National Trade Data Bank ITEM ID : ST BNOTES LITHUANIA DATE : Oct 28, 1994 AGENCY : U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE PROGRAM : BACKGROUND NOTES TITLE : Background Notes - LITHUANIA Source key : ST Program key : ST BNOTES Update sched. : Occasionally Data type : TEXT End year : 1994 Date of record : 19941018 Keywords 3 : Keywords 3 : | LITHUANIA BACKGROUND NOTES: LITHUANIA PUBLISHED BY THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Official Name: Republic of Lithuania PROFILE Geography Area: 65,200 sq. km. (26,080 sq. miles); about the size of West Virginia. Cities: Capital--Vilnius (pop. 592,500). Other cities--Kaunas (430,000); Klaipeda (206,000); Siauliai (148,000); Panevezys (129,000). Terrain: Lithuania's fertile, central lowland plains are separated by hilly uplands created by glacial drift. Climate: With four distinct seasons, the climate is humid continental, with a moderating maritime influence from the Baltic Sea. People Nationality: Noun and adjective--Lithuanian(s). Population: 3.8 million. Growth rate: -0.4%. Infant mortality--13/1,000. Ethnic groups: Lithuanian 80%, Russians 10%, Poles 7%, Belorussians 1.7%, Ukrainians 1.2%. Religions: Catholic (85%), Russian Orthodox. Languages: Lithuanian (official). Russian and Polish also are spoken by a large minority. Education: Years compulsory--9. Literacy--99%. Health: Infant mortality rate--18/1,000. Life expectancy--66 years male, 76 female. Work force (1.9 million): Industry--33%. Science/Education/Culture--14%. Construction--13%. Agriculture/Forestry--8%. Health care--7%. Transportation/Communications--7%. Trade and Government--10%. Government Type: Parliamentary democracy. Constitution: 1992. Branches: Executive--popularly elected president (chief of state); prime minister (head of government). Legislative--Seimas (parliament--141 members, 4-year term); Judicial--Supreme Court. Administrative subdivisions: 11 cities, 44 rural districts. Principal political parties/coalitions: Democratic Labor Party (75 seats); Landowners Union (0 seats); Social Democrats (8 seats); Union of Poles (4 seats); "Homeland Concord" Sajudis (26 seats); Christian Democrats (17 seats); Nationalist Union (4 seats); Democratic Party (2 seats); Political Prisoners (1 seat); Independence Party (1 seat); Christian Democratic Union (1 seat); Greens (0 seats); Independent (1 seat). Suffrage: Universal at 18. Flag: Horizontal tricolor: yellow, green, red. Economy GDP: $2.5 billion. Real GDP growth: -17%. Per capita GDP (at 1992 prices): $732. Natural resources: Peat, potential for exploiting moderate oil and gas deposits offshore and on the coast. Agriculture/forestry (19% of GNP): Products--cattle, milk and dairy products, cereals, potatoes. Manufacturing (58% of GNP): Products--Technological instruments, energy, textiles and footwear, machinery and spare parts, chemicals, food processing, wood/paper/pulp products. Trade: Exports--$1 billion: building materials (36%), services (15%), chemicals (14%), foodstuffs (14%), consumer goods (9%). Imports--$1 billion: chemicals (52%), heavy machinery (17%); fuels, metals, minerals (13%). Major partners--Russia (45%), Belarus (13%), Germany (10%), Ukraine (6%). Exchange rate (July 1994): 3.8 litai=U.S. $1. PEOPLE The name "Lietuva," or Lithuania, might be derived from the word "lietava," for a small river, or "lietus," meaning rain (or land of rain). Lithuanian still retains the original sound system and morphological peculiarities of the prototypal Indo-European tongue. Between A.D. 400 and 600, the Lithuanian and Latvian languages split from the Eastern Baltic (Prussian) language group, which subsequently became extinct. The first known written Lithuanian text dates from a hymnal translation in 1545. Written with the Latin alphabet, Lithuanian has been the official language of Lithuania again since 1989. The Soviet era had imposed the official use of Russian, so most Lithuanians speak Russian as a second language while the resident Slavic populace generally speaks Russian as a first language. Lithuanians are neither Slavic nor Germanic, although Polish and Germanic colonization and settlement in the 1300s left cultural and religious influences. This highly literate society places strong emphasis upon education, which is free and compulsory until age 16. Most Lithuanians and ethnic Poles belong to the Roman Catholic Church, but a sizeable minority are Russian Orthodox. Enduring several border changes, Soviet deportations, a massacre of its Jewish population, and postwar German and Polish repatriations, Lithuania has maintained a fairly stable percentage of ethnic Lithuanians (from 84% in 1923 to 80% in 1993). Lithuania's citizenship law and constitution meet international standards, guaranteeing universal human and civil rights. HISTORY The earliest evidence of inhabitants in present-day Lithuania dates back 12,000 years. About 5,000 years ago, a culture known to archaeologists as "the cord-ware culture" spread over a vast region of Eastern Europe, between the Baltic Sea and the Vistula River in the west and the Moscow-Kursk line in the east. Merging with the indigenous population, they gave rise to the Balts, a distinct Indo-European ethnic group whose descendants are the present-day Lithuanian and Latvian nations and the now-extinct Prussians. The first written mention of Lithuania occurs in A.D. 1009, although many centuries earlier the Roman historian Tacitus referred to the Lithuanians as excellent farmers. Spurred by the expansion into the Baltic lands of the Germanic monastic military orders (the Order of the Knights of the Sword and the Teutonic Order), Duke Mindaugas united the lands inhabited by the Lithuanians, Samogitians, Yotvingians, and Couranians into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL) in the mid-13th century. In 1251, Mindaugas adopted Catholicism and was crowned King of Lithuania on July 6, 1253; a decade later, civil war erupted upon his assassination until a ruler named Vitenis defeated the Teutonic Knights and restored order. During 1316-41, Vitenis' brother and successor, Grand Duke Gediminas, expanded the empire as far as Kiev against the Tartars and Russians. He twice attempted to adopt Christianity in order to end the GDL's political and cultural isolation from Western Europe. To that purpose, he invited knights, merchants, and artisans to settle in Lithuania and wrote letters to Pope John XXII and European cities maintaining that the Teutonic Order's purpose was to conquer lands rather than spread Christianity. Gediminas' dynasty ruled the GDL until 1572. From the 1300s through the early 1400s, the Lithuanian state expanded eastward. During the rule of Grand Duke Algirdas (1345-77), Lithuania almost doubled in size and achieved major victories over the Teutonic and Livonian Orders. However, backed by the Pope and the Catholic West European countries, the Orders intensified their aggression. During this period, Kestutis (Grand Duke in 1381-82) distinguished himself as the leader of the struggle against the Teutonic Order. The ongoing struggle precipitated the 1385 Kreva Union signed by Grand Duke Jogaila of Lithuania (ruled in 1377-81 and 1382-92) and Jadwyga, Queen of Poland. Upon their marriage, he became King of Poland. A condition of the union was Lithuania's conversion to Christianity (in 1387). This intensified Lithuania's economic and cultural development and oriented it toward the West. The conversion invalidated claims by the Teutonic Order and temporarily halted its wars against Lithuania. Lithuania's independence under the union with Poland was restored by Grand Duke Vytautas. During his rule (1392-1430) the GDL turned into one of the largest states in Europe, encompassing present-day Belarus, most of Ukraine, and the Smolensk region of western Russia. Led by Jogaila and Vytautas, the united Polish-Lithuanian army defeated the Teutonic Order in the Battle of Tannenberg (Gruenwald or Zalgiras) in 1410, terminating the medieval Germanic drive eastward. The 16th century witnessed a number of wars against the growing Russian state over the Slavic lands ruled by the GDL. Coupled with the need for an ally in those wars, the wish of the middle and petty gentry to obtain more rights already granted to the Polish feudal lords drew Lithuania closer to Poland. The Union of Lublin in 1569 united Poland and Lithuania into a commonwealth in which the highest power belonged to the Sejm of the nobility and its elected King, who was also the Grand Duke of Lithuania. Mid-16th-century land reform strengthened serfdom and promoted the development of agriculture, owing to the introduction of a regular three-field rotation system. The 16th century saw a rapid development of agriculture, growth of towns, spread of ideas of humanism and the Reformation, book printing, the emergence of Vilnius University in 1579, and the Lithuanian Codes of Law (the Statutes of Lithuania), which stimulated the development of culture both in Lithuania and in neighboring countries. In the 16th-18th century, wars against Russia and Sweden weakened the Polish-Lithuanian Republic. The end of the 18th century saw three divisions of the commonwealth by Russia, Prussia, and Austria; in 1795 most of Lithuania became part of the Russian empire. Attempts to restore independence in the uprisings of 1794, 1830-31, and 1863 were suppressed and followed by a tightened police regime, increasing Russification, the closure of Vilnius University in 1832, and the 1864 ban on the printing of Lithuanian books in traditional Latin characters. Because of his proclamation of liberation and self-rule, many Lithuanians gratefully volunteered for the French army when Napoleon occupied Kaunas in 1812 during his catastrophic invasion of Russia. After the war, Russia imposed extra taxes on Catholic landowners and enserfed an increasing number of peasants. A market economy slowly developed with the abolition of serfdom in 1861. Lithuanian farmers grew stronger, contributing to an increase in the number of intellectuals of peasant origin, which, in turn, led to the growth of a Lithuanian national movement. In German-ruled Lithuania Minor (Konigsberg or Kalinin-grad), Lithuanian publications were printed in large numbers and then smuggled into Russian-ruled Lithuania. The most outstanding leaders of the national liberation movement were J. Basanavicius and V. Kudirka. The ban on the Lithuanian press finally was lifted in 1904. During World War I, the German army occupied Lithuania in 1915, and the occupation administration allowed a Lithuanian Conference to convene in Vilnius in September 1917. The conference adopted a resolution demanding the restoration of an independent Lithuanian state and elected the Lithuanian Council, a standing body chaired by Antanas Smetona In 1919 and 1920, Lithuania fought what is known as its war for independence against three factions: the Red Army, which in 1919 controlled territory ruled by a Bolshevist government headed by V. Kapsukas; the Polish army; and the Bermondt army, composed of Russian and German troops under the command of the Germans. Lithuania failed to regain the Polish-occupied Vilnius region. In the Moscow Treaty of July 12, 1920, Russia recognized Lithuanian independence and renounced all previous claims to it. The Seimas (parliament) of Lithuania adopted a constitution on August 1, 1922, declaring Lithuania a parliamentary republic, and in 1923 Lithuania annexed the Klaipeda region, the northern part of Lithuania Minor. By then, most countries had recognized Lithuanian independence. After a military coup on December 17, 1926, Nationalist Party leader Antanas Smetona became President and gradually introduced an authoritarian regime. Lithuania's borders posed its major foreign policy problem. Poland's occupation (1920) and annexation (1922) of the Vilnius region strained bilateral relations, and in March 1939 Germany forced Lithuania to surrender the Klaipeda region (after World War II, the Nuremberg trials declared the treaty null and void). Radical land reform in 1922 considerably reduced the number of estates, promoted the growth of small and middle farms and boosted agricultural production and exports, especially of livestock. In particular, light industry and agriculture successfully adjusted to the new market situation and developed new structures. The interwar period gave birth to a comprehensive system of education, with Lithuanian as the language of instruction and the development of the press, literature, music, arts, and theater. On August 23, 1939, the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact pulled Lithuania under German domination until the Soviet-German agreement of September 28, 1939, brought Lithuania under Soviet domination. Soviet pressure and a complicated international situation forced Lithuania to sign an agreement with the U.S.S.R. on October 10, 1939, by which Lithuania was given back the city of Vilnius and the part of Vilnius region seized by the Red Army during the Soviet-Polish war; in return, some 20,000 Soviet soldiers were deployed in Lithuania. On June 14, 1940, the Soviet Government issued an ultimatum to Lithuania, demanding the formation of a new Lithuanian Government and permission to station additional Red Army troops. Lithuania succumbed to the Soviet demand, and 100,000 Soviet troops moved into the country the next day. Arriving in Kaunas, the Soviet Government's special envoy began implementing the plan for Lithuania's incorporation into the U.S.S.R. On June 17, the alleged People's Government, headed by J. Paleckis, was formed; one month later, parliamentary elections were held, whereupon Lithuania was proclaimed a Soviet Socialist Republic on August 3. Totalitarian rule was established, Sovietization of the economy and culture began, and Lithuanian state employees and public figures were arrested and exiled to Russia. During the mass deportation campaign of June 14-18, 1941, about 7,400 families (12,600 people) were deported to Siberia without investigation or trial; 3,600 people were imprisoned; and over 1,000 were massacred. Lithuanian revolt against the U.S.S.R. soon followed the outbreak of the war against Germany in 1941. Via Radio Kaunas on June 23, the rebels declared the restoration of Lithuania's independence and actively operated a provisional government, without German recognition, from June 24 to August 5. Lithuania became part of the German occupational administrative unit of Ostland. People were repressed and taken to forced labor camps in Germany. The Nazis and local collaborators deprived all Lithuanian Jews of their civil rights and massacred about 200,000 of them. Together with Soviet partisans, supporters of independence put up a resistance movement to deflect Nazi recruitment of Lithuanians to the German army. Forcing the Germans out of Lithuania by 1944, the Red Army re-established control, and Sovietization continued with the arrival of communist party leaders to create a local party administration. The mass deportation campaigns of 1941-52 exiled 30,000 families to Siberia and other remote parts of the Soviet Union. Official statistics state that over 120,000 people were deported from Lithuania during this period, while Lithuanian sources estimate the number of political prisoners and deportees at 300,000. In response to these events, thousands of resistance fighters participated in unsuccessful guerilla warfare against the Soviet regime from 1944 to 1953. In attempted integration and industrial development, Soviet authorities encouraged immigration of other Soviet workers, especially Russians. Until mid-1988, all political, economical and cultural life was controlled by the Lithuanian Communist Party (LCP). First Secretary Antanas Snieckus ruled the LCP during 1940-74. The LCP, in turn, was responsible to the Communist Party of the U.S.S.R. Lithuanians comprised only 18% of total party membership in 1947 and continued to represent a minority until 1958; by 1986, they made up 70% of the party's 197,000-strong body. During the Khrushchev thaw in the 1950s, the leadership of the LCP acquired limited independence in decision-making. The political and economic crisis that began in the U.S.S.R. in the mid-1980s also affected Lithuania, and Lithuanians as well as other Balts offered active support to Gorbachev's program of social and political reforms. Under the leadership of intellectuals, the Lithuanian reform movement Sajudis was formed in mid-1988 and declared a program of democratic and national rights, winning nationwide popularity. On Sajudis' demand, the Lithuanian Supreme Soviet passed constitutional amendments on the supremacy of Lithuanian laws over Soviet legislation, annulled the 1940 decisions on proclaiming Lithuania a part of the U.S.S.R., legalized a multi-party system, and adopted a number of other important decisions. A large number of LCP members also supported the ideas of Sajudis, and with Sajudis support, Algirdas Brazauskas was elected First Secretary of the Central Committee of the LCP in 1988. In December 1989, the Brazauskas-led LCP split from the Soviet Union's Communist Party and became an independent party, renaming itself the Lithuanian Democratic Labor Party in 1990. In 1990, Sajudis-backed candidates won the elections to the Lithuanian Supreme Soviet. On March 11, 1990, its chairman, Vytautas Landsbergis, proclaimed the restoration of Lithuanian independence, formed a new cabinet of ministers headed by Kazimiera Prunskiene, and adopted the Provisional Fundamental Law of the state and a number of bylaws. The U.S.S.R. demanded revocation of the act and began employing political and economic sanctions against Lithuania as well as demonstrating military force. On January 10, 1991, Soviet authorities seized the central publishing house and other premises in Vilnius and unsuccessfully attempted to overthrow the elected government by sponsoring a local "National Salvation Committee." Three days later the Soviets forcibly took over the TV tower, killing 14 civilians and injuring 700. During the national plebiscite on February 9, over 90% of those who took part in the voting (76% of all eligible voters) voted in favor of an independent, democratic Lithuania. Led by the tenacious Landsbergis, Lithuania's leaders continued to seek Western diplomatic recognition of its independence. Soviet military-security forces continued forced conscription, seized buildings, attacked customs posts, and sometimes killed customs and police officials. During the August 19 coup against Gorbachev, Soviet military troops took over several communications and other government facilities in Vilnius and other cities but returned to their barracks when the coup failed. The Lithuanian Government banned the Communist Party and ordered confiscation of its property. Despite Lithuania's achievement of complete independence, sizeable numbers of Russian forces remained on its territory. Withdrawal of those forces was one of Lithuania's top foreign policy priorities. Lithuania and Russia signed an agreement on September 8, 1992, calling for Russian troop withdrawals by August 31, 1993. These have been completed in full, despite unresolved issues such as the question of Russian military transit to and from the Kaliningrad enclave. GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS For over a year after independence, political life was fettered by an unclear delineation of powers between parliament and government. Political polarization increased, and name recognition played a much more significant role in politics than party affiliation. Sajudis remained part of an unofficial ruling coalition with two other politically right-wing parties, but rivalries were heightened by personally divisive political attacks and bureaucratic gridlock. In an effort to reduce the size and recalcitrance of a government bureaucracy allegedly impeding reform, in April 1992 then-Prime Minister Vagnorius unsuccessfully attempted to enact a measure permit-ting the dismissal of former Communist Party members and of those unwilling to enforce government decrees. Two deputies and a minister unsuccessfully tendered resignations in support of Vagnorius, but the rest of the cabinet wrote a letter to President Landsbergis complaining of the Prime Minister's confrontational governing style. Vagnorius, in turn, unsuccessfully submitted his resignation effective in May. With the failure of the May 23 referendum on establishing a permanent office of the president (based on the French model), President Landsbergis threatened to resign. Right-wing parliamentarians boycotted legislative sessions to delay attempts to form a quorum and successfully forestalled Vagnorius' resignation until mid-June, when a quorum passed a no-confidence motion. Aleksandras Abisala, another Landsbergis favorite, became the new Prime Minister. A constitution was approved by 53% of eligible voters (85% of those who actually voted) in an October 2, 1992, referendum. The results of the October 25 and the November 15 runoff elections handed the Democratic Labor Party (LDP), headed by former Communist Party boss Algirdas Brazauskas, a plurality of votes and a clear majority of parliamentary seats. Subsequent presidential elections on February 14, 1993, gave Brazauskas victory over a non-LDP coalition led by independent candidate Stasys Lozoraitis, Lithuania's former ambassador to the U.S. Economic mismanagement and collapse, fueled by chronic energy shortages and political factionalism, played a decisive role in the election results. The Seimas (parliament), a unicameral legislative body, is the highest organ of state authority. It initiates and approves legislation sponsored by the prime minister. The prime minister has full responsibility and control over his cabinet. National Security Lithuania's defense system is based upon the Swedish-Finnish concept of a rapid response force composed of a mobilization base and a small group of career professionals. The defense ministry is responsible for combat forces, border control, customs, civil defense, search/rescue, and intelligence operations. The army consists of three battalions of 850 troops each, and there is a mandatory one-year active-duty draft period. Alternative service for conscientious objectors is available. The navy and coast guard use patrol boats and small Russian frigates for coastal surveillance; the air force operates 30 planes used for reconnaissance and border patrol. The 5,400 border guards fall under the interior ministry's supervision and are responsible for border protection and passport and customs duties and share responsibility with the navy for smuggling/drug trafficking interdiction. A special security department handles VIP protection and communications security. The "SKAT," or national guard, consists of over 700 professionals and 5,000 volunteers. Key Government Officials President--Algirdas Brazauskas Prime Minister--Adolfas Slezevicius Minister of Foreign Affairs--Povilas Gylys Lithuania maintains an embassy in the United States at 2622 16th Street, Washington, DC 20009 tel: 202-234-5860. ECONOMY The Soviet era brought Lithuania intensive industrialization and economic integration into the U.S.S.R., although the level of technology and state concern for environmental, health, and labor issues lagged far behind Western standards. Urbanization increased from 39% in 1959 to 68% in 1989. From 1949 to 1952, the Soviets abolished private ownership in agriculture, establishing collective and state farms. Production declined and did not reach pre-war levels until the early 1960s. The intensification of agricultural production through intense chemical use and mechanization eventually doubled production but created additional ecological problems. Industry is Lithuania's largest economic sector. It is being privatized, and most small firms are now under private ownership. Large industries, accounting for the bulk of Lithuania's capital investment, are still mainly under state control. Food-processing and light industries dominate, but furniture, footwear, and textile manufacturing are important. Machine industries (tools, motors, computers, consumer durables) account for over one-third of the industrial work force but generally suffer from outdated plants and equipment. In agriculture, Lithuania produces cattle, hogs, and poultry for export. The principal crops are wheat, feed grains, and rye. Farm production dropped in 1992 as a result of difficulties with agricultural privatization and poor weather. The transportation infrastructure is adequate. Lithuania has one ice-free seaport with ferry services to German ports. There are operating commercial airports with scheduled international services at Vilnius and Kaunas. The road system is good, but border crossings may be difficult due to inadequate border facilities at checkpoints with Poland. Telecommunications have improved greatly since independence as a result of heavy investment. The banking/financial sector is weak but improving. Lithuania had a slightly negative trade balance in 1993. Its main trading partners are Eastern Europe and the New Independents States (NIS) of the former Soviet Union. The main categories of imported products are energy, vehicles for transport and machinery. Exports consist mainly of machinery and food products. Trade with Western countries rose from 8% of the total in 1992 to over 24% in 1993. Although gross domestic product (GDP) accounts comparable to Western figures are not yet fully available, real GDP has been declining since 1990. In 1992, it fell by about 40% and continued to fall this year, albeit at a less dramatic rate. Inflation is also high due to price deregulation and higher costs of imported energy and other inputs from the traditional suppliers in the NIS. The consumer price index rose by 1,200% in 1992, and monthly retail price increases in 1993 have been generally above 10%. This year, however, there are indications of improvement. The spread of private sector activity, not always reflected in national accounts statistics, is creating productive jobs and boosting consumer spending. Also, the introduction in mid-1993 of a stable national currency has stimulated investment. The government focuses its efforts on stabilizing the economy, taking measures to secure supplies of energy and other vital inputs, providing a social safety net to alleviate the worst consequences of the economic depression, and combating economic crime. It has enacted legislation providing a reasonably transparent and favorable regulatory regime for private investment. In 1993, Lithuania exported $16 million in goods to the U.S. and imported $57 million, much of the latter being agricultural commodities under concessional programs. U.S.-Lithuanian firms registered 235 of 3,674 foreign joint ventures, and of $115 million in total foreign investment, the U.S. holds a $35 million share. Over 55,000 private, personally owned companies now exist in Lithuania, including an additional 19,000 corporations and 600 foreign-controlled businesses. To date, the state privatization agency has privatized 3,800 companies. State companies are now authorized to sell up to 50% of their shares for hard currency without cabinet approval, and many of more than 20 commercial banks offer a full range of international banking services. Monthly inflation remains in the single digits, and the new currency remains stable. Lithuania recorded a trade surplus in 1992 and has discussed creation of six "free economic zones" offering tax, customs, and tariff breaks for foreign investors. FOREIGN RELATIONS Lithuania became a member of the United Nations on September 18, 1991, and participates in a number of its organizations and is a signatory to other international agreements. It also is a member of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, the North Atlantic Cooperation Council, and the Council of Europe. Lithuania is unaffiliated directly with any political alliance but welcomes further cooperation and integration with NATO, the European Union, and other Western organizations. Lithuania maintains embassies in the United States, Sweden, Finland, the Vatican, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Poland, United Kingdom, and Venezuela. It also operates missions in Estonia, Latvia, Russia, Czech Republic, Italy, Ukraine, and in New York City, to the United Nations and a consulate. Honorary consuls are located in Argentina, Australia, Canada, Iceland, South Korea, Greece, Norway, Philippines, and in the United States in Los Angeles and Chicago. Lithuania's liberal citizenship law has substantially eased tensions with its neighbors. Lithuania's suspension of two strongly ethnic Polish district councils on charges of blocking reform or disloyalty during the August 1991 coup had cooled relations with Poland, but bilateral cooperation has markedly increased with the holding of elections in those districts and the signing of a bilateral friendship treaty. A long-standing border dispute with Belarus is being negotiated. U.S.-Lithuanian Relations The United States established diplomatic relations with Lithuania on July 28, 1922. U.S. representation accredited to Lithuania served from the legation in Riga, Latvia, until May 31, 1930, when a legation in Kaunas was established. The Soviet invasion forced the closure of the legation in Kaunas on September 5, 1940, but Lithuanian representation in the United States has continued uninterrupted for over 70 years. The U.S. never recognized the forcible incorporation of Lithuania into the U.S.S.R. and views the present Government of Lithuania as a legal continuation of the interwar republic. Lithuania has enjoyed most-favored-nation (MFN) treatment with the U.S. since December 1991. Through 1993, the U.S. has committed over $66 million to Lithuania's economic and political transformation and to address humanitarian needs. Food grain and feed grain assistance totals $46 million of this figure. Principal U.S. Embassy Officials Ambassador--vacant Economic Officer--John Stepanchuk Political Officer--Algis Avizienis Administrative Officer--Matthew Johnson Consular Officer--Steven Wangsness AID Director--John Cloutier Public Affairs Officer--Victor Sidabras The U.S. embassy in Lithuania is located at Akmenu 6, Vilnius tel. (370-2) 222-724. TRAVEL NOTES Customs: Lithuanian tourist visas still may be obtained at Western road border crossings and at Vilnius Airport, but the U.S. Embassy strongly recommends that all visitors obtain visas from the Lithuanian Embassy in Washington DC (or in major Western European capitals) before departure. The Embassy and its Consulates charge a $25 visa processing fee. Polish border crossings have expanded and improved, but one can expect delays. Visitors are encouraged to register at the U.S. Embassy. Latvian visas are also valid for entry into Lithuania. Duty-free items include humanitarian aid, foreign currency and securities, goods and valuables unsuitable for consumption, and items temporarily brought into Lithuania and brought back without "reworking or processing." Besides internationally banned or regulated items requiring special permission, 10-25% percent duties and restrictions are imposed on a number of imports and exports, particularly alcohol, tobacco, foodstuffs and nonferrous metals. The government has lifted restrictions on the export of hard currency. Climate and clothing: Vilnius's climate is temperately continental, with seasons of almost equal length. Summers are pleasant, but winters inland are very cold and snowy. Health: Medical care does not meet Western standards, facing a severe shortage of basic medical supplies, including disposable needles, anesthetics, and antibiotics. Bring personal medication. Sometimes heat and hot water are unavailable because of the occasional disruption of energy supplies. Raw fruits and vegetables are safe to eat, but avoid drinking unpasteurized milk and tapwater. Transportation: SAS, LOT, Malev, Swissair, Austrian Air, Lithuanian Airlines and Lufthansa provide service between Vilnius Airport and European cities. Two trains depart daily for Warsaw without crossing into Belarus, but take 12 hours. A bus line connects Warsaw, Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn. Bus and taxi services within the capital and its environs are good. Taxis are inexpensive and available at stands or may be ordered by phone. Rental cars are available. Gasoline prices are reaching market rates, and rationing is in effect. Telecommunications: Improved telephone and telegraph services are readily available at standard international rates. Vilnius is 7 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time. Tourist attractions: Over 550,000 tourists visited Lithuania in 1989. As Europe's geographic epicenter, Vilnius is the leading attraction, featuring beautiful Baroque churches and estates, 16 museums, fortress towers, and historic medieval castles nearby in Trakai and Medininkai. The seaside resorts of Palanga and Kursiu Nerija are famous for clean beaches and natural sand dunes. Ethnographic parks and museums depicting Lithuanian life through the centuries abound, as do scenic national preserves. Historic churches and castles dating to Lithuania's Great Power era are also readily accessible. Currency, Weights and Measures: The national currency, the litas, is convertible with major Western monies, but some vendors still accept Western cash for purchases. Major credit cards can be used primarily at large banks and Western hotels in Vilnius, but traveler's checks are rarely accepted yet. Lithuania uses the metric system. Further Information These titles are provided as a general indication of material published on this country. The Department of State does not endorse unofficial publications. Gordon, Harry. The Shadow of Death: The Holocaust in Lithuania. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1991. Jurgela, Constantine R. History of the Lithuanian Nation. New York: Lithuanian Cultural Institute. Kantautas, Adam, and Kantautas, Filomena. A Lithuanian Bibliography: A Checklist of Books and Periodicals Held by the Major Libraries of Canada and the United States. Edmonton: University of Alberta Press, 1975; supplement 1980. Kaslas, Bronis J. The U.S.S.R.-German Aggression Against Lithuania. New York: Robert Speller & Sons, 1973. Koncius, Joseph B. Vytautas the Great: Grand Duke of Lithuania. Miami: The Franklin Press, 1964. Olcott, Martha Brill. "The Lithuanian Crisis." Foreign Affairs (Summer 1990), 30-46. Olesczuk, Thomas A. Political Justice in the Soviet Union: Dissent and Repression in Lithuania, 1967-1987. New York: Columbia University Press/East European Monographs, 1988. Remeikis, Thomas. Opposition to Soviet Rule in Lithuania, 1945-1980. Chicago: Institute for Lithuanian Studies Press, 1980. Rodgers, Mary M., and Streissguth, Tom, eds. Lithuania: Then and Now. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Company, 1992. Senn, Alfred Erich. Lithuania Awakening Berkeley: University of California Press, 1990 Silbajoris, Frank R. "Lithuania: A Question of Identity." Cross Currents, 10 (1991), 31-38. Urdzins, Andrejs and Vilks, Andris, editors. The Baltic States: A Reference Book. Vilnius: Encyclopedia Publishers, 1991. Williams, Roger, ed. Baltic States: Insight Guides. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin Company, 1993. For information on economic trends, commercial development, production, trade regulations, and tariff rates, contact the International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, DC 20230 at (202) 482-4915, or any Commerce Department district office. For information on business opportunities, call the Commerce Department's East European Business Information Center at (202)482-2645. Published by the United States Department of State -- Bureau of Public Affairs -- Office of Public Communication -- Washington, DC -- August 1994 -- Managing Editor: Peter A. Knecht -- Editor: Peter Freeman Department of State Publication 10196 -- Background Notes Series For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.