Russia and Cuba will try to forge ahead in completing a nuclear power plant in the western Cuban province of Cienfuegos, officials of the two nations said.

The two countries scuttled plans to invite other countries to join in finishing the Juragua plant, about 185 miles southeast of Havana, because of opposition from the United States, Cuban officials said.

The plan ``was not possible, fundamentally due to the policy of harassment by the U.S. government,'' Cuban Trade Minister Ricardo Cabrisas said in comments reported by the official Cuban news agency Prensa Latina.

In 1997, Russia suggested forming an international consortium to help finish the plant, which Cuba began building in 1981 with assistance from the Soviet Union. The United States has opposed the project, calling it a safety risk.