Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma hailed the opening of a canal in the ecologically sensitive Danube delta on Thursday, defying opponents who say the waterway will harm the environment.
The European Union, Germany and Romania have repeatedly called on Ukraine to stop work on the canal, which will link the Black Sea to Ukraine's section of the Danube river delta.
Romania on Thursday said it planned to take Ukraine to the International Court of Justice in the Hague, complaining that the canal would cause water levels to change and harm the delta.
But Kuchma said his critics were merely protecting their own economic interests. He has previously said he believed Romania wanted a monopoly on transit in the region.
The delta is home to more than 280 species of birds as well as 45 freshwater fish species in its numerous lakes and marshes.
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