NATO ENLARGEMENT IN BALTIC REGION — A "GEOPOLITICAL IMPERATIVE."

Latvian president Guntis Ulmanis told a regular session of the Baltic Assembly, held in Riga at the weekend, that Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania "cannot be made hostages to Russia’s outdated perception of NATO as a threat" and "will never accept being regarded as part of a Russian zone of influence." Because of the Baltic states’ geostrategic location, Ulmanis observed, a hypothetical Baltic neutrality would endanger not only the region’s own security, but also that of Europe. Hence, a U.S. and NATO presence in the region is "a historical necessity and a geopolitical imperative." The Baltic states will redouble efforts to meet the qualifications for joining NATO and "will not passively accept a new redivision of Europe," Ulmanis said in remarks echoed by other speakers. (BNS, Western agencies, October 5 and 6)

The remarks obliquely rebutted the case for an open-ended postponement of Baltic accession to NATO, as reflected most recently in statements by U.S. defense secretary William Perry and other Pentagon officials that have shocked the Baltic states. Their leaders agree to substantially increase defense spending and intensify dialogue with Russia, but seek a specific NATO plan to upgrade Baltic forces and a timetable for admission to NATO. The Baltic Assembly, a representative body of the Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian parliaments, meets twice annually to issue recommendations on issues of common interest to the three countries.

LATVIA THREATENED BY RUSSIAN DUMA.