Baltics in Brief

SAY NOT SO FAST TO NATO: Less than half - 46.5 percent - of Latvia's residents agree with the statement that it is in Latvia's interests to join NATO as soon as possible, according a poll conducted by the SKDS survey center in December. Last August, the number of those who backed speedier accession to NATO was larger - 53.1 percent. The viewpoints of Latvians and the non-Latvian population differ sharply. Now 62.2 percent of Latvians back sooner accession to NATO, whereas among other nationalities, the figure is 27.0 percent of 1,010 Latvia's residents, aged 18 to 75, polled at random Dec. 10 to Dec. 20.

GETTING TO HELSINKI ON THE CHEAP: Breakneck competition in the Tallinn-Helsinki shipping line with an annual passenger volume of 5million-6 million will slash ticket prices on speedy hydrofoils and catamarans when the season starts this spring, Estonian daily Postimees reported. Estonia's Lindaliini AS, one of several shippers in the line, has decided to slash ticket prices on hydrofoils to 200 kroons from 380 kroons last year. Prices will match those of the largest shipper in the connection, Estonia's Hansatee. Shippers say that the Tallinn-Helsinki connection is one of the busiest in Europe and that passenger numbers have been growing steadily. This summer the competition between hydrofoils becomes even tighter as Finnish shipper Silja Line, second-largest in terms of large ferries, introduces a new catamaran for 750 passengers. Until now, the largest catamaran was operated by Hansatee, capable of taking aboard 600 passengers and 150 cars.

ESTONIA TAKES ON THE WORLD IN GERMANY: Estonian officials expect up to three million visitors to the Estonian pavilion in EXPO 2000 world exhibition that lasts from June to October this year in Hanover, Germany. About the same number of tourists visit Estonia annually. Andres Pajuste, chief of the Estonian working group for EXPO 2000, said the aim of Estonia's participation at the EXPO is to put the country on the world map, boost its reputation, support integration to the European Union and deepen relations with Germany. Estonia's motto at the EXPO 2000 is "The country that breaks the waves" which should characterize Estonia as a sustainable and fast developing country on the one hand and as a sea country on the other hand. Pajuste said 190 countries and international organizations will participate at EXPO 2000 and the event is expected to draw 40 million visitors. Pajuste said Estonia will spend 47 million kroons on EXPO 2000, of which 30 million kroons goes to design and construction of the pavilion.

COP LAYOFFS COST A LOT OF KROONS: The sacking of 424 police officers this year has cost 33.5 million kroons to the state, one quarter less than originally planned. This far 28.3 million kroons have been paid and another 5 million kroons is waiting for payment. By sacking the policemen, the average salary of police officers reached 7,331 kroons which is twice as much as last year. Originally the police department wish to lay off 600 people, but 152 policemen were transferred to positions as civil servants and 178 to lower positions. The layoffs were necessary to guarantee a promised salary hike for police officers as the budget of the Interior Ministry did not grow this year.

BARBADOS BOAT FOUND BY BORDER SERVICES: The border services have found two containers in Klapeida which were washed off the Ost Wind boat sailing with the flag of Barbados in the Baltic Sea during the gale on Jan. 22 and 23, a spokesman of the coast border control station reported. According to newest reports on Jan. 30, the storm washed off 24 containers with food products, fruit coffee and oil from Ost Wind. The major part of containers washed from the boat deck into water are thought to have sunk already. During the incident the wind amounted to 20 meters per second. The storm-gripped boat was some 23 sea miles from the coast of Lithuania. The dispatcher's office of Klaipeda sea port said Ost Wind would be allowed to enter the Klaipeda port soon - then its crew would tell their losses and exact content of sunk containers.

HIV AND AIDS CONTINUE TO PLAGUE LATVIA: Two AIDS cases and 17 HIV cases have been registered in Latvia so far this year. The AIDS Prevention Center said 510 cases are now registered in Latvia, while 50 people suffer from AIDS. Afflicted with HIV/AIDS, 13 have died in Latvia. The center said the number of cases registered in January is smaller than the 25 HIV cases registered per month at the end of 1998. Some 247 HIV cases were registered in Latvia last year, as many as in the previous 12 years. The center said about one-half of all HIV cases registered in Latvia have contracted the disease through contaminated syringes; one-fifth contracted it from homosexual contact. According to the data at the AIDS Prevention Center, four to seven people contract HIV daily in Latvia.

LETA