British politician laughs at Lithuanians

LONDON -- British politician David Cameron is usually keen to grab front-page headlines in the UK, but an off-the-cuff remark has made him an unexpected star of front pages in Lithuania as well.

The leader of the opposition Conservative Party has caused widespread outrage with comments he made in London to the Arts Council, a body responsible for providing arts subsidies.

Cameron is reported to have quipped "I hope you won't be giving grants to too many one-legged Lithuanian lesbians," referring to a common perception in the UK that Arts Council funding is more about political correctness than artistic merit.

Cameron claims he actually referred to "one-legged Lithuanian dance troupes" but either way, his joke has not gone down well in Lithuania.

Lithuania's ambassador to Britain, Vygaudas Usackas, immediately dashed off a strongly-worded letter in which he expressed his "disappointment", said Cameron had caused "a wave of outrage in Lithuania" and lectured Cameron on history.

"It seems appropriate to take this opportunity to remind you that 17 years ago Lithuania led the way in breaking the Evil Empire of the Soviet Union. Since 2004 we have been proud to be a close friend and ally of the United Kingdom," Usackas continued.

"For the sake of those Lithuanians currently living, working and studying in the UK, and for the sake of the strong and continuously developing friendship between our two countries, I would appreciate your expeditious assistance in providing me with a clarification in relation to your remarks. It would be incredibly helpful to understand exactly what you meant when referring to 'Lithuanians' and how this relates, if at all, to the Arts Council or any other institution supporting the arts," the ambassador concluded.

Ironically, if Cameron had actually referred to "lesbians" he would at least have been credited with being up-to-date with Lithuanian current affairs. His comments came just days after Vilnius hosted a pan-European conference for gays and lesbians.

Cameron has subsequently apologised, insisting that his remarks were meat in a light-hearted spirit.

"I did not intend to offend anybody from Lithuania," his reply to Usackas said.

"I have long admired the vigor with which Lithuania has stood up for its independence and its freedom. The Lithuanian community studying and working in his country make a great contribution to the ties between two countries," he said in the letter.

By the evening of Oct. 30, the story was even making the main UK news bulletins. Usackas appeaedon the top evening news radio show, PM, and did a good job of explaining why the comments had been taken so seriously in Lithuania.

"I haven't been in the UK so long myself, so perhaps I don't quite understand this famous British sense of humor," he said. Asked if there were actually any one-legged Lithuanian dance troupes, he replied: "I haven't heard of any."