OFF THE WIRE

DARING MISSION: The Baltic states' defense ministries are considering a NATO suggestion to send a joint Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian military unit to Kyrgyzstan to assist an international security operation in Afghanistan, says Lithuanian Defense Minister Linas Linkevicius. His ministry is currently exploring Denmark's proposal for the three Baltic countries to dispatch 10 troops each to the Kyrgyzstan mission, he said Jan. 22. He added that the idea is now being coordinated with his Latvian and Estonian colleagues. What type of specialists would go on the mission and what the character of the work would be is still unclear. Earlier this month, the Lithuanian Parliament passed a new version of the law on international operations, military exercises and other events that legalized an opportunity for troops to participate in NATO-led operations in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Kyrgyzstan is a CIS member. Politicians gave the green light in December to the participation of 12 Lithuanian military doctors in the U.S.-led anti-terrorist Operation Enduring Peace in Central and Southern Asia.

POLICE PAY: The Estonian government endorsed a decree on policemen's wages on Jan. 15, under which the minimum monthly wages of junior police inspectors and junior constables will climb from the current 4,200 kroons ($240) to 5,050 kroons per month. The decree makes it possible to pay policemen up to 50 percent of the wages extra for carrying out additional duties or having better results than expected, the government's spokesman said. Under the decree, a common pay scale will apply to the staff of all police institutions, the interior and defense ministries, and police academies until June 30. But from July 1, different pay scales will apply to policemen working in different institutions or to policemen of the same institution but working at different locations. Generally, the pay of all lower-ranking police officers will increase. Interior Minister Tarmo Loodus told reporters that the pay rise will affect about 2,000 people. He said earlier that the new pay system will motivate policemen to work better and will make it possible to boost the admission of cadets to the police academy, as this is now insufficient. The police are not able to fill all their vacancies.

ANOTHER LIBERAL: Lithuania's former prime minister Rolandas Paksas, who left the Liberal Union's parliamentary faction at the end of December, has announced his intention to form a new political party. Paksas, who plans to run for president at the end of this year, said that the new political force would be named the Liberal Democratic Party, with a constituent assembly to take place sometime before May. About 80 Paksas supporters have already prepared bylaws for the future party and are now working on a program. They also need to collect 400 founders' signatures before the constituent meeting. Paksas, a former chairman of the Lithuanian Liberal Union, and 10 close supporters walked out of the faction on Dec. 21, 2001, cutting its membership in the 141-seat Seimas from 34 to 23. Paksas joined the Liberal Union at the end of 1999 after leaving the post of prime minister and the then ruling Conservative Party. After the October 2000 Seimas elections, he was appointed to head the government of the New Policy Coalition formed with the New Union (Social Liberals) led by Arturas Paulauskas. He left the prime minister's post last June amid disagreements with his coalition partners.

MUSICAL GIFTS: Famous Russian cellist and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich was given one of Latvia's annual music awards this year for his contribution to Latvian music culture, reported the Ministry of Culture. Rostropovich will get the award for organizing an international cello festival in Riga and conducting the ballet "Romeo and Juliet" by Sergey Prokofiev at the Latvian National Opera. The ministry announced other winners of the annual Latvian Music Awards on Jan. 22, distributed to distinguished Latvian musicians, ballet dancers and composers. The awards, 300 lats in cash and a silver statuette, will be presented in a ceremony on March 8 in the Latvian National Opera, where all the award-winning artists are expected to perform. This year awards also go to violinist Baiba Skride, composer Arturs Maskats, ballet dancer Julija Gurvica, piano duet Antra Viksna and Normunds Viksna, conductor Andris Nelsons, opera singer Zermena Heine-Vagnere, percussionist Edgars Saksons from the National Symphonic Orchestra, and the Riga Festival Orchestra.

WASH YOUR HANDS: Dysentery incidence in Latvia grew fourfold last year to a total of 1,792 cases, reported the Public Health Agency. The number of cases in Latvia in 2001 was up from 1,383 cases in 2000. The agency's epidemiology department deputy head, Aija Griskevica, said the growing dysentery incidence last year was due to several outbreaks of the disease. "In separate cases last year over a hundred people came down all at once," she said. She also attributed greater dysentery incidence in the country to a growth in the number of new food companies and catering services employing people who lack adequate knowledge of hygiene requirements. The most serious dysentery outbreaks in Latvia last year were registered among employees of the Latvian dairy Tukuma Piens, cadets of the Interior Ministry's guard regiment in the central Latvian town of Jelgava, children attending an elementary school in Tukums, western Latvia, and the inhabitants of a social shelter in Daugavpils.

MULTIPLE CHOICE: The Estonian government is considering setting up diplomatic relations with seven countries in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. On the list are Honduras, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Namibia, Sierra Leone and Bahrain. The Foreign Ministry considers it important to forge closer ties with these countries, because relations with them have so far been completely dormant, a spokesman for the government said. In the ministry's estimation, developments in far-off continents have great importance and offer great prospects.