DATE=1/16/98

TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT

NUMBER=5-38689

TITLE=U-S AND THE BALTICS

BYLINE=ED WARNER

DATELINE=WASHINGTON

CONTENT=

VOICED AT: 



INTRO:  THE SIGNING OF A "CHARTER OF PARTNERSHIP" WITH THE THREE 

BALTIC PRESIDENTS IN WASHINGTON ILLUSTRATES THE GROWING TIES 

BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND THE BALTIC COUNTRIES. VOA'S ED 

WARNER REVIEWS U-S RELATIONS WITH ESTONIA, LATVIA AND LITHUANIA 

SINCE THEY ACHIEVED THEIR INDEPENDENCE.



TEXT:  FOR THE FIRST YEARS OF THE BALTICS' INDEPENDENCE FOLLOWING

WORLD WAR ONE, THE UNITED STATES WAS A MINOR TRADING PARTNER AND 

A DISTANT  NOT  VERY ATTENTIVE NEIGHBOR THAT TOOK A CONSIDERABLE 

TIME TO RECOGNIZE THE NEW NATIONS OF ESTONIA, LATVIA AND 

LITHUANIA.



BUT THEY QUICKLY CAUGHT U-S ATTENTION WHEN THE NAZI-SOVIET PACT 

LAUNCHED THE SECOND WORLD WAR AND DELIVERED THE THREE SMALL 

COUNTRIES TO JOSEPH STALIN. 



REIN TAAGEPERA, WHO LEFT ESTONIA IN 1944 AND IS NOW PROFESSOR OF 

POLITICAL SCIENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAYS U-S 

POLICY DURING THE WAR WAS QUITE RESPONSIVE TO STALIN, BUT THE 

BALTICS WERE AN EXCEPTION:  



                       // TAAGEPERA ACT //



         IT WAS SOMEWHAT SURPRISING DESPITE THE PRESSURE THAT 

         STALIN PUT ON THE UNITED STATES TO RECOGNIZE THE 

         ANNEXATION OF THE BALTIC STATES, THE UNITED STATES 

         CONSISTENTLY REFUSED TO DO IT. IN THE CASE OF POLAND, IT

         WAS A QUESTION OF A CHANGE OF POLITICAL REGIME. BUT IN 

         THE CASE OF THE BALTIC STATES, IT WAS NOT JUST A 

         TAKEOVER AND FORCING A POLITICAL REGIME ON A COUNTRY BUT

         A VERY BLATANT ANNEXATION, AND IT WENT AGAINST THE U-S 

         SENSE OF JUSTICE AND WHAT INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS SHOULD

         BE.



                          // END ACT //



PROFESSOR TAAGEPERA SAYS THE SENSE OF JUSTICE JUSTICE WAS 

REINFORCED BY THE PRESSURE OF BALTIC REFUGEES IN THE UNITED 

STATES. THEY CONTINUED TO OPERATE CONSULATES WITH ACCREDITED 

DIPLOMATS WHOSE SALARIES WERE PAID WITH BALTIC GOLD DEPOSITED IN 

U-S BANKS.  



THEIR PRESENCE IN AMERICA MAY HAVE DETERRED STALIN FROM SOMETHING

CLOSE TO GENOCIDE. WHILE SENDING MANY BALTIC PEOPLE TO THEIR 

DOOM, HE REFRAINED FROM THE MORE MASSIVE DEPORTATIONS HE WAS 

CONSIDERING:



                       // TAAGEPERA ACT //



         IT IS ONE THING, EVEN FOR STALIN, TO DEPORT PEOPLE FROM 

         RECOGNIZED SOVIET TERRITORY, AND IT IS ANOTHER THING TO 

         DEPORT THEM FROM AN ANNEXED TERRITORY WHERE STALIN WOULD

         NOT  WANT TO MAKE THE ISSUE DIPLOMATICALLY LARGER THAN 

         IT ALREADY WAS.



                          // END ACT //



AT A PRESS CONFERENCE IN WASHINGTON HELD BY THE THREE BALTIC 

PRESIDENTS, ESTONIA'S PRESIDENT, LENNART MERI, PAID TRIBUTE TO 

THESE BALTIC-AMERICANS:



                         // MERI ACT //



         WE DO NOT DIVIDE ESTONIANS INTO THOSE WHO ARE HOME AND 

         THOSE WHO ARE ABROAD. WE HAVE THE SAME FOREIGN POLICIES,

         THE SAME CULTURAL GOALS. I DO NOT HAVE THE SLIGHTEST 

         HESITATION TO SAY THAT WE HAVE BEEN WORKING AS ONE TEAM,

         AND I AM DEEPLY GRATEFUL FOR THE ESTONIAN COMMUNITIES 

         HERE IN THE UNITED STATES. I KNOW THAT THEY HAVE BEEN 

         GOOD LOYAL CITIZENS TO THE UNITED STATES. I AM QUITE 

         AWARE THAT THEY ARE GOOD ESTONIAN, LATVIAN, LITHUANIAN 

         PATRIOTS. 



                          // END ACT //



HE CITED AS AN EXAMPLE VALDAS ADAMKUS, A U-S CITIZEN RECENTLY 

ELECTED PRESIDENT OF LITHUANIA. HE FLED THE BALTICS IN 1944 AFTER

FIGHTING THE INVADING RUSSIAN ARMY AND EVENTUALLY BECAME A 

REGIONAL HEAD OF THE U-S ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY. HIS 

ELECTION DEMONSTRATES THE GROWING U-S INFLUENCE IN THE BALTICS, A

MATTER OF CONCERN TO THE RUSSIANS WHO STRONGLY OBJECT TO THE 

BALTICS JOINING NATO.



LARGELY FOR THAT REASON, THE THREE NATIONS HAVE BEEN OFFERED A 

"CHARTER OF PARTNERSHIP" THAT ENVISIONS NATO MEMBERSHIP SOMETIME 

IN THE FUTURE. VIOLA DRATH OF THE THE AMERICAN COMMITTEE ON 

FOREIGN POLICY SAYS IT IS NOT A VERY SATISFACTORY COMPROMISE FOR 

THE BALTICS:  



                         // DRATH ACT //



         IT WILL IMPROVE RELATIONS, NO DOUBT. IT IS A GESTURE TO 

         SAY, "LOOK, WE WANT REALLY TO EMBRACE YOU. AS MUCH AS WE

         WOULD LIKE TO, WE CANNOT GET YOU INTO NATO NOW. THERE 

         ARE TOO MANY OBSTACLES. ON THE OTHER HAND, IT IS 

         DISAPPOINTING BECAUSE WHAT THE BALTICS WANTED IS A  

         SECURITY BLANKET -- PLAIN AND SIMPLE -- AND THAT WAS NOT

         GRANTED. HOWEVER, WHAT THEY HAVE GAINED, I THINK, IS 

         SUPPORT FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH. 



                         // END ACT // 



PROFESSOR TAAGEPERA THINKS THE CHARTER IS ONLY A BEGINNING FOR 

THE BALTICS:



                       // TAAGEPERA ACT //



         THEY REALIZE THAT IT IS MORE SYMBOLIC. BUT SYMBOLISM IS 

         VERY IMPORTANT IN POLITICAL DEALINGS. IT IS BETTER TO 

         HAVE THIS THAN  NOT  TO HAVE IT. THEY ALL WOULD PREFER 

         TO BE INVITED TO JOIN NATO. THIS HAS NOT BEEN DONE. THEY

         WILL KEEP TRYING. 



                          // END ACT //



MR. TAAGEPERA HOPES THEY WILL SUCCEED. BETTER FOR THEM TO JOIN 

NATO NOW BEFORE SOME ARDENT NATIONALIST MAY COME TO POWER IN 

MOSCOW. JOINING THEN WOULD BE TOO PROVOCATIVE.  HE BELIEVES THE 

WEST TODAY SHOULD  GUARANTEE THE BALTIC NATIONS' BORDERS. 

(SIGNED) 



NEB/EW/KL



16-Jan-98 11:11 AM EST (1611 UTC)

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Source: Voice of America

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