US presidential hopefuls support Baltic stance

VILNIUS- Republican candidate for US president, John McCain, has expressed support the Lithuanian position with respect to Georgia.

In a telephone conversation with Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus, the US senator stressed the importance of the actions taken by the Baltic and Polish leaders to halt Russian aggression in Georgia, the presidential press service reported.

Adamkus, in his turn, underlined the significance of the US position and the principled opinion of McCain in the situation. In Adamkus' words, there are attempts to split the stance of Western democracies on the Georgian matter, and it is therefore vital to retain the solidarity and efficient activities of the trans-Atlantic community.

"We need a unified, active and principled NATO - the key organization of trans-Atlantic security in Europe," said the president.

The Lithuanian president stressed that a stop to the Russian aggression and withdrawal of armed forces should be among the key goals of the international community, as well as retention of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia.

 In his opinion, as many as possible international observers should be delegated to the war-torn country without delay.

Last Saturday, Adamkus received a telephone call from another US presidential candidate, Barack Obama.

The Democratic candidate welcomed the Lithuanian role in the solution to the armed conflict in South Caucasus and expressed support to the stern position of Lithuania.