After reconstruction, Lithuania’s abandoned anti-aircraft defense bases can be used for deploying American AMD systems.
Photo: Andrius Vanagas
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The USA is Looking for a Spare Rocket Airfield in Lithuania
// in case it doesn’t manage to deploy its AMD system in Poland
A possible deployment of the American anti-missile defense system in Lithuania, rather than in Poland, caused quite a scandal yesterday. The reason for it is Polish Deputy Foreign Minister’s sensational statement that Washington, fearing a failure in its AMD negotiations with Warsaw, has launched talks with Vilnius. The Lithuanian party denied the fact of conducting talks with Washington. However, according to diplomatic sources, the USA has started probing for an opportunity of deploying its AMD systems in Lithuania – consultations have already been held.
The scandal was created by Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Vitold Vashchikovsky’s statement published by Reuters (the official is the chief negotiator in the AMD talks). “I can prove that the USA is conducting negotiations with Lithuania. As early as May the Lithuanian side proper took the initiative, and Warsaw is aware of it,” Mr Vashchikovsky told Reuters Warsaw correspondent Gabriela Bachinska. The high-ranking Polish diplomat explained that the USA regards Lithuania a “spare variant” in case the stalled negotiations about the deployment of the U.S. base for ten anti-missiles in the north-east of Poland bring no results. It need be said that Warsaw requires that Washington give $20 bln to Poland as a compensation for the deployment of the AMD elements on the territory of the country. The money is due to be spent on modernizing the Polish AMD system. But the demand aroused irritation of the American party.
Yesterday Vilnius tried to disavow the statement of the Polish diplomat. “Lithuania is not conducting negotiations about the deployment of AMD elements on its territory,” Lithuanian Foreign Office spokesperson Violetta Gayzhauskayte stated. At the same time she underscored that Lithuania “shows much interest” in the U.S. AMD project in Europe at its current stage, and it “consults with its allies and partners about the matter.”
Lithuania’s Defense Minister Yuozas Olekas commented on the statement of the Polish official. He said that Vilnius believes in the success of the “Polish project,” which will be “a significant shield for the USA, Europe and Lithuania.” At the same time Mr Olekas made a confession, “If Lithuania receives such a proposal (about AMD deployment – Kommersant), we’ll consider all variants discussing its benefits and challenges.” In its turn, the British Financial Times published another statement of Lithuania’s Ambassador to the USA Andrews Bruzga, according to which, Vilnius hasn’t launched official talks with Washington, but “has discussed with the American party a number of questions concerning security and AMD in particular.”
However, the uncertain denial of the Lithuanian party hasn’t settled the matter. Yesterday Vitold Vashchikovsky even reiterated his statement adding that the U.S. parallel talks with Lithuania may be “an instrument of exerting pressure” on the intractable Poland. The sensational confession of the Polish high-ranking diplomat, which was reported by the world’s mass media, aroused much speculation in Warsaw and Vilnius as well as a number of world capitals.
For example, U.S. State Department Spokesman Tom Casey’s commentary is evidence of the fact that the present discussion is more of terminological character. According to Mr Casey, waiting for the U.S.-Polish negotiations to get accomplished, Washington and Vilnius have been discussing “the basics of the AMD issue.” At the same time the U.S. State Department representative doesn’t rule it out that in case of a failure in the Polish direction the USA will have to use “a spare variant.”
It need be said that Lithuania perfectly suits for becoming a place like that. Lithuania inherited many military bases from the USSR, which have been abandoned. Among them, there is an anti-aircraft defense system at the town of Platelyay in the north-west of the country. It has an underground control center and four shafts 27 meters each for launching thermonuclear-tipped missiles, and another base in Shateykyay, which has eight launchers. After repair works, these bases, together with a number of others, can be exploited.
The echo of the scandal reached Moscow, too. “The very fact that Lithuania, as Polish and American sources confirm, is regarded an alternative to Poland, can’t help arousing Russia’s concerns,” Chairman of the Duma International Affairs Committee Konstantin Kosachev stated yesterday. “Seems like they want to cross the line marking challenges for our security, and they want our natural concerns to appear aggressive policy towards our neighbors,” Mr Kosachev concluded.
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The Russian Language to Become Non-grata in Lithuanian High Schools
The government of Lithuania adopted a new draft of the law on higher education putting a ban on lecturing in foreign languages, Russian in particular, in high schools that get donations form the state’s coffers. “All high schools that receive the government’s aid can be rendered state. They have no right to decide on the language of lecturing,” Prime Minister Godmanis Ivar explained the government’s stance at a recent meeting with deans.
At first some MPs supported a total ban on lecturing in foreign languages, but in the end the following wording was adopted: “except for the official languages of the European Union.” If the law comes into force, only private high schools will retain the opportunity of lecturing in the Russian language. It need be added that 2006 it was forbidden to lecture in Russian in Lithuania’s state high schools.
Vladimir Vodo, Vilnius; Sergey Strokan
All the Article in Russian as of June 19, 2008
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