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      TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — European Union-candidate Estonia denied Wednesday that it was about to sign an agreement under pressure from Washington to grant U.S. troops immunity from prosecution by the International Criminal Court.
      Prime Minister Siim Kallas is slated to meet U.S. President George W. Bush at the White House on Sept. 4, and media in this ex-Soviet Baltic republic of 1.4 million people initially reported that signing such a deal would top the agenda.
      Government spokesman Daniel Vaarik confirmed that the United States has approached Estonia about signing an agreement, but he said reports that a deal would be sealed when Kallas visits the White House next month were wrong.
      "Estonia is still in the process of formulating its position," said Vaarik, adding that Washington had not pressured the Baltic state to sign.
      The 15-nation EU has asked candidates not to sign immunity deals at least until the bloc formulates its policy on the U.S. request.
      Vaarik declined to comment on the EU request but said he hoped the Europeans and the Americans could reach a compromise before Estonia would have to make a final decision.
      The United States has refused to accept the court, fearing its troops could face prosecution for actions in peacekeeping operations or combat missions.
      Washington failed to get the U.N. Security Council to agree to blanket immunity for American personnel before The Hague-based court and so has sought agreements from individual nations. So far, only Israel and Romania have signed such a deal.
      Estonia and the other staunchly pro-West Baltics, Latvia and Lithuania, made membership in the EU and in the U.S.-led NATO alliance top priorities after they regained independence during the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.
      They're considered leading candidates to join both, in part because they've succeeded in fostering close relations with both the EU and U.S.
      This is a rare case where they risk offending one or the other.
      "This looks like further proof of two increasingly divergent outlooks on the world (between the EU and U.S.) and we're caught in the middle," said Atis Lejins, head of Latvia's Institute of International Relations.

      LONDON, Aug 14 (Reuters) — Following are some of the major events to have occurred on August 21 since 1900:
      1991 — Latvia declared independence from the Soviet Union.
      1991 — Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev declared he was back in full control after a 60-hour coup by Communist hardliners crumbled under popular resistance.

      LONDON, Aug 18 (Reuters) — Following are some of the major events to have occurred on August 25 since 1900:
      1936 — Sixteen opponents of Soviet leader Josef Stalin were executed in Russia after a show trial.
      1940 — Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were incorporated into the Soviet Union.

      RIGA, Aug 19 (Reuters) — The European Union said on Monday it expected most candidate states in central and eastern Europe to toe a common EU line on U.S. citizens standing trial at the new international war crimes court.
      That could put some EU hopefuls, particularly those also queuing to join the NATO military alliance, at odds with the United States, which opposes the International Criminal Court (ICC) and insists its citizens should be exempt from its jurisdiction.
      The EU, a strong advocate of the new court, recently rebuked EU candidate Romania for signing a pledge not to hand over U.S. citizens to the court.
      After talks with Nordic and Baltic leaders in the Latvian capital Riga, Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who holds the EU presidency, said he hoped the 15-nation bloc would agree a common position on the ICC issue early next month.
      "We have informed the candidate countries and I'm satisfied that most indicate they will follow this common decision," Rasmussen told reporters.
      "There are a lot of aspects, not least the judicial issues. The EU is studying all these carefully and will meet on September 4 and hopefully find a common line," he added.
      Washington, seeking to protect its superpower status against any politically motivated prosecutions, wants individual countries to promise not to hand over U.S. personnel to the ICC.
      The Baltic premiers said their countries would consult with the EU to find a unified approach.
      "We believe the best way is to find a common EU position," Latvian Prime Minister Andris Berzins said.
      They also dismissed any linkage between the ICC issue and their prospective NATO membership.
      U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell last week denied reports his country was threatening to cut off military aid to NATO hopefuls who failed to promise not to hand over Americans on their soil to the ICC.
      Some 77 nations have so far ratified a treaty setting up the Hague-based ICC, whose supporters say it will be a powerful global deterrent against war crimes.

      MOSCOW (AP) — Russia criticized the Baltic nation of Estonia on Tuesday for going forward with the trial of an ex-Soviet police official charged with crimes against humanity.
      Estonian prosecutors have charged Vladimir Penart, 75, a former Soviet Interior Ministry official, with crimes against humanity for hunting down and executing three men who had withdrawn to Estonia's forests in the 1950s to resist Soviet rule.
      The trial, due to start Thursday, is based on a "subjective and politicized evaluation of events in Estonia during World War II and the postwar period," ministry spokesman Boris Malakhov said in a statement, adding that there is no "strong legal evidence" against Penart.
      "The Russian Federation will extend every possible assistance to Vladimir Penart and others subject to persecution in Estonia," Malakhov said.
      During Soviet rule, thousands of people fled to Estonia's thick forests to escape arrest or to take up arms. The communist regime labeled thousands of Estonians as enemies of the state and deported them to Siberia, where many died.
      After gaining independence following the 1991 Soviet collapse, Estonia and the other two Baltic states, Latvia and Lithuania, pledged to prosecute those who took part in such atrocities. More than a dozen trials have been held so far.

      NEW YORK, Aug 20 — Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said today it raised its foreign currency ratings on the Republic of Latvia to triple-'B'-plus/'A-2' from triple-'B'/'A-3', reflecting the economy's dynamism and resilience to the global slowdown, as well as the continuation of fiscal consolidation.
      At the same time, Standard & Poor's affirmed its single-'A'-minus/'A-2' local currency ratings on Latvia. The outlook is stable. As a potential member of EMU in the medium to long term, the gap between Latvia's local and foreign sovereign credit ratings will disappear.
      "The ratings on Latvia are supported by a good track record of sound macroeconomic management, including favorable fiscal indicators, and the authorities' firm commitment to deepening market-based reforms," said Standard & Poor's credit analyst Moritz Kraemer. A consistent macroeconomic policy mix safeguards the sustainability of the fixed exchange rate regime, at the same time allowing for fast growth without any significant overheating pressures.
      Strong investment activity, ongoing structural reforms, and impending EU accession (no later than 2005) support prospects for robust and well-balanced output growth of close to 6% over the medium term. Latvia's fiscal flexibility is significant, with general government debt at 17% of GDP in 2002 and the government in a net external creditor position. Budget outcomes approaching balance in the medium term will contribute to the stabilization of the debt ratio slightly below current levels. Latvia's economy has become increasingly resilient, flexible, and competitive over the past couple of years, on the back of a modernization process accelerated by EU accession requirements.
      At the same time, the ratings on Latvia remain constrained by weak external financial liquidity, low levels of economic development, and lingering governance problems. The current account deficit remains large, at 9.3% of GDP in 2002, although most of it is financed by foreign direct investment. The gross external financial gap is still very high, at about 378% of official foreign exchange reserves in 2002, boosted by a high level of nonresident deposits.
      Standard & Poor's expects an ongoing commitment to consistent and prudent macroeconomic policies by the Latvian authorities. "EU and (eventually) EMU membership will lead to a more resilient and prosperous economy, locking governments into fiscal responsibility and ensuring substantial official transfers while reducing Latvia's external vulnerability," Mr. Kraemer added. "This could give rise to further rating improvements."
      A complete list of rating actions is available to subscribers of RatingsDirect, Standard & Poor's Web-based credit analysis system, at www.ratingsdirect.com. The list is also available on Standard & Poor's public Web site at www.standardandpoors.com; under Rating Actions, select Newly Released Ratings Listings. Alternatively, call the Standard & Poor's Ratings Desk in London at (44) 20-7847-7400.