LATVIAN MINISTERIAL RESIGNATIONS CONTINUE.

Latvian prime minister Andris Skele accepted yesterday the resignation of Agriculture Minister Roberts Dilba, who admitted to having violated a statute against conflict of interest. An investigation by the General Prosecutor’s Office found that Dilba had failed to declare the shares he held in two private companies. The investigators went on yesterday to pronounce Education and Science Minister Juris Celmins in violation of the anti-corruption legislation.

Skele had recently ordered the General Prosecutor’s Office to investigate all cabinet ministers in order to determine whether they comply with that legislation. Based on the investigation’s findings, Skele demanded and received last week the resignations of the Ministers of Health and of Culture, Juris Vinkelis and Richards Piks. The Prime Minister also dismissed Defense Minister Andrejs Krastins on a corruption charges. (See Monitor, June 26)

In an unrelated development yesterday, Internal Affairs Minister Dainis Turlais resigned after taking political responsibility for an accident during a June 29 fire-fighting exercise which killed eight bystanders and wounded 22, mostly children. (BNS, July 1)

Lukashenka Seeks Entente with Castro.