SERIES OF MILITARY AND NAVAL EXERCISES IN PROGRESS.

The Baltic Challenge-98military exercise, involving some 4,500 troops from twelve NATO and Balticcountries, begins today in Lithuania. Baltic Challenge overlaps with anotherfour military and naval undertakings: Smooth Road, the exercise of the jointEstonian-Latvian-Lithuanian Battalion, Baltbat (see the Monitor, June 9); aLatvian paramilitary exercise envisaging NATO-assisted resistance to foreignmilitary invasion (see the Monitor, June 8); Baltic Sweep-98, amine-clearing operation conducted by the German navy in the Gulf of Riga, inprogress since June 8; Baltic Operations (BALTOPS)-98, underway also sinceJune 8, involving warships of thirteen NATO and Baltic countries, includingEstonia, Latvia and Lithuania. (BNS, M2 Communications, June 8 and 9).

Although these exercises were prescheduled, they respond indirectly toMoscow’s current attempts to both discourage the Baltic states from joiningNATO and limit their independence.

RUSSIAN BLACKLIST OF LATVIAN FIRMS IS POLITICALLY MOTIVATED.