Baltics in brief

MAYOR OF TALLINN BRINGS OUT HIS KNIFE: Tallinn Mayor Juri Mois is planning to reduce the number of municipal officials by 10,000 and to increase the salaries of the remaining staff by 65 percent. Mois said the number of employees in municipal institutions can be reduced from 30,000 to 20,000 by privatizing municipal companies and laying off officials not working at full capacity, the daily Eesti Paevaleht reported. At a joint meeting of the city's managers, borough governors and political party representatives, Mois agreed with a proposal to thoroughly reform city management. Mois said the aim is to raise municipal officials' salaries to the average level of the Tallinn's labor market. "Calculations show that the officials' pay should be raised by 65 percent to achieve this," said Mois.

'KLOPS' DIES OF HEART DISEASE: Preliminary medical examinations determined that convicted gangster Janis Kalva, also known as "Klops", who died at the Riga Central Prison last week, died of heart disease. Correctional Institutions Administration Director Vitolds Zahars said that the tests will be completed in a couple of weeks. Zahars denied that Kalva's death is related to drug use, he also denied rumors that narcotic substances were found in his body. Kalva had "appeared concerned" on Monday about the criminal case against him for his earlier escape from Vecumnieki Prison. Following a visit to the prosecutor, Kalva had banged his fist on the side of the bed and injured his hand, but he refused hospitalization, as noted in his medical card. Kalva walked out of Vecumnieki Prison on January 23 and was detained on the evening of January 28, charged in early February and placed in the Riga Central Prison pending a hearing. Kalva's criminal record included five convictions besides the escape - two for disturbing the peace and three for rape.

AIRLINES STOCK LIQUOR CABINETS: Lithuanian airlines would need at least 30,000 liters of various alcoholic beverages and almost 22,000 liters of beer to serve passengers on international routes. The alcoholic beverage quotas were included in the list of proposals to the government, submitted by the transportation ministry. The issue on the quota of alcohol on airplanes was to be considered March 8. Quotas of stronger alcoholic drinks and wine would remain the same as last year. However, the quota of beer would grow sevenfold. Lietuvos Avialinijos airline company would serve 200 liters of vodka, and the same volume of gin, 500 liters of cognac and brandy, 600 liters of liquor, 90 liters of rum, 28,000 liters of white and red wine, 200 liters of vermouth , 680 liters of whiskey and 50,000 liters of beer. Another airline company Aviakompanija Lietuva asked to confirm their beer quota at 16,000 liters. Lietuvos Juru Laivininkyste, which asked for a quota of 87,000 liters of various alcoholic drinks last year, refused serving passengers alcoholic drinks, the price of which was calculated into the price of a ticket.

'RAVENS' PLANNED ARMED COUP IN LITHUANIA: Lithuanian law enforcement officials are not ruling out the possibility that the underground nationalist organization, the Ravens, had planned an armed coup in the country, the Respublika daily reported on March 2. The information collected by Lithuania's secret service over the past several days suggests that the Ravens and the voluntary national defense forces could be related with a number of terrorist attacks carried out several years ago and still unsolved, the newspaper reported.The Respublika added that the special services are also in possession of information suggesting that the main purpose of the nationalist organization was to overthrow the country's government and install the "young Democratic" authority. Documents and computerized information found during searches in the homes of the leaders of the organization indicate that the Ravens organization courted conscripts and officials of the State Security Department, prosecutor's offices and courts, the newspaper reported. Police have found large amounts of explosives, ammunition, documents and computers during searches of the homes of the suspects in Vilnius and Varena.

U.S. TO DEPORT LITHUANIAN FOR NAZI SERVICE: The United States could deport a third member of a Nazi-sponsored Lithuanian battalion responsible for the killing of 19,000 Jews during World War II. The U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals upheld Feb. 28 the deportation of Juozas Naujalis, 80, for his service in the 2nd Lithuanian security battalion between 1941-1943, the U.S. Justice Department's Special Investigations Service said last week. The U.S. Justice Department has deported two members of the same battalion in the past. Naujalis is now a pensioner and lives in Chicago and plans to appeal. He has told a U.S. court that his task only included guarding a railway. Naujalis immigrated to the U.S. in 1949, but did not acquire the U.S. citizenship.

LETA, BNS