KGB files to stay shut

RIGA - A People's Party draft law that wants to publish the identities of former KGB agents and informers in government newspaper "Latvijas Vestnesis" failed its first test.

Parliament's Defense and Internal Affairs Commission rejected the party's proposal to "come clean" with the past at the beginning of March.

"All political parties who sit on the commission are agreed to stop this because they can't reach an agreement on how to do this," said Juris Dalbins, a commission deputy and an MP with the People's Party.

The commission agreed with the draft in law in principle: It wants to stop information about former KGB agents and informers from being used as a weapon against them.

But Dalbins said commission members could not agree on how to do that.

The government, as suggested by the People's Party, could publicize all of the names in the KGB files, though the files are known to be very incomplete.

It also can give the former agents and informers a chance to admit their involvement.

The People's Party draft law called on the government to publicize the names of former agents and informers in Latvijas Vestnesis until Dec. 31, 2001, while providing another three years for those identified to taken to court.

When that time expired, proceedings could not be started against anyone with alleged links to the former secret service.

After the draft law was turned down by the commission, party leaders adopted a more conciliatory tone.

"Our reaction is negative but we are ready for a compromise and this law should be the same in all Baltic states," said Gundars Berzins, chairman of the People's Party.

He suggested that Latvia should give people an opportunity to admit their KGB involvement to the government, but they are not publicly identified as former agents and informers: the milder option examined by the commission.

Dalbins said if the files are to be opened and Latvia's KGB links are to be examined, it must be done in a "normal, human democratic way" so problems can be avoided.

He said there must also be a point where the government ends its examination and says this matter is finished.

The idea of opening the files will be worked on in the future, according to Dalbins, so situations of potential blackmail for past deeds can be eliminated.

However, the People's Party may not be part of the commission's work because some members have projects of their own.

"It's a very sensitive subject," said Dalbins. "I do think we are ready to continue working to try to find agreement with other political parties on how to do to this."

Yet Berzins said the People's Party has not given up on its draft law as it will ask to look through the amendments in Parliament.

He said Parliament's Defense and Internal Affairs Commission does not make the ultimate decision on such draft legislation: That belongs to the members of Parliament.