| Lithuania proposes to file a class action lawsuit against Russia Yesterday Lithuania celebrated the Day of Mourning and Hope - the 64th anniversary of the start of Soviet mass deportations. On June 14, 1941, the first echelons departed for Siberia and the Far East. "We know the real historical truth. This obliges Lithuania to tirelessly prove it in words and deeds," President Valdas Adamkus said yesterday. In confirmation of the president’s words, his like-minded conservatives introduced a resolution to the Sejm on the mourning date “On commemoration of the 65th anniversary of the Soviet occupation and the beginning of mass expulsion,” which again refers to the damage that Russia must compensate.
In 2000, the Lithuanian Seimas already adopted a similar law, billing Russia for a fantastic amount of $20 billion. This time the claims are formulated more specifically. We are talking about pensions for camp prisoners and exiles, as well as compensation for loss of health. Russia is also required to declassify the burial places of Lithuanian independence fighters and return their remains to their homeland, as well as exported cultural property. Conservative deputies propose that the Sejm immediately adopt amendments to the law on documents and archives, opening up free access to archives of the “occupation period.”
The proposed resolution expresses concern about attempts by Russian officials to “justify or deny the Soviet occupation” and thanks the European Parliament and the US Congress for their support in this matter. Lithuanian conservatives also call on the EU and NATO to build their relations with the Kremlin depending on its recognition of the fact of occupation of the Baltic countries.
However, Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas said yesterday that such problems are solved “in a civilized manner, and not by adopting political resolutions.” At the same time, he admitted that it would be more difficult to achieve compensation from Moscow alone: “If other countries had looked for ways to come to an agreement with Russia, the legal successor of the USSR, then perhaps it would have been possible to reach some agreements.” The President suggested that this "general question" concerned the Baltic states, Poland, Hungary and other countries that suffered under the Soviets. In this regard, Mr. Brazauskas believes, “joint efforts should be made, with the participation of international organizations, to resolve this issue with Russia”
However, the Lithuanian authorities are in no hurry to implement the law authorizing the government to negotiate compensation. Last year, when conservatives presented a draft resolution on this topic in the Sejm, it was buried. Vladimir SKRIPOV, Vilnius |
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