LITHUANIA:
A Serious Candidate
For NATO

Regina Narusis, a practicing attorney in Illinois, is the President of the Lithuanian American Community, Inc.

Slovenia has Italy's support and argues that Slovenia will provide a land bridge from Italy to Hungary, which would otherwise have no border with any other NATO country. Romania has France's support. Romania argues that it can be the bulwark against instability from the former Yugoslavia and provide access to the Black Sea. What about Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia?

Integration into NATO is essential to the national interests of the Baltic countries as seen by their people. The Baltic Nations are strategically important to the Alliance because of their growing economic potential and favorable geographic location for trade. They are also able to provide early warning of any trouble for the Alliance. To leave them out would hamper their economic development, and their and Europe's security.

Some U.S. Senators feel they wish to delay further expansion to see how well the three already invited countries perform, how much the current expansion will cost, and how Russia might behave before addressing further expansion. Such a position is short-sighted. Stopping the expansion now or even delaying it will, no doubt, leave the Baltic countries and much of Eastern Europe under the cloud of Russia's sphere of influence. NATO's goal should be a truly secure and reconciled Europe, permanently linked to America. As Dr. Brzezinski appropriately said, "Baltic membership in NATO will assist Russia to define itself as a nation instead of an empire" that we all need to fear.

The U.S. Administration claims the process of enlargement is ongoing and the "door is open" to all countries that meet NATO standards. The U.S. and Baltic Charter, signed last January in Washington, supports the efforts of Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia to join the Alliance. Marc Grossman, Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs, reiterated U.S. support for Baltic NATO hopes at the Senate European Affairs Subcommittee hearing held on July 15th. He stated, "We want the U.S. to be a champion of the integration of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania into European and Trans-Atlantic institutions." Senator Biden, at the same hearing in his opening remarks, asserted that "among the new independent states, the three Baltic countries have emerged as the most successful economically."

On Jan. 4th, 1994, Lithuania was one of the first countries in Central and Eastern Europe to apply for full NATO membership. Most people in the know are ready to admit that Lithuania is ready to be invited to join. Lithuanians support NATO membership, as shown by the recent polls. Lithuania has a pro-reform parliament and government. It recently elected as president a man who spent most of his life in the U.S. working as an American civil servant, and is now engaged in completing economic reforms in Lithuania. Lithuania has stable democratic, civilian control that meets all membership criteria of Article 10 of the North Atlantic Treaty; to wit a non-military minister of defense, two free presidential elections, and a multi-party system. Inflation is under control with a GDP growth rate which rose to 6.4% in 1997.

Like Poland, its bordering neighbor, Lithuania adjoins Russia only on the Kaliningrad enclave. There is virtually no discrimination against the smaller Russian minorities in Lithuania. In fact, it has a good human rights record. It has no border disputes and has relatively good relations with Russia. When Poland becomes a member, it will support Lithuania's membership.

Lithuania is fundamentally restructuring its armed forces and has doubled its defense expenditures to 1.5% of its GDP. Within a few years, it expects to have a 24,000 man army organized into four divisions with a 250,000 man reserve. One of the combat divisions will be a rapid deployment force available to NATO on 24 hours notice.

Lithuania has continues to participate in international peacekeeping operations which serve the European community and the United Nations: UNPROFOR Ö Croatia from August 1994 through February 1996; IFOR Ö Bosnia-Herzegovina from February 1996 through December 1996; and SFOR Ö Bosnia-Herzegovina since December 1996.

On May 5th, 1998, Lithuania's Parliament passed a new national defense law intended to bring the country's military up to NATO standards. Lithuania believes in total and unconditional defense of its freedom. If international politics was entirely fair, Lithuania should be in a separate category eligible for consideration as a serious candidate in the second round of NATO enlargement.

Good Impressions. . .

From ELTA News Agency at www.elta.lt

Strobe Talbott, U.S. Under-Secretary, praised Lithuania's progress while visiting Lithuania in early July, 1998. He told journalists, after meeting with President Valdas Adamkus, Seimas Chairman Vytautas Landsbergis, Prime Minister Gediminas Vagnorius, Foreign Minister Algirdas Saudargas and Defense Minister Ceslovas Stankevicius, that United States was happy to have such a friend as Lithuania in this important part of the world.

Talbott relayed his message of support for Lithuania as the four-track US-Baltic Partnership Charter read He noted that NATO was changing; therefore, the doors of NATO would be open to all countries worthy of becoming its members, including Lithuania. Talbott emphasized that the U.S. also supported Lithuania's efforts towards membership in the European Union and the World Trade Organization.

He stressed the significance of the Baltic Challenge 98 military exercises held in Klaipeda in July; the role of Lithuanian peacekeepers in former Yugoslavia; and the formation of the Baltic peacekeeping battalion BALTBAT. Talbott added that successful reforms in Lithuania is "a merit to Lithuanian people and its state leaders.

On the other hand, Talbott did not give a straightforward answer to the question whether good relations with Russia would help Lithuania to join the North Atlantic alliance before two other Baltic States. He noted however that he would not like to distinguish any of the three Baltic states, and added that he knew about the continually improving Lithuanian-Russian relations. This was confirmed by a recent visit of by Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov in Vilnius.

Talbott also mentioned the important economic event -- the Williams International Co. investments in Lithuania -- precedes a "strategic and very important goal". This company proposed to buy a 33 percent stake in three basic energy-related oil supply, trade, processing and transit enterprises. The Lithuanian government expects to earn at least $250 million.

Premier Gediminas Vagnorius thanked the U.S. administration "for its consecutive efforts in strengthening security in Europe and the Baltic region." He emphasized that it was very important for Lithuania to receive positive recommendations from the European Commission this year. The decision to avoid inviting Lithuania to start negotiations would be a political one, not an economic reason. He said many experts gave favorable evaluations of the Lithuanian economy and that it met the requirements for the first-wave candidate standards. If Lithuania were not invited either to NATO or to the EU, this would be considered a "doubly hard blow for regenerating democratic Lithuania," Vagnorius concluded.

BALTIC CHALLENGE '98

From ELTA News Agency at www.elta. lt

The flags of Lithuania and 10 foreign countries represented in the Baltic Challenge International exercises were hoisted in the Klaipeda 7th dragoon battalion at the official opening of the military exercises on July 20th, the largest in Europe this year.

Lithuanian Prime Minister Gediminas Vagnorius, Defense Minister Ceslovas Stankevicius and US Ambassador Keith Smith took part in the ceremony. There were also Lithuanian Army Deputy Commander-in-Chief Colonel Valdas Tutkus and U.S. Marine Reserve Colonel James Haynie. Participants taking part in the exercises were lined up in the square of the battalion.

The Baltic Challenge navy exercises began July 10th. The U.S. Navy brought five trained dolphins to the Baltic Sea to demonstrate how dolphins help search for mines and other explosives. Other exercises included individual training of soldiers and final stage exercises according to a scenario imitating the situation after an earthquake.

At the same time military medical services had their own exercises with U.S.S. Comfort -- the largest sailing hospital in the world -- taking part. About 5,000 troops, 24 airplanes and helicopters, and 16 vessels from Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Sweden, Norway, Hungary, Finland, and U.S.A. took part in the maneuvers.

This year Baltic Challenge '98, held under the initiative of the U.S., is the third and last exercises under this name. In 1997 and 1996 they were held in Estonia and Latvia, correspondingly.