Saturday, 25 March 2000
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Link, News, Picture, Chat &
Stand Up and Be Counted! for Sunday March 26th
Date: 3/25/2000
File:
D:\+www.latvians.com\Aug93\Picts\venta.JPG (82261 bytes)
DL Time (32000
bps): < 1 minute
Before we get to the usual
features, most of you (in the U.S.) by now have probably received your census
forms. In contrast to prior versions, you have control over how you report
yourself. For those of any particular ethnic background, especially the
Baltics, now is the chance to stand up and be counted. When Peters was growing
up, he always checked "Other" on the racial background standardized test box
and neatly penciled in "LATVIAN". Now is his, our, your chance to do the same.
Instead of those neat boxes of which you could only choose one, now you can
check multiple boxes...or... at the very end of the "Person's race" question,
you can say EXACTLY who you are!
So, whether Latvian, Lithuanian,
Estonian, or any other "race"... (and it was recently reported that a
distinctive chromosome difference shows the Irish can scientifically be
considered a separate "race")... it's time to stand up and be counted. Not
white, not black, not any color, but—for us—"LATVIAN!"
This
week's link is another university resource page with lots
of pointer pages.
In the news,
- Ulmanis may meet with Yeltsin, after all, it can't get much worse
- Trial opened of extremist Latvians accused of plotting bombings
- Russia to complain about Latvia in particular at U.N. Commission for Human Rights
- Latvian government prepared if Duma imposes sanctions
- Russia warns Latvia relations have deteriorated to "danger point" (and exactly who has been instigating here?)
- Likely Putin election seen as positive for Baltics
- Russian presidential candidate suggests boycotting Latvian trade and trade routes and that [Latvia] seize empty factories for debt payment and provide jobs for Russians
- Russia to provide more "support" for Russians abroad, particularly ex-CIS countries
- Russia indignant that some Latvians want to make June 17th, the day the Soviet Union occupied Latvia, an official memorial day
Finally, this week's picture is of the Rumbas falls in Kuldiga.
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.
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This week's link is another university page pointing
to lots of web resources related to Latvia:
The Center for Russian,
East European and Eurasian Studies
The University of Texas at Austin -
Web Pages
REENIC-Russian and East European Network Information
Center
Link: Latvia URL: http://reenic.utexas.edu/reenic/Countries/Latvia/latvia.html
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RIGA, March 18
(Itar-Tass) - Former Latvian president Guntis Ulmanis said he would
"gladly meet Boris Yeltsin".
Ulmanis has recently
visited the United States and realised there that "people who have been in high
politics and left it in a dignified way are treated with a lot of trust, like a
'barometer'".
During his presidency, Ulmanis
repeatedly announced his intention to hold such a meeting. Now that both
leaders no longer hold their offices and relations between the two countries
"can't be worse", they believe their meeting and exchange of views could be
very useful.
zak/Copyright 2000
RIGA, March 20
(Itar-Tass) - Latvian court on Monday opened the trial of
several members of an extremist group indicted of attempts of bomb attacks and
of assassinations.
Nine people in the dock are
members of the organisation Perkonkrusts (Cross of Thunder), whose emblem is a
swastika.
Their leader Juris Rec is on the wanted
list. Two members of the group perished in June of 1997 as they attempted to
blast a monument to liberators of Latvia from Nazism.
According to law enforcement bodies, the group had
repeatedly tried to blast a heat main and the building of Latvenergo company in
Riga.
Charges are destruction of property,
manufacture of incendiary and explosive substances, physical assaults of
people, hostage-taking, calls for overturning power and instigation of ethnic
hatred.
The group also planned assassinations of
officials, including Anatolijs Gorbunovs, communications minister and former
member of parliament.
Some of the group's members
served in a voluntary force with the Latvian army.
lyu/gor Copyright 2000
GENEVA, March 20 (Itar-Tass)
- Russia intends to present a report on human rights in Latvia at the 56th
session of the U.N. Commission for Human Rights under way in Geneva.
The Russian delegation will attract the session
participants' attention to the violation of human rights in Baltic countries,
in particular in Latvia, Russian permanent representative to the European U.N.
headquarters Vasily Sidorov told Itar-Tass on Monday.
"It is natural we rivet the session's attention to the
restoration of fascist ideology and attempts to rehabilitate Nazis, who
organised the war against the anti-Hitler coalition," the ambassador said.
Russia believes that it is inadmissible to pursue the
policy of double standards in the field of human rights. "Unfortunately, the
whole situation in these countries, in particular in Latvia, is a clear image
of double standards. Somebody in the West would like to ignore the tragic
events in Baltic countries," Sidorov said.
At
previous session, Russia had riveted the international community's attention to
the unfavourable situation in Latvia and Estonia and the violation of human
rights in these republics. The international community criticised their policy
on discrimination of ethnic Russians in the republics.
yur/Copyright 2000
RIGA, March 21 (Reuters) -
Latvia's government said on Tuesday it had drafted a diplomatic action plan for
the event that Russia imposed economic sanctions against the Baltic state, as
Moscow parliamentarians are now considering.
In
November, The Russian Duma (lower house) approved in second reading a bill that
would oblige the Russian government, companies and individuals to halt all
trade with Latvia over alleged discrimination against its Russian-speaking
minority.
Latvian media reported that the Duma
would hold a final vote on March 29, three days after the presidential election
which current acting head of state Vladimir Putin is favoured to win.
"We have our ideas, call it a diplomatic plan, of how
to react if the developments prove to be negative," Maris Riekstins, Latvian
Foreign Ministry secretary of state, told Reuters.
He declined to discuss the contents of the plan, which he said was purely
diplomatic in nature and would be implemented if a sanctions bill were approved
by Russia's president.
"We are watching the
sanctions debate closely, but we understand that both the cabinet and
presidential administration are of the opinion that economic sanctions against
Latvia would be counterproductive to Russia itself," Riekstins said.
Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov took a cautious
line on the possibility of sanctions on Tuesday.
"We consider that for the time being it is necessary to
use political methods," Itar Tass news agency quoted him as saying in
Moscow.
Russia's upper house Federation Council as
well as the president would have to approve the sanctions bill.
Moscow accuses Riga of discriminating against Russian
speakers, an issue that has soured relations between the two countries since
Latvia left the former Soviet Union in 1991.
Earlier on Tuesday Russia said it was urging
international bodies to pressure Latvia over its conviction of an elderly World
War Two partisan.
Latvia sentenced 77-year-old
Vasili Kononov to six years in jail for killing nine civilians in 1944,
outraging the Russian authorities and Russian veterans' organisations.
Russia has accused Latvia of punishing fighters against
Nazi Germany while allowing Latvian veterans of Waffen SS units to hold
parades. Latvia says it has the right to punish anyone who committed war
crimes, no matter which side they fought on.
Copyright 2000 Reuters Ltd.
RIGA, March 22 (Reuters) -
Russia warned neighbouring Latvia on Wednesday that deteriorating relations are
at a danger point.
"We are concerned with the
relationship between Latvia and Russia," Alexander Udaltsov, Russia's
Ambassador to Latvia, told journalists after meeting with Latvian President
Vaira Vike-Freiberga.
"I told the (Latvian)
president relations have reached a dangerous stage when the negative trend
gathers momentum that may be difficult to halt," he added.
Relations between Moscow and Riga have been tense at
best since the former Soviet republic regained independence in 1991.
Russia accuses Latvia of discrimination against its
large Russian-speaking minority — roughly one-third of its 2.4 million
citizens — most of whom moved here during 50 years of communist rule.
Relations sagged further when Latvia convicted
77-year-old Vasili Kononov killing civilians in 1944, when he was a Soviet
partisan fighting Nazi Germany occupation.
Deputies
in Moscow are currently considering imposing economic sanctions against Latvia
for the perceived mistreatment of Russian speakers. A decision on the sanctions
is expected by the end of March.
Udaltsov said he
did not favour the sanctions and that the two countries must look to the future
to avoid becoming enslaved by the past.
Latvia has
called the sanctions bill regrettable.
Russia still
holds considerable influence over the Latvian economy through natural resources
and transit trade which accounts for some 15 percent of gross domestic
product.
By Alan Crosby
RIGA, March 24 (Reuters) -
Strained relations between the Baltic states and Russia are set to improve if
Vladimir Putin is elected president this Sunday, even if his long-term policies
remain unclear. Since regaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991,
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have often squabbled with Moscow, which has
complained bitterly about the treatment of the region's large Russian-speaking
minority.
The rhetoric has hit fever pitch in the
run-up to the vote as candidates have postured to strike a nationalist chord
— but is more than likely to subside once the election is over.
"In Russian foreign policy there have been no turning
points since 1917. Interpretations have changed, the terms being used have
changed, but the policy, foreign policy, is just the same...Russian foreign
policy has taught us that it gets more aggressive as elections approach," said
Latvian plitical scientist Zanete Ozolina.
Baltic
capital markets have been quiet in the days ahead of the vote and analysts say
a decisive win for Putin, acting president since January, could calm fears of
instability and bring a fresh wave of investment.
"We think the election will bring a more predictable,
consistent and dynamic relationship...that the new Russian president will
pursue a relationship built on cooperation with all Western countries,
including its immediate neighbours," Lithuanian Deputy Foreign Minister
Vygaudas Usackas said.
Putin, the hot favourite to
win the election, protested strongly last month when 77-year-old former Soviet
partisan Vasili Kononov was convicted in Latvia for the murder of nine
civilians in 1944, and even offered him Russian citizenship.
But Putin has said he does not favour an economic
sanctions bill against Latvia currently before the Russian parliament. Latvia
has the largest Russian-speaking minority in the region at some 650,000.
Across the Baltics, some 131,000 Russian residents can
vote on Sunday, and opinion polls indicate most will vote for Putin.
But many Balts have longer term worries about the
former KGB spy, unknown on the political stage less than a year ago, who says
he backs economic reforms but has not published an election manifesto or
economic programme.
"Putin is unpredictable for the
whole world at the moment. It's a big risk to forecast anything in Russia more
than half a year ahead," said Kristiina Ojuland, a member of the Estonian
parliament's foreign affairs committee.
"It seems
to me...that Putin has an interest in the Baltic states. The big question mark
is how this interest will develop, whether it moves in a direction where
(Russia) is willing to build up normal economic relations."
Copyright 2000 Reuters Ltd.
KEMEROVO, March 24
(Itar-Tass) - The protection of Russian speakers in the former
Soviet republics must become a day-to-day concern for the Russian state with a
view to preventing degrading and humiliating treatment of the compatriots
living there, governor of the Kemerovo region Aman Tuleyev declared on Friday.
Tuleyev said such treatment of the Russian
speakers has been practiced in Latvia "with its marches of fascists and the
imprisonment of Soviet partisans."
Tuleyev, one of
the Russian presidential candidates, was speaking during the course of his
meeting with voters in Kemerovo, West Siberia.
He
said one of the measures counteracting the humiliation of veterans and
non-citizens is the use by Russians of the transport, including marine, routes
which circumvent Latvia. He proposed "seizing oil and gas pipelines, factories
and plants in the former Soviet republics for debts and provide jobs at them
for the Russian-speaking population."
vfp/Copyright 2000
By Gareth Jones
MOSCOW, March 24 (Reuters) -
Russia's advisory Security Council approved a new foreign policy concept on
Friday that calls for stronger protection of Russian citizens abroad and for a
more commercially-oriented diplomacy.
Foreign
Minister Igor Ivanov, speaking to reporters after the council session chaired
by Acting President Vladimir Putin, said the doctrine reflected Russia's
resources and needs better than a version drawn up in 1993.
"The new concept is closer to life and to those tasks
which we are trying to resolve within the country," he said in televised
comments.
Ivanov gave no details but Putin made
clear the concept included looking after the interests of Russians living
abroad, especially in the former Soviet republics of the Commonwealth of
Independent States (CIS) and the three Baltic states.
"We have to defend in a more attentive, balanced but
also more active way the interests of our citizens...who have chosen to live
permanently in other countries," Putin said.
It is
a common complaint of Russian nationalists that Russians stranded in the Baltic
states, Ukraine, the Caucasus region and Central Asia after the break-up of the
Soviet Union have faced varying degrees of discrimination and mistreatment.
Putin, hot favourite to win Sunday's presidential poll,
has said he wants to strengthen Moscow's ties with the 12 ex-Soviet republics
which make up the loose Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The three
Baltic republics — Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — are not CIS
members.
Protection for Russians Abroad
Sergei Ivanov, secretary of the Security Council and a
close ally of Putin, said ethnic Russians should feel "comfortable" in their
chosen home and not want to rush back to the motherland.
"We must create through our policies such
conditions...that people, our compatriots, would want to stay put, to work
normally and to live comfortably," he said.
The
concept envisages the foreign ministry taking a coordinating role in promoting
Russia's interests abroad. It also proposes that diplomats do more to help
promote Russian industry and commerce.
"The role of
the foreign ministry must be raised. We need actively to use the foreign
ministry's opportunities to promote the economic interests of our state
overseas," Itar-Tass news agency quoted Putin as saying.
Foreign Minister Ivanov said Russia had the means to
remain a key player in the international arena despite its current economic
difficulties.
"We take into account the
possibilities and resources which our foreign policy has and, although they are
to some degree temporarily constrained, they are enough to maintain a worthy
place for Russia in the outside world," Ivanov said.
The new foreign policy concept comes on the heels of a
national security doctrine, adopted in January, that in effect lowered the
threshold for Russia using nuclear arms in response to non-nuclear threats.
That was followed by a nuts-and-bolts military doctrine which gave domestic
concerns priority over foreign affairs.
Copyright 2000 Reuters Ltd.
MOSCOW, March 24 (Itar-Tass)
- The Russian Foreign Ministry's information and press department circulated a
statement on Friday.
"On March 23 the Latvian
parliament supported an initiative of right-wing nationalists to have a new
memorial date on the national calendar — June 17 — as the day of
Latvia's occupation by Soviet troops. When speaking of the occupation of Latvia
by Soviet troops, the Latvian leaders openly hint on Russia," the statement
reads.
Several days ago the Latvian foreign
minister accused Russia of using any pretext for "even more complicating our
relations," it notes. "That is, really, to lay the blame on someone else."
"At first anti-Russian laws on citizenship, education
and language are adopted, then an unprecedented campaign of persecution of
anti-Fascist veterans is launched, and, finally, another ceremonious march of
SS survivors is held in central Riga," the statement says. "Mr. Minister seems
to believe that all that will help to improve the Russo-Latvian relations. Now
we are having another anti-Russian provocation."
yer/fil Copyright 2000
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The Venta flowing over the Rumbas, Latvia's widest
waterfall.