Please acquaint yourself with this issue by reading the material linked-to below, and then write to the President, our Senators, and your Congressman. Address, phone, and e-mail information for our officials can be found in the "Officials" page listed in our menu on our home page.

If you run across a discussion or commentary on NATO's expansion in the media, please send a copy to us at:

Dear Chapter President and Public Affairs Chairman:

This year as you gather to celebrate the 83rd anniversary of Lithuania's Independence Day we are requesting that every chapter adopt the enclosed resolution, or a similar resolution of your own, and send it to President Bush, your Senators and Congressmen. We have also enclosed sample letters, which we would like you to send on your chapter letterhead to the appropriate representatives. (Editor: this was done.)

Lithuania and eight other European nations that aspire to NATO membership met in May 2000 in Vilnius. There they signed a statement pledging mutual cooperation in gaining at the 2002 Alliance Summit in Prague admission into NATO for all aspirant countries that meet the criteria for NATO membership. The Vilnius nine consists of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia and Albania.

Strong opposition is expected against extending invitations into NATO for the Baltic countries, despite the fact that Lithuania is making especially rapid progress in meeting NATO membership standards. However, it is important that Lithuania be invited in 2002 even though invitations to one or both of the other Baltic countries may be delayed. The extension of NATO to even one of the Baltic countries would be a victory for all as that would show that NATO would not be pressured into conceding to Russia what would amount to an unwarranted, exclusive zone of influence.

Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and the Scandinavian countries appear to be favorably disposed to Lithuania's aspirations to join NATO. President Bush said he favors further NATO enlargement. We believe that The United States Government would have to decide by the Fall of 2001 whether to back Lithuania's bid for seeking membership at the 2002 Summit. Accordingly, it is especially important for us, acting alone or together with other similarly oriented organizations, to make our preferences heard now. Therefore, we request your assistance to urge the Administration and Congress to take the following actions:

1. Issue Lithuania an invitation at the 2002 NATO Summit to join NATO.
2. Continue military assistance to Lithuania.
3. Continue enforcing the Charter of Partnership between the United States and Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
4. Continue expanding the Baltic Caucuses in the Congress.

I invite you and your chapter members to join us in working together toward our common goals.

Sincerely,

Algirdas Rimas
Chairman Public Affairs Council
Lithuanian-American Community, Inc.