Fascist
Lithuania will demand money from Russia for aggression, because
the tramp “Balts” want to grab money in any way possible;
the question of comparing the crimes of Nazism and Stalinism
is marginalization of the Nazi Holocaust against the Jews
and speculation on the facts of World War II. These are the
thoughts about Lithuania you run across in the Israeli and
Russian press. At the beginning of the year foreign journalists
were also interested in the resignation of foreign minister
Vygaudas Ušackas and his posting as a special EU representative
to Afghanistan, the closure of Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant,
the story of CIA prisons and Algirdas Šemeta’s conspicuously
blank [?] presentations to the European Parliament.
* CIA prison search characterized as “management”
* In trouble for attempts to equate Communism with Nazism
* Italian press roasts “hardheaded” Ušackas pliekė
* D. Grybauskaitė: from nominal president to most-influential person
* Hope replaces economic pessimism
* Unmerciful criticism for A. Šemeta
* Prime minister’s advisor proud Lithuania shown as example
Judging from the synopses prepared by the Foreign Ministry’s Information Monitoring
and Analysis Department, the world media paid close attention
to the halting of the Ignalina reactor. The Washington
Post and Los Angeles Times said Lithuania, in obedience
to EU demands to halt the exact same kind of reactor that
blew up in Chernobyl in 1986, found herself on the threshold
of energy dependence. The US press said Lithuania tried
to negotiate an extension for two or three years but EU
headquarters wouldn’t have it. The Financial Times published
an article titled “Lithuania Worried about Insecurity after
Reactor Unplugged.” “It’s perhaps difficult to imagine
a less favourable time for the country, experiencing the
greatest recession since the dissolution of the Soviet
Union, to unplug the reactor. Ironically, they may have
to turn to Russia to fulfil additional national energy
demand. In the energy sense, the Baltic states have become
a desert island within the contours of the EU,” the prestigious
daily wrote.
Russian news agencies Regnum and
km.ru also reported on the change in Lithuania’s energy
future. They said Lithuania, by turning of the power plant,
had become the first country in the world to voluntarily
completely give up atomic power. Regnum’s article was called
“Lithuania Acquires ‘Energy Independence’ from Common Sense.”
Search for CIA prisons characterized as “management”
Switzerland’s Neue Zuricher Zeitung
carried a small report on how a Lithuanian parliamentary
investigative commission released its findings on CIA prisons
outfitted and operated near Vilnius where US agents interrogated
terrorism suspects. The findings said that the Lithuanian
State Security Department was the only [agency of government]
to know about the incarceration sites near Vilnius, that
the department worked directly with American intelligence,
and that the then-leader of the country was not given any
information.
Canadian news website globalresearch.ca
published an article on the Lithuanian parliamentary commission’s
investigations which found two CIA camps in Lithuania for
suspected terrorists. “The findings published showed that
Lithuania is the first European country where this kind
of ‘cooperation’ with the CIA was established,” the article
said.
At the end of February Germany’s
Die Zeit published an article called “Lithaunian Tidying
Up.” Lithuania is praised for conscientiousness in the
article. Unlike Romania and Poland, Lithuania, according
to the author, solved the problem of the existence of CIA
prisons in the country openly and transparently. Die Zeit
said it was clear that it wasn’t easy for the EU country
[Lithuania] to sort the situation out with the Americans.
“Lithuania lost one third of her
citizens to war and the terror experienced from 1940 when
Stalin ruled the country, and later when it was occupied
by the Germans and the Soviet Union. The majority of Lithuanians
with this trauma view Washington as the guarantor of their
freedom. Thus the bravery and democratic spirit ringing
in the words of prime minister A. Kubilius are all the
more worthy of honor: ‘The USA is our most important partner,
but this does not excuse the use of Soviet methods,’” the
newspaper said.
In Trouble for Equating Communism
with Nazism
The genocide problem didn’t go
unaddressed either. The news website Algemeiner published
an article that the Guardian also published. It’s an angry
[statement] over attempts by Eastern Europeans to rewrite
history by combining the concepts of Nazi and Soviet genocide.
The author opposes the Eastern bloc’s pressure exerted
on EU countries to consider the crimes of Nazism and Communism
as equal and reminds readers that up to 90% of the Jewish
population was exterminated in the Baltic states (more
than in all [other] EU states).
The publication says local enthusiasts took up the extermination and pogroms
against Jews in Lithuania and Latvia raged for a considerable
time even before the Germans invaded. The Jerusalem Post
published “Remembering the Holocaust Accurately,” which
addresses equating Nazi and Stalinist crimes. The author
calls such attempts marginalization of the Nazi Holocaust
against the Jews and speculation on the facts of World
War II. The author agrees that the victims of Stalinism
were truly important, but says that comparing them with
the Nazi Holocaust against the Jews is not correct because
Communism didn’t have as its goal the total extermination
of any one nation [ethnicity, people] and only eliminated
those who disobeyed [disregarded] the ideology of the new
regime.
Russian news and analysis webpage pravda.ru presented an article that asks whether
a resolution adopted by the Lithuanian parliament demanding
the Russian Federation recognize the fact of aggression
against independent Lithuania on January 11-13, 1991, and
demanding compensation for those harmed during the events,
is correct [legal, fair] from the viewpoint of international
law.
Russia’s Nash Vek published an
article called “Fascist Lithuania to Demand Money for Aggression
from Russia. The Baltic Tramps Want to Grab Money Any Way
They Can.”
“Hardheaded” Ušackas Roasted in
Italian Press
The foreign press was very interested
in foriegn minister Vygaudas Ušackas’s resignation and
his becoming an EU representative in Afghanistn. The Financial
Times wrote about it, and said that when Ušackas stated
there had been no terrorism suspects imprisoned in Lithuania,
he incurred the disfavor of president Dalia Grybauskaitė.
The president, based on the conclusions of a parliamentary
investigating commission, said she was certain there was
an illegal prison operation.
The Wall Street Journal the minister
was forced to resign over disagreements with the president
over the existence of CIA prisons in Lithuania and on relations
with Belarus and Belarusian leader Lukashenko.
European Voice reported that Vygaudas
Ušackas after his resignation as foreign minister was nominated
as special EU envoy to Afghanistan by head of EU foreign
policy C. Ashton. The text said Ušackas resigned under
pressure from president Grybauskaitė and Ashton hoped neither
Grybauskaitė nor the Lithuanian government would hinder
Ušackas assume the post of special EU representative to
Afghanistan. European Voice characterized Ušackas’s nomination
as the first such important victory by new EU members.
Spain’s El Pais criticized Ashton
for nominating Ušackas special EU envoy to Afghanistan.
It alleged Ušackas has a lack of experience, and said that
he was given such responsible duties, which are currently
the biggest challenge for the international community,
as a representative of a small country without influence.
Italian diplomat Ettore Francesco
Sequi, who has held the post until now, is Ušackas’s biggest
competitor for the job. It’s probably for this reason that
the confirmation of Ušackas’s candidacy has seen especially
abundant coverage in the Italian press.
Corriere della Sera wrote that
the Italian candidate is having bad luck and the controversial
former foreign minister from Lithuania will lead the EU
mission in Kabul. The newspaper described Ušackas as agreeing
with London/Washington policy and recalled that he resigned
after the [Lithuanian] president expressed lack of confidence
after the scandal of illegal CIA prisons in Lithuania.
La Repubblica also informed of Sequi’s failure and announced
the post of EU envoy to Kabul had been given to someone
without any work experience in Afghanistan, Ušackas.
The report calls Ušackas “hardheaded,”
someone who can be relied upon to caryr out Anglo-American
policy. As if that weren’t enough, Ušackas’s selection,
by reducing the weight of the Italian position in EU structures,
is called premeditated and controversial [intended to excite
controversy]. A report on the confirmation of Ušackas’s
candidacy was published on pinoarlacchi.it [?],gazeettadelstud.it,
nigro.bougatore.republica.it, la7.it, iltempo.ilsole24ore.it,
lastampa.it, apcom.net and ecodibergamo.it [??? looks like
blogs and personal websites...].
Grybauskaitė: from nominal president
to most-influential person
The world media also featured
other topics from Lithuania. The meeting of Sniegas [the
refrigerator maker? or some meeting called Snow?] in Trakai
and the president’s popularity were not forgotten. Here
Regnum provided an article called “Lithuanian between the
US, EU and Russia: New Policy?” which details changes in
Lithuanian domestic and foreign policy after Grybauskaitė
became president. The article says that after an half-year
Grybauskaitė went from being “the [a?] nominal president”
to “the most influential person in Lithuania.”
Austria’s Salzburger Nachtrichten
reported Catholic Lithuania and Poland were standing in
solidarity with Italy against a finding by the European
Court of Human Rights that crucifixes and all images of
the cross should be removed from Italian schools.
The prime minister’s visit to
USA to attract investors and provide information on the
economic potential of the country, Lithuanian participation
in operations by the international community in Afghanistan
and news connected with PKN Orlen didn’t go unnoticed either.
Hope replaced economic pessimism
In January the foreign media reviewed
2009 economic results and handed Lithuania the prospect
of rising out of recession. According to AP/ABC News/Forbes
the Lithuanian economy contracted 15 percent in 2009. These
are the worst economic indicators during all years since
restoration of independence. The report quotes the head
of the Lithuanian central bank predicting zero economic
growth for 2010.
But in February in reports on the Lithuanian economy a more optimistic view dominated.
The New York Times reported growth in revenues by SEB bank
in last quarter 2009 over third quarter 2009 when the Baltic
states hit their economic bottom. SEB general director
A. Falkengreen said the situation in Lithuania is stabilizing
and the loan provision process had normalized [?].
Reuters reported on economic stabilization tendencies in Lithuania in an interview
with Sweden’s finance minister Anders Borg. “The situation
in Lithuania is a lot better than it was one half-year
ago,” he said. This was good news for Sweden’s banks SEB,
Swedbank and Nordea with exposure in Lithuania. Russian
analysts [reporters] doubted Lithuanian economic prospects.
Baltic Review noted overall growth of negative articles
about Lithuania on Russian webpages. The opinion is being
formed that Lithuania has a plethora of problems and has
absolutely no solutions.
Russia’s ekspert.online.ru [?]
reported that Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia had achieved
an anti-record in the competition among European countries
for largest drops in GDP. The article said no one calls
them Baltic tigers anymore, as they did several years ago
when the Baltic economies grew rapidly. It said the tigers
are tired and this year promises nothing good for the Baltic
states, that the fall of the economies of the Baltic states
will be long and deep.
Unmerciful criticism of A. Šemeta
Candidate for Euro-commissar A.Šemeta received treatment
in the international media. Financial Times reported
European Parliament members criticized Lithuanian candidate
A.Šemeta during parliamentary hearings. The Lithuanian
candidate was unable to answer clearly questions about
prevention of tax havens and EU funds management.
“The future commissar [commissioner]
for customs and tax union and fighting fraud left several
questions unanswered and showed he is vulnerable in his
future field,” vicepresident of the European People’s Party
Othmar Karas said in a report that was distributed [?].
Reuters reported MEPs had reservations about Šemeta as
a candidate for the post of tax commissioner. Member of
the budget committee, socialist Jens Geier said A. Šemeta
provided no firm [concrete, specific] answers and instead
announced initiatives already being considered.
Finnish paper Helsingin Sanomat
reported on the questioning of Šemeta. “The general impression
was disappointment. It raises the question of whether he’s
appropriate [competent] for such responsible duties,” Austrian
Hannes [?] Swoboda, vice chairman of the socialist faction,
said after the Šemeta hearing.
Prime Minister’s advisor proud
Lithuania shown as example to Greece
“I think it’s a positive thing
that Lithuania was named among the positive examples in
the world of how to do away with the economic crisis, especially
compared to Greece. In this regard the press roundup was
not complete, in Europe as much as in the USA Lithuania
and the Baltic states were pointed to as a certain kind
of example on how to manage the economy. This is good news,”
prime minister advisor Virgis Valentinavičius told delfi.lt
Valentinavičius said that criticism
on efforts to link Nazi and Communist genocide is in a
certain sense a traditional theme in the global media and
will be a tradition until Lithuania finally solves the
problem [the final solution?]. He said that there is allegedly
movement toward a solution in the preparation of legislation
for compensating Jewish assets.
Valentinavičius was surprised
that press roundups include serious Western publications
alongside Regnum webpage publications. “It’s neither serious
nor objective, and rather openly pushes Russian interests
when writing about Lithuania,” the prime minister’s advisor
advised.
He said when writing about Ignalina
Nuclear’s closure, Regnum isn’t able to express glee, because
this directly affects Russian energy interests in Lithuania
for maintaining Russian energy influence. Valentinavičius
said he thought the venue was being used not for describing
Lithuania’s aspirations [goals], but rather for expressing
a certain kind of displeasure over the energy independence
being created in Lithuania.
delfi.lt
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