PRAGUE, September 3, 2008 (AFP) - The Czech government agreed to extend a ban on lorries Wednesday, ending a 15-month dispute which has threatened to topple the fragile centre-right coalition.

The thorny issue prompted threats from junior government Green Party leader and environment minister Martin Bursik to walk out of the government in July, when he angrily accused Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek of backing down on a promise to introduce the ban this year.

'We have fulfilled one of the key points of the government programme from my point of view,' Bursik said during a joint news conference announcing the deal with transport minister Ales Rebicek.

Widening the lorry ban has been one of the flagship policy goals of the Greens and was included at its insistence in the three-way coalition's programme. The party says the ban would cut air and noise pollution and dramatically cut accidents.

The proposed new law will extend the current Friday summertime ban on lorries between 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm (1300 and 1800 GMT) to a year-round one and widen an existing Sunday ban to cover almost the whole day, rather just a few hours.

The move will help bring the Czech ban into line with similar edicts in neighbouring countries such as Germany, Austria and Slovakia, Bursik said.

Meanwhile, a range of financial measures are under discussion to cushion the impact for haulage firms, which have threatened to strike over the extended ban, he added.

The lorry ban is among several issues that have created friction between the Greens and Topolanek's leading government party, the Civic Democratic Party (ODS).

Others include stationing part of a US anti-missile shield on Czech soil, the EU's Lisbon treaty and the future of nuclear power.