At Washington's request, the visit was moved up a week to coincide with filming by the NBC television network for "A Day in the Life Of" special on President George W. Bush. Media on both sides of the Atlantic speculated whether the change was simply meant to add some international color to Bush's schedule, or was a direct effort to raise Lithuania's profile in America.
The Lithuanian leader was continuing an earlier visit to Washington that was cut short by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Adamkus said his 45-minute meeting with Bush dispelled any remaining doubts that the U.S. supports bringing Lithuania into NATO and would pay no attention to Russian discontent at such a move.
Getting an invitation to join the alliance in November was a sure thing, Adamkus continued, as long as hard work continued and Lithuanian politicians did not harm the country's image with "careless populist remarks" in this year's presidential elections.
"President Bush himself said he sees Lithuania as a leader in the group of 10 states seeking full NATO membership at the Prague summit," Adamkus told Lithuanian journalists in a video conference from Washington. "He even said Lithuania was an example for other states of how to prepare and asked me to pass the message to neighboring NATO candidates that accession will depend only on the work that each country does to prepare itself. No one can hope to get into the organization with special privileges or riding on someone else's coattails."
The Lithuanian daily Lietuvos Rytas interpreted that charge as recognition of Lithuania as the moral leader among NATO candidates. Lithuania initiated the "Vilnius 10" group of 10 Central European countries seeking membership in the defense alliance.
U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania John Tefft said the bilateral meeting of the two presidents in the Oval Office was a historic first. "President Bush said he was very pleased when I talked to him after the meeting, which lived up to expectations on the American side," he said during the video conference.
Besides NATO enlargement, the two leaders discussed the international war on terrorism and a wide range of bilateral issues, including problems at the Mazeikiu Nafta oil complex, where the U.S. energy company Williams is part-owner and manager.
Defense Minister Linas Linkevicius and Foreign Minister Antanas Valionis accompanied Adamkus to Washington, as did military commander Major General Jonas Kronkaitis.
The visit won broad coverage in the U.S. media. In an interview broadcast Jan. 21 on national television, he told the well-known political commentator John McLaughlin he was "more than optimistic" about a NATO bid. He encouraged U.S. investors to discover Lithuania.
The one-hour NBC news special on a day in the life of President Bush is scheduled to air Jan. 25.
During his meeting with Bush, Adamkus suggested the U.S. leader plan a visit to Vilnius "to celebrate" after Lithuania is invited to join NATO at the Prague summit.
"It sounds like our wives have already worked out some arrangements. All we have to do is give our assent," the Lithuania president quoted Bush as having responded with a laugh.
Adamkus will return to Vilnius only on Feb. 13. He will travel to Chicago, where he lived and worked for 50 years, fly to Mexico for his first official visit there and relax for a few days' vacation on the Pacific coast.
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