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Sveiki, all!

First of all, we want to offer our congratulations to (one of our readers...) Lolita Ritmanis (sorry, the U.S. doesn't know about declension of personal names).

Lolita won an Emmy award last week at the Daytime Emmy Awards - Creative Arts presentation (not televised--well, at least this time it wasn't just the Latvians!). She won for Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for "Batman Beyond". (It's animation, and quite stylish, actually!) Lolita works with four other composers on the show.

Lolita's thrilled at the honor, as are we all -- and she was wondering, have any other Latvians won Emmys?

The news this week, alas, was far more banal:

  • Kalejs appears on the verge of extradition to Latvia from Australia
  • Russia plays the old saw again, this time to the Council of the Baltic Sea States, about human rights concerns regarding ethnic Russians in Latvia and Estonia; once again we note, ethnic Russians seeking to "return" to Russia are derided as "Latvians" and given no assistance--Latvia treats its ethnic Russians far better than "Mother" Russia
  • European Union stalemates on Eastern European admissions; the "low men" on the economic totem pole now want their EU handouts to continue (these handouts would cease should "lower men" on the totem pole be admitted)--national selfishness once again gives the lie to the noble aspiration of a truly united Europe, at least for now
  • Latvia indicates its wish to remain nuclear-free should it join NATO; most shooting accidents happen in households with guns, so better not to have one; recall that Latvia is already the third-most-feared country in Russia (U.S. first, China second, Latvia third, Japan--which still holds historically Russian territory--fourth)
  • a replica of Peter the Great is to go to St. Petersburg for its 300th anniversary celebration in 2003; we continue to think the original should be restored and re-erected in Riga (Peter's favorite home town) — check our site for the 1890's (well, based on the monument dates, it'll now have to be "early 1900's") album of Riga for a picture of "Denkmal Peters des Grossen" in better days

This week's link is to a site of world statesmen, including Latvia.

This week's picture is of a rainy afternoon in Kronvalda parks in Riga.

As always, AOL'ers, 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. And thanks to you participating on the Latvian message board as well: LATVIA (both on AOL only).

Ar visu labu,

Silvija Peters

  Latvian Link

Their Latvia page could be formatted a little bit better, still, there's a wealth of information (some are links): flags, map, constitution, national anthem, and lots and lots of statesmen going back hundreds of years. The World Statesmen Latvia page may be found at:

http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Senate/2785/Latvia.htm
 

  News


Nazi crimes suspect battles extradition to Latvia
Reuters World Report
Monday, May 14, 2001 2:26:00 AM
Copyright 2001 Reuters Ltd.

    MELBOURNE, May 14 (Reuters) -- Alleged Nazi war criminal Konrad Kalejs sat slumped in a wheelchair in a Melbourne courtroom on Monday as his lawyers battled demands for his return to his native Latvia to face genocide charges.
    The 87-year-old sat with his head bowed and eyes shut as an Australian government lawyer described allegations that under his command, detainees at a World War Two camp were underfed, separated from their families and forced to perform hard labour.
    Kalejs is wanted in Latvia on charges of war crimes and genocide for his role as a commander at the Salaspils labour camp near Riga in 1942 to 1943.
    He has admitted to being a member of the Nazi-backed Arajs commando squad but has denied all war crimes.
    If extradited, Kalejs would be the first person suspected of Latvian Nazi-era war crimes to be brought to trial since the country regained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
    "He gave the command directly or indirectly to shoot at any prisoners who attempted to escape," the Australian government's barrister, Geoff Nettle, told the court.
    "He subjected them to torture by making them run around naked in the frost and not giving them enough food."
    Shielding his eyes from a horde of cameras, Kalejs arrived slumped in a wheelchair accompanied by his wife and a nurse for Monday's hearing, where lawyers debated whether Latvia needed to give proof to justify his extradition.
    Under Australian law Kalejs could be extradited for murder, manslaughter, common assault, forcible confinement, torture, and recklessly inflicting grievous bodily harm, Nettle said.
    But Kalejs' barrister said the case was subject to a 1924 extradition treaty, under which Latvia would be required to present evidence of Kalejs' alleged crimes.
    Kalejs, who took Australian citizenship in 1957, was arrested last December at his home in Melbourne after Latvia requested extradition, and is staying on bail at a home for the elderly.
    He fled to Melbourne last year to avoid deportation from Britain, after being deported from the United Sates in 1994 and Canada in 1997 for lying on entry forms about his war past.
    The extradition hearing was expected to last two more days.

FM draws Degn's attention to Russians' position in Latvia and Estonia
COMTEX Newswire
(c) 1996-2001 ITAR-TASS
Monday, May 14, 2001 12:00:00 PM

    MOSCOW, May 14, 2001 (Itar-Tass via COMTEX) -- Deputy Foreign Minister Yevgeny Gusarov on Monday raised the question of ethnic Russians's rights in Latvia and Estonia with the commissioner for democratic development of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS), Helle Degn.
    Gusarov and Degn discussed questions of interaction with the CBSS commissioner with in connection with Russia's upcoming presidency in this regional organisation.
    Russia attaches great importance to "preserving continuity in the work of the institute of commissioner, continuing the monitoring of human rights in the region and the position of ethnic minorities in the Baltic Sea states", Gusarov said.
    He stressed that these questions should be among the commissioner's priorities because "stability in the Baltic Sea region and in Europe as a whole will largely depend on their resolution".
    Degn is in Moscow to take part in an international conference organised by the Russian human rights commissioner in connection with the 5th anniversary of Russia's membership in the Council of Europe.

EU nations fail to end stalemate over Eastern European admissions
AP WorldStream
Monday, May 14, 2001 1:52:00 PM
Copyright 2001 The Associated Press
By ROBERT WIELAARD
Associated Press Writer

    BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- European Union nations failed to break a deadlock Monday over how fast to open the door to new members, with Germany and Austria demanding Eastern European workers be kept out for seven years after their countries join.
    All governments backed such a "transition period" except Spain, which linked its backing to a guarantee that billions of euros (dollars) in annual aid for its poor regions will not be cut in the second half of the decade after the even poorer eastern countries enter.
    EU development aid is handed out on the basis of a country's relative wealth. Less developed regions now qualify for handouts if their incomes are less than 75 percent of the EU's gross national product. When Eastern European countries join, many regions now getting such aid move above that threshold.
    Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, who chaired an EU foreign ministers meeting, said Spain's partners rejected linking the EU expansion to future aid spending for current members. She remained hopeful, however, a deal can be reached by July 1, when Sweden hands over the EU presidency to Belgium.
    "We cannot link things that do not go together," said German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer. "Solidarity is not a one-way street."
    Austrian Foreign Minister Benita Ferrero-Waldner said Spain's hardline stance threatened EU plans to take in up a dozen eastern neighbors in the coming years.
    Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Malta and Poland hope to join by 2004, although the EU has not set entry dates.
    Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia are in a slower group. Negotiations with Turkey have not yet started.
    Fearing an influx of cheap labor, Germany and Austria want a seven-year waiting period before workers from the new members can move freely under rules that allow EU citizens to work and settle where they want within the bloc.
    Spain fears poorer eastern nations will eat into their its regional aid subsidies that total 42.9 billion euros (dlrs 38.8 billion) in the 2000-2006 period.
    Greece and Portugal also want guarantees of undiminished aid funding after newcomers come in, but they eased their stance on Monday, officials said.

Latvia Wants No Nuclear Arms, PM Says
COMTEX Newswire
Copyright 2001 XINHUA NEWS AGENCY
Monday, May 14, 2001 9:35:00 PM

    RIGA, May 14, 2001 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Latvia does not want to see nuclear weapons deployed in its territory after it joins NATO, Prime Minister Andris Berzins said.
    Latvia cannot afford any nuclear weaponry, either now or in the future, local newspapers Monday quoted him as telling Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta in an interview.
    All the three Baltic Soviet republics -- Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania -- are eager to join NATO despite strong objections of Russia. Whether they could finally join NATO and whether nuclear arms would be deployed there are issues of grave concern.

Statue to Return
AP WorldSources Online
Copyright 2001 THE ST. PETERSBURG TIMES
Friday, May 18, 2001 4:17:00 PM

    ST. PETERSBURG (SPT) -- The city administration has made a final decision that a replica of the controversial statue of Peter the Great in the Latvian capital Riga will be installed in St. Petersburg at the peak of the city's 300th-anniversary celebrations in 2003.
    The two sides reached an agreement on Wednesday when City Hall representatives visited Riga.
    Governor's spokesperson Alexander Afanasyev said that it had not yet been decided where the statue would be placed.
    The statue, which is in a state of disrepair, was originally installed in Riga in 1910. Earlier this year, the Riga parliament made the decision to send the statue, or a replica, back to Russia.

  Picture Album

A rainy afternoon in the park in Riga, taken during Peters' trip in October 1996.

Rain in Kronvalda Park
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