Sveiki, all!

It's a double-header for those of us who got to celebrate Jani and now have the 4th of July long weekend! Hope all have partied hale, hearty, and safe!

We can't let Putin's celebration of Kalingrad's 750th anniversary go by without some comment. One of Peters' friends visited, seeking his family's German roots, armed with some photos of where they used to live. What he found was a Koenigsburg that had been wiped off the planet, replaced with arguably some of the ugliest Soviet architecture ever built. And so Russia continues the Soviet tradition: invade, destroy; with no one left to object, claim—indeed, celebrate—obliterated history as your own.

In the news»:

• Baltic countries pause to remember thousands deported»
• Latvian lawmaker resigns from foreign relations committee»
• Presidents, business leaders gather in Ukraine for investment conference»
• Nation-by-nation breakdown of EU farm subsidies»
• Estonian parliament ratifies border treaty with Russia»
• Russia objects to Estonia's changes to preamble of border treaty»
• Tiny Estonian bourse hit hard by departure of dominand stock»
• Russian Foreign Ministry says Moscow cannot ratify Estonian border treaty»
• EU crisis presents former communist members with a choice»
• NATO, Russia clash over key arms control treaty»
• Russia hands note to Estonian ambassador over border treaty»
• Europeans enjoy travel but gripe about timetables, prices»
• Latvia court backs extradition of UK murder suspect»
• Kaliningrad anniversary celebrations soured by diplomatic snubs»

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. Owing to personal circumstances, we apologize that it's been some time since we've participated ourselves. AOL'ers can follow this link in their AOL browser: Town Square - Latvian chat». And thanks to you participating on the Latvian message board as well: LATVIA» (both on AOL only).

Ar visu labu,

  Latvian Link

Interesting reading, a perspective on Latvian literature in exile, from 1972:

http://lituanus.org/1972/72_1_03.htm

  News

RIGA, Latvia (AP) — Residents of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia on Tuesday hung black ribbons of mourning on their national flags as politicians gave speeches to mark the anniversary of the first wave of mass deportations of their countrymen by Soviet authorities in 1941.

Beginning on June 14 that year, thousands of Baltic residents, including pregnant women, children and the elderly, were rounded up, herded into cattle cars, and shipped off to the far reaches of the Soviet empire, including Siberia.

In all, the Soviets deported more than 150,000 Lithuanians, 100,000 Latvians and 35,000 Estonians during the nearly five-decade occupation of the countries.

Many of the deportees died before ever seeing their homelands again. Others were eventually allowed to return home, but often to find others living in their old houses.

In Riga, Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga laid flowers at the country's Freedom Monument and addressed a somber crowd, saying that the crimes committed by the Soviets had no statute of limitation and calling on Latvians and the world not to forget them.

"You are winners and not losers, because that system has vanished," Vike-Freiberga said, addressing the few elderly survivors of the deportations who attended the ceremony.

In Lithuania, where June 14 is known as the Day of Mourning and Hope, lawmakers gave speeches remembering the deportations and calling on Russia to recognize its central role in the Soviet occupation of the region — something Moscow has been unwilling to do.

Estonian President Arnold Ruutel told a conference in Tallinn that nearly every Estonian had a relative who was deported and, as such, nearly every Estonian suffered.

"To those who carried Estonia in their hearts, either in prison camps in Siberia, in literal or spiritual exile, at home or abroad, we are indebted for the Singing Revolution and restoration of national independence. This is our gratitude to the whole Estonian people, who never broke," Ruutel wrote in a joint statement with parliamentary speaker Ene Ergma and Prime Minister Andrus Ansip issued Tuesday.

Soviet forces occupied the Baltic states in June 1940 but were driven out by the Germans a year later. The Red Army retook the Baltics in 1944 and the three countries were reincorporated into the Soviet Union.

Russian-Baltic relations have been strained at times since the three countries regained their independence amid the 1991 Soviet collapse. Moscow routinely accuses Latvia and Estonia of discriminating against their large Russian minorities while the Baltics accuse Russia of bullying.

RIGA, Latvia (AP) — A Latvian lawmaker, who was kicked out of his party following statements that angered Jewish groups, stepped down Wednesday from his post as chairman of the parliament's foreign relations committee.

Aleksandrs Kirsteins was expelled from the main government People's Party last month after suggesting the Jewish community in Latvia had former Soviet KGB members among its leaders and that Jewish government officials were working to undermine the state.

Party leaders called the statements "provocative and extreme" and said they bordered on anti-Semitic.

Kirsteins survived a vote earlier this month to oust him from his position as chairman of the foreign relations committee. The motion failed to garner the necessary 51 votes in the 100-seat Saeima, or parliament, drawing criticism from the Israeli Embassy in Riga.

Kirsteins did not comment Wednesday on his decision to step down as chair of the committee. He will retain his seat in the Saeima and will remain on the committee.

People's Party lawmaker Vaira Paegle will take over as committee chair.

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Government officials made their best sales pitch to presidents from neighboring states and dozens of business leaders Thursday, trying to convince them that last year's Orange Revolution has set Ukraine on a business-friendly path.

Officials from all levels of government were attending a two-day conference organized by the World Economic Forum to make the ambitious appeal for Ukraine, which badly needs foreign investment.

"All investors will be treated equally," said Deputy Prime Minister Oleh Rybachuk.

New President Viktor Yushchenko asked the World Economic Forum to hold the special round-table earlier this year when he spoke at the group's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

The presidents of Poland, Moldova, Latvia, Estonia, Georgia and Azerbaijan were participating, along with 145 business leaders. EU members such as Poland and the Baltic nations said they were ready to share their experience.

The peaceful Orange Revolution mass protests last year that helped usher the pro-Western opposition into power captivated the world. Yushchenko has been feted around the globe, but so far, little new foreign investment has poured in.

In what appeared to be a carefully timed move to reassure investors, Yushchenko's government and lawmakers reached agreement Thursday on a memorandum that commits them to honor ownership rights, said Ihor Storozhuk, spokesman for Parliament speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn.

Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and Lytvyn signed the memorandum in the presence of Yushchenko during a hastily arranged ceremony just an hour before the president addressed the forum.

The new government has admitted it made some mistakes, and is eager to convince investors that it is learning. Rybachuk blamed a government decision setting price limits on gasoline earlier this year for helping delay a decision to bestow market economy status on Ukraine.

"The government is obligated not to meddle in price politics ... (but) you saw that interference," he said. Yushchenko later ordered his government to let the market decide prices.

Rybachuk also suggested that the government would abandon plans to release a list of companies whose privatizations would be challenged. And he said the government might consider "peace agreements" with the businesses' current owners.

"Only a court can decide if a privatization was suspicious or not suspicious," he said.

The new government's efforts to undo some of the murkier privatization deals of the past decade raised investor concerns about its commitment to property rights.

Yushchenko had already ordered his government to limit the scope of their challenges, but the lack of clarity about how many and which deals will face scrutiny has added to uncertainty.

Ukraine last week seized control over Kryvorizhstal steel mill from Viktor Pinchuk, the son-in-law of former President Leonid Kuchma.

Pinchuk and another tycoon bought the lucrative mill last year for US$800 million (Ç665 million) — a price that critics said was a giveaway. The government has said it will begin the process on Thursday of putting the mill back up for sale.

Tymoshenko said "no peace agreement" with the mill's former owners was possible since the court had already ruled.

Investors attending a pre-conference meeting also complained about delays in returning value-added tax on exports and the government decision to scrap its previous commitment to free economic zones.

"Revolution is a very complicated thing, but the test of power is even more difficult. Now we are at the first stage of that test," said Anatoliy Kinakh, a deputy prime minister who also heads a political party for entrepreneurs and industrialists.

"The Orange Revolution is an unique chance for Ukraine and this chance won't be wasted," said Kinakh.

Silviu Popovici, general manager of Coca-Cola Beverages, Ukraine, said the nation has great potential but needs real reforms in its tax, regulatory and legal systems.

Conference sessions were scheduled on Ukraine's metals and mining industry, which is the sixth largest in the world in production capacity, as were discussions on agriculture. Ukraine previously was known as the bread basket of the Soviet Union because of its rich black soil.

Participants will also discuss relations with the European Union, which Ukraine wants to join, and with Russia, its giant neighbor and major trading partner.

Russian President Vladimir Putin declined an invitation to attend, said Felix Howald, an official with the World Economic Forum.

Half a century after the EU was founded, its farmers still pocket almost half the bloc's annual spending. A 2005 nation-by-nation breakdown of farm subsidies (with the share of farm spending of Ç44.8 billion). Figures do not total 100 percent because of rounding.

—

1) France, 9.4 billion (21 percent)

2) Spain, 6.3 (14.1)

3) Germany, 6.0 (13.5)

4) Italy, 5.0 (11.2)

5) Britain, 4.0 (8.9)

6) Greece, 2.8 (6.2)

7) Ireland, 1.8 (4.1)

8) Netherlands, 1.3 (2.8)

9) Denmark, 1.2 (2.7)

10) Austria, 1.1 (2.6)

11) Belgium, 1.1 (2.4)

12) Poland, 0.9 (2.0)

13) Finland, 0.9 (1.9)

14) Sweden, 0.8 (1.9)

15) Portugal, 0.8 (1.8)

16) Hungary, 0.2 (0.4)

17) Czech Republic, 0.2 (0.4)

18) Lithuania, 0.1 (0.3)

19) Slovakia, 0.1 (0.3)

20) Latvia, 0.1 (0.2)

21) Slovenia, 0.08 (0.2)

22) Estonia, 0.05 (0.1)

23) Luxembourg, 0.04 (0.1)

24) Cyprus, 0.02 (0.1)

25) Malta, 0.01 (0.1).

—

National payments, in billions of euros, to the EU budget (followed by their respective shares of contributions) are:

1) Germany, 22.2 (21 percent)

2) France, 17.3 (16.4)

3) Italy, 13.8 (13.0)

4) Britain, 12.3 (12.1)

5) Spain, 8.9 (8.5)

6) Netherlands, 5.6 (5.3)

7) Belgium 4.0 (3.9)

8) Sweden, 2.8 (2.7)

9) Denmark, 2.1 (2.0)

10) Poland, 2.1 (2.0)

11) Austria, 2.2 (2.2)

12) Greece, 1.9 (1.8)

13) Finland, 1.5 (1.5)

14) Portugal, 1.4 (1.4)

15) Ireland, 1.4 (1.3)

16) Czech Republic, 1.0 (1.0)

17) Hungary, 0.9 (0.9)

18) Slovakia, 0.4 (0.4)

19) Slovenia 0.3 (0.3)

20) Luxembourg, 0.2 (0.2)

21) Lithuania, 0.2 (0.2)

22) Cyprus, 0.1 (0.1)

23) Latvia, 0.1 (0.1)

24) Estonia, 0.1 (0.1)

25) Malta, 0.06 (0.05)

Source: European Commission

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Estonian lawmakers ratified a long-awaited border treaty with Russia on Monday but only after adding a reference to the Soviet occupation of the country in a preamble.

The amendment was included despite warnings from Moscow not to add any declarations that would be unacceptable to the Russian side.

Moscow has refused to recognize the five-decade Soviet occupation of the Baltics, saying Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania willingly joined the Soviet Union.

Lawmakers in the 101-seat Parliament ratified the treaty in a 78-4 vote. Nineteen lawmakers did not take part in the vote.

The ratification had been put on hold last week, because the main opposition party, Res Publica, said it would boycott the vote unless a reference to the Soviet occupation was added in the preamble.

Res Publica spokesman Siim Mannik said the five largest parties in Parliament agreed on adding a clause about the occupation derived from a declaration by Estonian lawmakers in 1992.

"This amendment was accepted to the preamble of the treaty. This was actually the main point we were seeking," he said.

Estonia was occupied by Soviet troops in 1940. Invading Nazi troops took over the Baltics in 1941, but the Soviets returned in 1944 and re-incorporated the three states. They remained part of the Soviet Union until its collapse in 1991.

On Friday, Russia's Foreign Ministry issued a statement warning Estonian lawmakers not to modify the text of the treaty, which was signed by government leaders in May.

The Foreign Ministry said it expected the document to be approved "without any legal or political formulations that would be unacceptable to the Russian side."

Moscow has said Estonia must ratify the treaty before Russia does.

Russia balked at signing a planned border treaty with Latvia in May because Latvia insisted on attaching a statement similar to the one approved Monday in Estonia.

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia on Tuesday objected to Estonia's changes to the preamble of the two nations' border treaty to include an indirect reference to the Soviet occupation of the Baltic nation.

Estonian lawmakers ratified the treaty on Monday, but only after the addition to the preamble — defying Moscow's warnings not to alter the agreed text.

"Unfortunately, the final stage of discussion in the Parliament fell under the dictate of forces that strive to complicate the development of Russian-Estonian relations," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko said in a statement.

He said that the addition would make Russia's ratification very difficult, and that the Estonian government bore responsibility for the future course of border agreements.

Estonia was occupied by Soviet troops in 1940. Invading Nazi troops took over the Baltics in 1941, but the Soviets returned in 1944 and reincorporated the three states. They remained part of the Soviet Union until its collapse in 1991.

Russia balked at signing a planned border treaty with Latvia in May because Latvia insisted on attaching a statement similar to the one approved Monday in Estonia.

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — The Tallinn stock market has never been more than a bit player among European bourses. But when word came that the company that represented 80 percent of its daily trading was being delisted, some thought the exchange was doomed.

Hansabank Group — the Baltics' biggest financial institution with 2.6 million clients in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — will leave the bourse on June 30 after a takeover by Swedish banking group Swedbank.

"As far as the international investor community is concerned, nobody has ever been asking for second-tier stocks in the Baltics," said Andrzej Nowaczek, an analyst at Credit Suisse First Boston in London. "Many investors held Hansabank but now the story is over."

Not so, other experts say, pointing to the booming economies of the three Baltic states, which last year harmonized the trading rules on their stock markets and created a common list of securities.

There are new listings completed or planned by a utility and a cable company, and possible listings by a shipping company and a retailer.

"Of course the loss of the most liquid stock is very sad," said fund manager Aivaras Abromavicius at Stockholm-based East Capital, which has about Ç1 billion (US$1.21 billion) under management in Baltic, Russian and eastern European stocks. "But I would never agree that one has to bury the Tallinn Stock Exchange after Hansabank's exit."

Estonia has seen tremendous economic growth since gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, with gross domestic product increasing about 6 percent a year — drawing interest from outside investors, mostly in the Nordics.

Few people doubt that with the June delisting, the Baltic bourse will fall lower on the radar of major international investors, who focus mostly on Hansabank — dubbed the "Nokia of the Baltics" — and Eesti Telekom, Estonia's other blue-chip company.

The market value of the 20 stocks on the combined Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius share listing is just Ç13.5 billion (US$16.3 billion) — and Hansabank accounts for Ç4.3 billion (US$5.2 billion) of that.

Nowaczek said Eesti Telekom is also likely to depart the bourse, as majority owner TeliaSonera, a Nordic telecom group based in Sweden, has been trying to take over the company completely.

He said the Baltic securities market also suffers from not being included in the benchmark Morgan Stanley Capital International, or MSCI, index, which tracks equities in both developed and emerging markets.

But Abromavicius said the planned new listings at the Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius bourses, which created a common list of securities in September, will give new blood to the development of the capital markets.

"Twelve months from now, the loss of Hansabank could possibly be compensated in full," Abromavicius said, noting that local investors' proceeds from the sale of Hansabank shares may also be reinvested in the new offerings.

Tallinn's water utility Tallinna Vesi was listed earlier this month, and Estonian cable TV company Starman is expected to be listed in the next few weeks.

Baltic sea shipping company Tallink could follow suit this year or next.

Analysts also see Latvia's Parex Bank and Lithuanian retail chain VP Market as potential new entrants into the common Baltic share list.

"The Baltic equity market outlook is actually pretty good," said Sten Sumberg, head of the sales and trading at the investment bank Suprema Securities. "Hansabank was a great loss to the market but nothing has changed in the long run."

The Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius stock exchanges are owned and managed by the Stockholm-based OMX Group, which also operates the Stockholm, Helsinki and Copenhagen bourses.

"Our long-term strategy is to create a fully integrated Nordic and Baltic securities market," said OMX spokeswoman Anna Rasin.

Through offering investors one common trading platform and share list, which enables effortless cross-border stock trading, she says the Baltic bourses have already taken the first steps toward full consolidation of the six marketplaces.

"The Baltic bourses are the good pupils within OMX," Rasin says.

Abromavicius welcomed the integration, but said there should remain a separate trading list within OMX with a distinctive Baltic feel.

"These days, there's no such physical thing as a stock exchange. It's only a trading system," he says. "But if we mix up Baltic stocks with big Swedish or Finnish companies, they will just get completely lost."

—

On the Net:

Hansabank: http://www.hansagroup.com

Eesti Telekom: http://www.telekom.ee

Tallinn Stock Exchange: http://www.ee.omxgroup.com

OMX Group: http://www.omxgroup.com

MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that it would be impossible to submit border treaties with Estonia for ratification by the Russian parliament following changes the Estonian parliament made to the preamble.

The amended text — which includes an indirect reference to the Soviet occupation of the Baltic nation — "contains unacceptable statements ... that create a falsified context" for the treaties, the ministry said in a press statement.

Soviet troops occupied the three Baltic states in 1940. Nazi troops took them over in 1941, but the Soviets returned in 1944.

Russia balked at signing a planned border treaty with Latvia in May because Latvia insisted on attaching a statement similar to the one approved by Estonia.

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — France or Britain? Choosing sides on the right vision of Europe is proving tough for some new EU members as they try to fine tune post-communist economies while taking care of citizens left behind by the move toward free markets.

The collapse of budget talks at last week's EU summit has intensified debate within all 25 European Union nations about which course is best for the bloc: the social system whose most vocal champion is French President Jacques Chirac, or tough economic reforms proposed by British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

But trying to reconcile cherished traditions of the past with the challenges of the future is most difficult in Hungary, Poland, Slovakia the Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia — all former communist countries or ex-Soviet republics that joined last year.

Surprisingly, however, many of those countries are seeing the virtues of a British model that could result in slashed subsidies and force them to swim in even harsher currents of competition — precisely the complaint many of their citizens had after the fall of the Soviet Union.

"I definitely prefer the British model," said Czech student Tomas Weiss, in Prague. "The European social system is too protectionist and cannot lead the union out of its economic crisis."

The dilemma was captured by Polish analyst Antoni Podolski of the Center for International Relations.

"In the short term, we need the greatest amount of structural aid possible ... and here we side with Germany and France," he wrote in Monday's daily Gazeta Wyborcza. "But in the long term ... the British vision of ... earmarking funds for investments in modern technologies and education would be more advantageous."

But the left-leaning Pravo defended the French position and said there was an overriding need for "effective social and economic aid" to the disadvantaged.

For new members in Eastern Europe, the EU was long associated with the well-being denied Europeans under communist rule, and membership was a rite of passage into the prosperous side of the continental divide.

After all, most citizens of post-communist Europe spent the first decade of democratic rule chasing the consumer goods, vacations abroad and other luxuries they equated with the West.

But capitalism grew at the expense of cradle-to-grave social benefits and subsidies that were communist birth rights. Back then, everyone was entitled to free medical care, yearly vacations, affordable housing, and a job — even if the state had to pay loss-making companies or state farms to keep them in business.

Most of that now is history.

Among new EU members, the gap between rich and poor has grown even greater than in most of the old EU members. That intensifies the debate on the advantages of French emphasis on generous welfare benefits or the British model of free-market reform.

Chirac's argument that the agricultural sector needs generous financial support is embraced by many people in the new member nations. Without subsidies, their farmers could not even compete within the European Union, let alone the cutthroat world market.

Beyond discussions about the right economic model, there is widespread dismay that last week's bickering over how to cut the financial pie left new members without the cash they need for further reforms — and a better life. The rejection of the EU constitution by French and Dutch voters has also increased a sense of euroskepticism among new members.

Commenting on the EU summit, an article in Hungary's daily Nepszabadsag expressed some of the frustration.

"The French and the British have grown tired of each other's arguments ... while the Dutch and the Swedes have grown tired of just about everybody," said the paper. "They simply decided to lock their money coffers."

And in Slovakia to the north, retiree Pavel Kovac gave voice to the popular sense of great expectations dashed, suggesting his country was reduced to waiting for scraps at the EU table.

"We should have waited to join until we were doing economically well," groused the 73-year-old, whose monthly pension of 6,900 koruna equals Ç180 (US $220).

—

Associated Press writers Ela Kasprzycka in Warsaw, Poland, Andrea Dudikova in Bratislava, Slovakia, Tim Jacobs in Riga, Latvia, Liudas Dapkus in Vilnius, Lithuania and Ondrej Hejma in Prague, the Czech Republic contributed to this article.

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia and NATO on Friday clashed over a key arms control treaty, in a debate that has as much to do with Russia's role in former Soviet republics as with the two sides' attempt to limit the amount of weaponry on the continent.

Despite a largely upbeat assessment of cooperation between Russia and NATO, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov sharply criticized the trans-Atlantic alliance's stance on the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty, which limits the number of troops and weapons in Europe.

Moscow has accused NATO of foot-dragging over the pact, saying the alliance is refusing to ratify an amended version of the treaty until Russia abides by its commitments to reduce its military presence in Georgia and Moldova.

Russia, worried about the prospect of NATO bases on its doorstep, wants the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to commit to the CFE treaty. NATO seeks to use the treaty as an instrument to persuade Moscow to lessen its involvement in Georgia and Moldova, which have both complained of Russian meddling.

"We have never seen that linkage as relevant," Lavrov said at a joint news conference with NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, adding that it was "improper" to use it as an excuse for delaying implementation of a vital arms agreement.

After Russia agreed in May to pull its troops out of Georgia, "there are no more pretexts left" to delay the ratification of the treaty, Lavrov said. But regarding Moldova, Lavrov insisted that Russian troops are crucial to keeping the peace in the region and protecting large ammunition arsenals there.

De Hoop Scheffer, however, insisted NATO would continue to link the troop withdrawal with ratification of the treaty. "That position will not change," he said.

De Hoop Scheffer's visit had started on a more harmonious note, with his call for Russia and NATO to continue cooperation in areas they have already agreed are priorities: the fight against international terrorism and nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

"Neither Russia nor NATO can afford the existence of fragile ... states, and that is some basis for cooperation," he told Lavrov.

De Hoop Scheffer alluded to differences between Russia and NATO, which in recent years has moved eastward to incorporate many of Moscow's Soviet-era allies, provoking Russian concern about Western military encroachment in what it considers its traditional sphere of influence.

"We have serious political debates on subjects we agree on, from time to time on subjects we don't agree on, as happens with friends," de Hoop Scheffer said.

During a Kremlin meeting, President Vladimir Putin praised the NATO-Russian political contacts and called for more attention to be given to practical cooperation.

"For example, our fight against drug-trafficking," Putin told the NATO chief. "If Russia and NATO come together and implement a project which provides for personnel training for anti-drug agencies in Afghanistan and Central Asia, then I think this would be a major contribution to solving one of today's most important and serious problems: the fight against drugs."

De Hoop Scheffer later told a news conference that NATO and Russia would demonstrate their cooperation in anti-terrorism during a joint exercise, dubbed Active Endeavor, in the Mediterranean in early 2006.

"We'll see Russian ships sailing in the Mediterranean alongside NATO ships, fighting together the fight against terrorism," he said.

MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian foreign ministry on Monday handed a note to Estonia's ambassador regarding the dispute over a border treaty, the Interfax news agency quoted a ministry spokesman as saying.

Spokesman Alexander Yakovenko said the note handed to Ambassador Karin Jaani concerned "the situation developing around bilateral border treaties signed May 16," according to Interfax.

Russian and Estonian officials signed a treaty that day and it was then to be presented to both countries' parliaments for ratification. However, the Estonians' ratification added a preamble making reference to Soviet occupation of Estonia, which Russia says is unacceptable and will prevent its parliament from ratifying the treaty.

The ITAR-Tass news agency cited an unnamed diplomatic source as saying the note said Russia would back off from "commitments it assumed as a result of the signing of the treaty."

Proposed border treaties between Russia and the former Soviet republics of Estonia and Latvia have run aground on disputes over the Soviets' role. The two Baltic republics take the position that their absorption into the Soviet Union was forced, but Moscow contends they willingly joined.

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) — Europeans find it easy to travel within the European Union, but complain about high ticket prices and lack of adequate information to help them plan their journeys, according to a poll presented Friday.

The majority also are unaware of their consumer rights and obligations, the poll found.

The survey, covering plane, train, tram, bus and ferry travel, was conducted on behalf of the European Commission from Feb 9. to March 20, 2005 and surveyed 24,000 people across the EU's 25 member nations to assess consumers' attitudes to different types of transport.

Almost 70 percent of the respondents said that traveling to other EU countries was easy. The highest level of satisfaction — 84 percent — was recorded in the Netherlands, the lowest in Latvia, where just 47 percent of people polled found traveling easy.

Almost one-third of respondents said ticket prices were too high, while 44 percent cited lack of information as the main difficulty in traveling. Over three quarters said that if there was a single enquiry service for travel information they would be likely to use it.

The survey also looked at Euroepean's awareness level regarding passenger rights. While two-thirds of Europeans are aware that they have a legally binding contract with a transport company when they buy a ticket from them, only 35 percent knew about the rights and obligations linked to the contract, with Belgians — 76 percent — the least likely to be informed.

When problems do arise, respondents showed the highest level of confidence in airlines — 53 percent — to rectify the situation, compared with just 35 percent for providers of urban transport.

RIGA, July 1 (Reuters) — Latvia's top court on Friday upheld the extradition to Britain of a Latvian wanted for the murder of a London teenager, paving the way for his handing over to British authorities.

Jeshma Raithatha, 17, was raped and then stabbed three times through the heart on May 16. Her partially clothed body lay undiscovered for eight days before it was found in dense undergrowth.

Viktors Dembovskis, 42, had appealed to the court to have the extradition order made by the Prosecutor General's Office set aside.

"Yes, it's correct. The court's decision was to support the Prosecutor General's Office decision to extradite him," said Latvian Supreme Court spokeswoman Anita Kehre.

If Dembovskis had won his appeal it would have led to a court case in Latvia which could have lasted months.

A spokeswoman for the Prosecutor General's Office said the handover of Dembovskis would be processed as soon as possible.

"We have been notified about the court's decision and we have now sent the case to the Interior Ministry which will expedite the extradition," said Dzintra Vitolina.

Dembovskis was detained in early June under a European arrest warrant in the town of Livani, 150 miles (240 km) east of the Baltic state's capital, Riga.

His extradition was then ordered by the Prosecutor General's Office.

Dembovskis, who had worked in Britain as a car wash attendant, disappeared from his home close to where the victim lived shortly after she was reported missing by her parents.

British detectives say they believe Raithatha was the victim of a random attack as she returned home along a footpath through a wooded area in Sudbury Hill, west London.

KALININGRAD, Russia (AP) — President Vladimir Putin was set to take part in celebrations marking the 750th anniversary of Kaliningrad Saturday, but events were being soured by complaints that the Baltic Sea exclave's immediate neighbors weren't invited.

French and German leaders were slated to attend celebrations, but Poland and Lithuania, which together surround the exclave, said they were unhappy they weren't invited.

Kaliningrad residents welcomed the celebrations, thankful for the city's sudden makeover: streets have been scrubbed, roads have been repaired and many buildings renovated.

"This is really cool," Vanya Stelmashek, a 20-year-old college student, said Friday during a military parade. "It's a round date, the head of the country is coming and they have renovated and cleaned the city."

But while residents enjoyed the festivities and awaited Putin, French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, and neighboring Poland and Lithuania, voiced unhappiness they were not invited.

Russia has troubled relations with the two neighboring countries. Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus declined an invitation to attend celebrations in Moscow marking the Allied defeat over Nazi Germany in May, saying Russia must first apologize for the Soviet Union's nearly five decades-long occupation of the Baltic countries.

Poland has joined other Baltic countries in urging Moscow to renounce a secret Soviet-Nazi pact which they say helped unleash the war.

"We do not understand this," Polish President Alexander Kwasniewski said earlier this week, calling Moscow's attitude "more than a mistake."

Some Kaliningrad residents supported Moscow's decision to keep Polish and Lithuanian leaders away from the celebrations.

"The Lithuanians didn't come to our (parade), so why should we invite them here?" said Zinaida, a 70-year-old retiree who declined to give her last name.

Others, however, wished Polish and Lithuanian leaders would attend the anniversary celebrations.

"Politics is politics, but they are our neighbors and I think they should have been invited," said Alexandra Davydovskaya, a 59-year-old school principal.

Founded in 1255 by the Teutonic Order of knights, the region was called Koenigsburg and was capital of Germany's East Prussia until Soviet troops took it in 1945. Dictator Josef Stalin expelled ethnic Germans from the area and renamed the city in honor of a prominent Bolshevik, Mikhail Kalinin.

The region of about 1 million is troubled by rampant smuggling and drug use and has one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS in all of Russia.

  Picture Album

In honor of Jani just past, its name-sake berries, the janoga (red currant).