Friday, 7 July 2000

"For Fatherland and Freedom"  Latvian Link
  News
  Sports
  Picture Album

Subj: Latvian mailer and AOL chat reminder for Sunday, July 9th
Date: 7/7/00
File: D:\_WWWLA~1.COM\OCT94\PICTS\SASIET~1.JPG (63296 bytes)
DL Time (32000 bps): <1 minute>


Sveiki, all!

Since last we wrote, Canada and the U.S. celebrated their independence days. We spent both in Canada, at the Toronto Dziesmas Svetki (Songfest) — hence no mailer last weekend — and met several AOLers there as well. For those of you who attended, Peters was in the combined choir, several rows back toward the middle.
:-)

To bring you up to date on the news:

There's sports news from the Tour de France as well.

And for those of you still starved for information, this week's link provides even more news.

This week's photograph is a reminder that the Latvian summer is short and that the days there are already growing shorter. Here a hay bale is still out in the field, soaking up the last rays of autumn.

Quite a number of people have had problems receiving the picture the last two mailings. If you have problems, just connect to our home page to access the web-enabled mailer. (The mailer is usually available on our site within a day or so after the Email is sent out).

Remember, mailer or not, "Lat Chat" spontaneously appears every Sunday on AOL starting around 9:00/9:30pm Eastern time, lasting until 11:00/11:30pm. AOL'ers can follow this link: Town Square - Latvian chat.

Ar visu labu,

Silvija Peters


IN ACCORDANCE WITH AOL'S MAIL POLICY and good manners, please let Silvija (Silvija) know if you wish to be deleted from our mailing list. Past mailers are archived at latvians.com. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.


  Latvian Link

For even more news, the newspaper LAIKS is working on an online presence — some of you were lucky to see a PC demo in Toronto. It's a work in progress, but there's a lot of good reference there already. Their link is at:

http://www.laiksonline.com

Currently only the English version is populated.


  News

Latvia doubts Russian Federation will pay compensation for Soviet era damages
    RIGA, June 28 (Itar-Tass) — Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga said it would be unrealistic to make Russia pay a compensation for the damage it caused to her county in Soviet times.
    "Russia has not recognised the occupation of Latvia and I doubt that it will recognise the damage", she said before flying to Germany on Wednesday.
    She also added that "relations with Russia will deteriorate immediately" if such a move is taken.
(c) 2000 ITAR-TASS

Rankings of world's nations in human development
Copyright 2000 Reuters Ltd.
    UNITED NATIONS, June 29 (Reuters) — The annual U.N. Human Development Report surveys 174 countries in an effort to measure the lives of people beyond economic statistics, such as who goes to school or who has access to water.
    Following are the rankings, released on Thursday, based on income, health care, life expectancy and educational levels. Canada heads the overall list, followed by Norway and the United States:

  1. Canada
  2. Norway
  3. United States
  4. Australia
  5. Iceland
  6. Sweden
  7. Belgium
  8. Netherlands
  9. Japan
  10. Britain
  11. Finland
  12. France
  13. Switzerland
  14. Germany
  15. Denmark
  16. Austria
  17. Luxembourg
  18. Ireland
  19. Italy
  20. New Zealand
  21. Spain
  22. Cyprus
  23. Israel
  24. Singapore
  25. Greece
  26. Hong Kong
  27. Malta
  28. Portugal
  29. Slovenia
  30. Barbados
  31. South Korea
  32. Brunei
  33. Bahamas
  34. Czech Republic
  35. Argentina
  36. Kuwait
  37. Antigua and Barbuda
  38. Chile
  39. Uruguay
  40. Slovakia
  41. Bahrain
  42. Qatar
  43. Hungary
  44. Poland
  45. United Arab Emirates
  46. Estonia
  47. St. Kitts and Nevis
  48. Costa Rica
  49. Croatia
  50. Trinidad and Tobago
  51. Dominica
  52. Lithuania
  53. Seychelles
  54. Grenada
  55. Mexico
  56. Cuba
  57. Belarus
  58. Belize
  1. Panama
  2. Bulgaria
  3. Malaysia
  4. Russia
  5. Latvia
  6. Romania
  7. Venezuela
  8. Fiji
  9. Suriname
  10. Colombia
  11. Macedonia
  12. Georgia
  13. Mauritius
  14. Libya
  15. Kazakhstan
  16. Brazil
  17. Saudi Arabia
  18. Thailand
  19. Philippines
  20. Ukraine
  21. St. Vincent and the Grenadines
  22. Peru
  23. Paraguay
  24. Lebanon
  25. Jamaica
  26. Sri Lanka
  27. Turkey
  28. Oman
  29. Dominican Republic
  30. St. Lucia
  31. Maldives
  32. Azerbaijan
  33. Ecuador
  34. Jordan
  35. Armenia
  36. Albania
  37. Western Samoa
  38. Guyana
  39. Iran
  40. Kyrgyzstan
  41. China
  42. Turkmenistan
  43. Tunisia
  44. Moldova
  45. South Africa
  46. El Salvador
  47. Cape Verde
  48. Uzbekistan
  49. Algeria
  50. Vietnam
  51. Indonesia
  52. Tajikistan
  53. Syria
  54. Swaziland
  55. Honduras
  56. Bolivia
  57. Namibia
  58. Nicaragua
  1. Mongolia
  2. Vanuatu
  3. Egypt
  4. Guatemala
  5. Solomon Islands
  6. Botswana
  7. Gabon
  8. Morocco
  9. Myanmar
  10. Iraq
  11. Lesotho
  12. India
  13. Ghana
  14. Zimbabwe
  15. Equatorial Guinea
  16. Sao Tome and Principe
  17. Papua New Guinea
  18. Cameroon
  19. Pakistan
  20. Cambodia
  21. Comoros
  22. Kenya
  23. Congo Republic
  24. Laos
  25. Madagascar
  26. Bhutan
  27. Sudan
  28. Nepal
  29. Togo
  30. Bangladesh
  31. Mauritania
  32. Yemen
  33. Djibouti
  34. Haiti
  35. Nigeria
  36. Congo Democratic Republic
  37. Zambia
  38. Ivory Coast
  39. Senegal
  40. Tanzania
  41. Benin
  42. Uganda
  43. Eritrea
  44. Angola
  45. Gambia
  46. Guinea
  47. Malawi
  48. Rwanda
  49. Mali
  50. Central African Republic
  51. Chad
  52. Mozambique
  53. Guinea-Bissau
  54. Burundi
  55. Ethiopia
  56. Burkina Faso
  57. Niger
  58. Sierra Leone

Russian speakers mistreated in Latvia and Estonia
    COPENHAGEN, June 29 (Itar-Tass) — The status of Russian-speaking minorities in Latvia and Estonia contradicts the internationally accepted norms, Russian First Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Avdeyev stated here in the course of the Russo-Danish diplomatic consultations.
    He told Itar-Tass on Thursday that "the insolvency of the claims that everything is allegedly normal in this domain were disproved by means of concrete figures, references to international standards and to articles of the Latvian and Estonian laws." The Russian diplomat said that the Danish side had assured him that it would continue its efforts to improve the lot of national minorities in the Baltic states.
(c) 2000 ITAR-TASS

German, Latvian presidents discuss cooperation in Baltic region
    BERLIN, June 29 (Itar-Tass) — German President Johannes Rau and Latvian President Vaira Vike-Fraiberga met in Berlin on Thursday to discuss bilateral cooperation in the Baltic region.
    During the meeting, the presidents discussed Germany's support for Latvia's soonest accession to the European Union and NATO, diplomatic sources said.
    Rau and Vike-Fraiberga also considered relations between Latvia and Russia.
The Latvian head of state arrived in Germany on a working visit. On Friday, she will take part in an international exhibition Expo-2000 in Hanover.
(c) 2000 ITAR-TASS

Latvians opposed to utility sale win key victory
Copyright 2000 Reuters Ltd.
    RIGA, July 1 (Reuters) — Latvians opposed to the privatisation of their power utility, Latvenergo, have won a key victory that will force parliament to vote on legislation banning the sale, the electoral commission said on Saturday.
    If parliament rejects or amends the opposition-sponsored bill, the issue will then be decided by referendum.
    The electoral commission said in a statement a petition aimed at forcing parliament to consider legislation banning Latvenergo's sale gained the signatures of 22 percent of the electorate, versus the one-tenth of eligible voters they needed.
    A vote in parliament is not expected before August, a spokeswoman for the commission told Reuters.
    "It will take us some four to five weeks to verify the signatures, which means that we would not be ready to hand the draft law to the president before August," the spokeswoman said.
    Under Latvian law, the central electoral commission presents the legislation to the president, who then sends it to parliament. Parliament must then vote on it, and a referendum will be called automatically if it rejects or amends it.
    The ruling four-party coalition, which has pledged to privatise Latvenergo, holds 69 of parliament's 100 seats and is expected to block the legislation, even if one of its smaller partners defects.
    The government earlier launched the preliminary stage of the privatisation with a tender for an adviser on the sale, which the privatisation agency is expected to pick on July 17.
    Latvia is also exploring a possible merger of Latvenergo with Estonia's utility, Eesti Energia.
    A panel of experts set up by the two countries' governments to investigate the possibility of a merger submitted an official proposal for the deal on Friday.
    The panel's merger proposal, submitted to the two countries' economy ministries, recommended a merger of equals. No time frame for the plan was given.

Georgia buys passenger train made by Latvia and Germany
    TBILISI, July 4 (Itar-Tass) — A new high-speed passenger train, which had been manufactured by the Riga plant in cooperation with Germans, arrived in Tbilisi from the Latvian capital on Tuesday.
    The train will make shuttle trips on the Tbilisi-Batumi route. It has 350 seats and Mercedes engines.
    This is the third passenger train produced by Latvia and Germany that has been bought by Georgia. The two other trains are being used on the Tbilisi-Batumi and Tbilisi-Ozurgeti routes.
(c) 2000 ITAR-TASS

Latvia set to join NATO, EU -- foreign minister
    TBILISI, July 5 (Itar-Tass) — Visiting Latvian Foreign Minister Indulis Berzins said on Wednesday that Riga's top priority was to join NATO and the European Union.
    "Latvia's current top priority is membership of NATO and the European Union," Berzins told reporters.
    The minister added that Latvia was getting ready to enter the Alliance in compliance with the plan devised at the NATO summit in Washington in 1999.
    "Latvia backs Georgia's aspiration to join NATO," he said. The minister stressed that he was ready to impair Riga's experience to Tbilisi so that the latter do not repeat the former's mistakes.
    Over the past six months, Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze has repeatedly said Tbilisi "will knock at NATO's door" by 2005.
    "This door may open not at once, but several years later," he added. ala/
(c) 2000 ITAR-TASS

Protesting Latvian farmers block Lithuanian borders
Copyright 2000 Reuters Ltd.
    RIGA, July 6 (Reuters) — Latvian farmers protesting against the government's agricultural policies have blocked the country's two main checkpoints on the border with neighbouring Lithuania, the border guard said on Thursday.
    Farmers blocked the Grenctale and Meitene border crossings to Lithuania on Wednesday, stopping traffic of lorries, although they were allowing passenger vehicles to cross.
    However, on Thursday they began stopping all traffic except police cars and ambulances, Andris Neilans, a border guard duty officer, told Reuters.
    "From 9 a.m. (0700 GMT) the protesters have stepped up their blockade because of the lack of progress, as they see it, in their talks with the government," Neilans said.
    The border guard said there were no cars or trucks backed up at the Meitene crossing but some 200 trucks were waiting at Grenctale on the Latvian side of the border and a number of passenger cars was also beginning to line up.
    The farmers are protesting against what they say is the government's failure to keep an agreement over levels of state support.
    They said the protest was not directed at import/export policies but was seen as the most effective way of attracting attention.

Latvia seeks Australia aid over war crimes suspect
Copyright 2000 Reuters Ltd.
    RIGA, July 7 (Reuters) — Latvian prosecutor general's office said on Friday it had asked Australian authorities to question 86-year-old suspected Nazi war criminal Konrads Kalejs as part of a continuing investigation.
    Kalejs, who holds Australian citizenship, has lived in Melbourne since fleeing Britain six months ago. He is suspected of helping in the World War Two slaughter of Jews in Latvia as a member of the Nazi-backed Arajs hit squad.
    Kalejs denies the charges, saying he fought Russia on the eastern front and was studying at university when the killings took place in 1941.
    Janis Osis, senior prosecutor in charge of investigating totalitarian crimes, told Reuters the prosecutor general's office had sent questions to Australia about Kalejs.
    "Those are the questions for Kalejs interrogation which have arisen during the investigation," Osis said. "We can't forecast the time of the answer. It will depend on Australia's possibilities to fulfil our request."
    Latvian prosecutors re-opened the investigation into Kalejs' wartime past late last year when it was discovered that he was living in a retirement home in Britain.
    Last month prosecutors said that they were discussing the possibility of filing charges against Kalejs and were expecting a final decision later in summer.
    Australia approved the signing of an extradition treaty with Latvia on Wednesday. Latvian authorities are expected to sign the treaty in Riga next week.
    The treaty, which could take effect before the end of the year, paves the way for Kalejs's extradition if sufficient evidence is produced to warrant a trial.

Moscow Criticizes Latvia for Sentencing Soviet Officer
    MOSCOW, July 7 (XINHUA) — Russia on Friday criticized Latvia for sentencing former Soviet security officer, 87-year-old Russian citizen Yevgeni Savenko to two years' imprisonment, accusing Riga of "launching a political campaign to exonerate fascism and its followers."
    Earlier Friday, Latvia's Kurzeme circuit court sentenced Savenko to two years in jail, on the charge of taking part in the persecutions against about 60 people in Latvia in 1940.
    "Savenko committed a grave crime that has no statute of limitations. He took part in repressing of 57 people, nine of whom were sentenced to death and another nine died in prison," the Latvian prosecutor said.
    However, Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Savenko is innocent because he did all under the orders of his superior.
    "Latvian authorities is whipping up a political campaign to exonerate fascism and its followers. The campaign includes court sentences to various prison terms old and infirm people who, in their time, liberated Latvia from the Nazi occupation," it said.
    Riga "attempts to revise the results of the World War II and to unashamedly maltreat those old and infirm persons, who defended the world against the Nazi plague," said the ministry.
Copyright 2000 XINHUA NEWS AGENCY


  Sports

The Latvians are making a go of it!

Results of Tour de France
    PARIS, July 7 (XINHUA) - Following are the results in the seventh stage of the Tour de France over 205.5 kms from Tours to Limoges on Friday:

  1. Christophe Agnolutto, France, AG2R, five hours 11 minutes 41 seconds
  2. Marcel Wust, Germany, Festina, 1 minute 11 seconds behind
  3. Erik Zabel, Germany, Deutsche Telekom
  4. Romans Vainsteins, Latvia, Vini Caldirola
  5. Zoran Klemencic, Slovenia, Vini Caldirola
  6. Paolo Bettini, Italy, Mapei
  7. Jans Koerts, Netherlands, Farm Frites
  8. Stefano Zanini, Italy, Mapei
  9. Enrico Cassani, Italy, Polti
  10. Glenn Magnusson, Sweden, Farm Frites, all same time

Overall standings:

  1. Alberto Elli, Italy, Deutsche Telekom, 24 hours 11 minutes 32 seconds
  2. Fabrice Gougot, France, Credit Agricole, 12 seconds behind
  3. Marc Wauters, Belgium, Rabobank, 1:17
  4. Pascal Chanteur, France, AG2, 2:56
  5. Jose Luis Arrieta, Spain, Banesto, 3:08
  6. Jacky Durand, France, Lotto, 3:21
  7. Salvatore Commesso, Italy, Saeco, 3:52
  8. Servais Knaven, Netherlands, Farm Frites, 4:31
  9. Arvis Piziks, Latvia, Memory Card, 4:38
  10. Laurent Jalabert, France, ONCE, 5:40

Copyright 2000 XINHUA NEWS AGENCY


  Picture Album

Summer is all too fleeting in Latvia! This week's picture was taken along a country road not far from Mordanga. (That's near Stende and Spare in Kurzeme.)

Hay bale
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