From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng (Original Message) Sent: 10/18/2007 2:35 AM Thursday, October 18, 2007 Washington Voices Worry About Latvia's Democracy Reuters
RIGA, Latvia -- The U.S. ambassador to Latvia has expressed worries about the future of democracy in the Baltic state after a series of recent scandals and warned of the danger of a slide into corruption if nothing was done.
Using unusually strong terms for a NATO ally, U.S. Ambassador Catherine Todd Bailey said it was up to Latvians themselves to stand up for their own freedoms.
"We have seen a pattern of events that appear to be inconsistent with our shared values," Bailey, head of the U.S. mission in Riga since February 2005, said in a speech Tuesday at the University of Latvia.
While she was not specific, her words were a clear reference to several recent controversies.
These included an attempt by Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis to give the government more power to oversee the security services, which caused a standoff with a former president.
Another recent scandal involved alleged secretly taped phone calls between a leading lawyer and judges, dating from 1998 to 2000, which seemed to show corruption among the judiciary and close links between political and business elites.
Kalvitis has also sparked criticism for recently removing the head of the country's anti-corruption bureau from office. The government confirmed his decision on Tuesday.
Bailey said Latvia, a European Union and NATO member since 2004, was at an important juncture and asked whether it would continue to hold to shared values and the path of reform.
Acknowledgement: All available information and documents in "Justice For North Caucasus Group" is provided for the "fair use". There should be no intention for ill-usage of any sort of any published item for commercial purposes and in any way or form. JFNC is a nonprofit group and has no intentions for the distribution of information for commercial or advantageous gain. At the same time consideration is ascertained that all different visions, beliefs, presentations and opinions will be presented to visitors and readers of all message boards of this site. Providing, furnishing, posting and publishing the information of all sources is considered a right to freedom of opinion, speech, expression, and information while at the same time does not necessarily reflect, represent, constitute, or comprise the stand or the opinion of this group. If you have any concerns contact us directly at:
eagle@JusticeForNorthCaucasus.com