VZCZCXRO3318
RR RUEHAG
DE RUEHVL #0570 1701058
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 191058Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY VILNIUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0293
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L VILNIUS 000570 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/19/2016 
TAGS: PGOV ENRG EINV KNAR LH
SUBJECT: PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER'S FAREWELL MEETING WITH 
AMBASSADOR 
 
 
Classified By: Pol/Econ Officer Randolph Flay for reasons 1.4(b/d) 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY:  Lithuania's Parliamentary Speaker Viktoras 
Muntianas, during the Ambassador's June 6 farewell call, 
expressed hope that a government coalition uniting 
Lithuania's political left and right will soon emerge.  He 
declared his willingness to move Jewish property restitution 
forward and thanked the United States for its support of 
Lithuania's integration into NATO.  Muntianas also expressed 
interest in seeing Lithuania in the Visa Waiver Program.  The 
Ambassador commended the Parliament's support for the Global 
War on Terror and continued authorization of a Lithuanian 
presence in Iraq and Afghanistan, and he expressed 
appreciation for Parliament's support for matters of 
importance to the United States (and U.S. business), 
including the American International School.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (C) The Ambassador made a farewell call on Muntianas to 
review the highlights of the bilateral relationship in 
advance of the conclusion of his tour in Lithuania and 
departure from post.  Muntianas assumed the Speaker's chair 
in April, when parliament removed former Speaker Arturas 
Paulauskas in a vote of no confidence. He attained the post 
by virtue of his membership in the Labor Party, the 
then-governing coalition's largest group, but left Labor and 
founded the breakaway Civil Democracy Party after a dispute 
with Labor leader Viktor Uspaskich. 
 
GWOT 
---- 
 
¶3. (C) The Ambassador congratulated Muntianas for Lithuania's 
democratic achievements and steadfast support for operations 
in Iraq and Afghanistan.  The Ambassador reiterated his 
standing offer to brief Seimas members about alliance 
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. 
 
JEWISH ISSUES 
------------- 
 
¶4. (C) The Ambassador told Muntianas that Lithuania has an 
opportunity to earn international recognition for coming to 
terms with its Holocaust legacy.  He commended efforts to 
research Jewish communal property claims and draft necessary 
authorizing legislation and said he hopes the amendment to 
the law on property restitution finds broad parliamentary 
support in the coming months.  The Ambassador noted that 
delaying the restitution process may affect international 
support for Lithuania in the long run. 
 
¶5. (SBU) The Ambassador also raised with the Speaker concerns 
about plans to develop the Old Jewish Cemetery in the 
Snipiskes district of Vilnius.  He acknowledged the 
complexity of the competing claims of stakeholders, and said 
that protection of Lithuania's historic and cultural legacy 
may require legislative intervention.  The Speaker said that 
public action in this sphere is a very important sign of 
democracy, and hoped there would be some positive 
developments in both areas soon. 
 
AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 
----------------------------- 
 
¶6. (U) The Ambassador thanked the Speaker for the 
parliament's assistance in clarifying the tax status of the 
American International School in Vilnius.  The Speaker's 
advisor said the school helped Lithuania to attract foreign 
investment and reputable foreign companies. 
MULL