Under fire at home, Lithuanian leader postpones US trip

[Judi Lynn]

Under fire at home, Lithuanian leader postpones US trip
(AFP)

4 December 2003



VILNIUS - Lithuanian President Rolandas Paksas has postponed a planned official visit to the United States, his office said on Thursday.


The announcement came the day after members of parliament launched a bid to impeach Paksas over allegations that he has ties to the Russian mafia.

Paksas’s office said the president had announced the postponement of his US trip after meeting with the United States ambassador to his country, Stephen Mull.

During the visit, due to start at the weekend, Paksas had been scheduled to meet President George W. Bush on Monday. (snip/...)

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/theworld/2003/December/theworld_December101.xml§ion=theworld

[Judi Lynn]

1. Omigosh. I just wouldn't leave well enough alone.

I had to go find a photo of Lithiania's soon-to-be-impeached President Rolandas Paksas, who was scheduled to meet Bush on Monday.

Well, here he is:



Is he waving "bye bye?"

Here's an article concerning his impending impeachment from another source:

VILNIUS : A parliamentary committee of inquiry in Lithuania was set to publish a damning report that is expected to open the way to President Rolandas Paksas' impeachment in a corruption scandal.

The committee was set up a month ago after allegations in a security services' report of mafia links at the president's office rocked the Baltic country just months before it is to join the European Union and NATO.

Ahead of the publication of the report the committee's head said it had enough evidence to unleash impeachment proceedings against Paksas, less than a year after the former stunt pilot won a surprise victory over outgoing Valdas Adamkus in a run-off.

"There is a real basis to start impeachment in the committee's conclusions and the documents at its disposal," Aloyzas Sakalas, was quoted as saying on Saturday in the daily Respublika.

"We are going to say clearly where the president violated the constitution and the statement that the president violated the constitution is a basis for impeachment, according to our legislation," he said. (snip/...)

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/59862/1/.html