moldova's president condemned Georgia. He also called for a three-fold Russian troop increase on his territory.

Greceanii's two-day visit to Prague was her first to the European Union since her appointment in March.

The Communist politician also planned to open her country's embassy in the Czech capital and attend an event promoting Czech- Moldovan economic ties. (dpa)