Latvian Press Review 17 November - 21November, 2003

The Saeima not to lift immunity of Parliament Speaker
The daily newspaper DIENA wrote on Nov. 21st. -The Latvian parliament decided not to support administrative punishment for Parliament Speaker Ingrida Udre in connection with the failure of the party she leads, The Greens and The Farmers Union, to return almost 100,000 euros in illegal donations received before parliament elections last year. Udre could have been subject to administrative punishment because failure of the Greens and The Farmers Union to return the illegally donated funds is in non-compliance with directives of the Bureau for Prevention and Elimination of Corruption.

Latvia Again Asks Russia to Extradite Extremist Leader.
The newspaper CHAS reported on Nov.21st - Latvian Prosecutor General Janis Maizitis has sent Russian authorities a repeated request to extradite the leader of the extreme Russian National Bolshevik Movement in Latvia, Vladimir Linderman. He is charged with calling for the violent overthrow of the government and illegal possession of explosives.

Latvia to join European Football Championships 2004
With a 2:2 draw in Istanbul Wednesday evening, Latvia achieved an aggregate victory of 3:2 over Turkey, paving the way for participation in the European Football Championships in Portugal next year. After the historic match, which was the Latvian team’s biggest achievement ever, chief coach Aleksandr Starkov said in an interview with DIENA: "I can't believe it and don't know how to act. I told the boys jokingly that I guess they want to get me fired, as they've raised the target goal so high that it will be hard to repeat such an achievement. Today we proved that we're a unified team coming back from 0:2."
President Vaira Vike-Freiberga called the game in Istanbul "wonderful, unique and dazzling," calling the Latvian national football players "golden boys." Prime Minister Einars Repse also said after the match that "this is not only a historic moment for Latvia and European football history, but also a great gift to Latvia on its birthday of Independence."

Wiesenthal Center's representative to mount personal search for alleged Nazi war criminal in Latvia

Simon Wiesenthal Center's Jerusalem director Efraim Zuroff will come to Latvia next week to mount a personal search for former Latvian Nazi Waffen SS unit corporal Karlis Brazus, reported the Russian-language newspaper TELEGRAF .
Zuroff is expected to meet with Larisa Grekova, a resident of the town of Bauska in central Latvia, who has been looking for Brazus for several years. Brazus, 94, is now residing in Canada. Ten years ago he denationalized a house in Bauska where Grekova lives.
Last year Zuroff announced a $10,000 reward to anyone, who would supply information about Nazi war crimes. He told the TELEGRAF that there had been "a phone call from Latvia pointing to a Nazi hiding in Sweden but the man was already dead."
Since Latvia restored its independence in 1991, no alleged Nazis have been sentenced, drawing criticism from Jewish groups.