Lithuanian officials urge president to resign

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, December 03, 2003

Lithuanian officials urge president to resign

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Lithuanian high-ranking officials have urged President Rolandas Paksas to step down as a parliamentary investigation committee claimed in a Monday's report that the vulnerability of the president poses a threat to national security, said reports reaching Riga, Latvia.

The 10-page report noted that Paksas has been and remains vulnerable as the presidential office had inappropriate links witha businessman and campaign sponsor named Yury Borisov, and it has put the national security under threat.

With the support of a Russian firm Almax, Borisov influenced the work of the presidential office and the decisions of the president for political, economic and personal favors. Both Paksasand his advisers have leaked information, it said.

The report will be presented to the 141-seat parliament for deliberation on Tuesday. To kick off the impeaching proceedings against the president, just 36 votes in favor will be needed.

After the report was made public, Lithuanian Parliament SpeakerArturas Paulauskas called for the resignation of Paksas before theparliament activates the impeaching procedures.

Paulauskas said he was ready to support the upcoming impeachment, believing that the country may become vulnerable because of the vulnerability of the president.

Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas changed his neutral positionfollowing the release of the report.

Brazauskas said he had to agree with the committee's conclusionas it was indisputable, but advised Paksas to quit instead of facing the impeachment.

But Dailis Barakauskas from the Liberal Democratic Party accused the probing commission of bias, saying there was no proof that the country's security was under threat.

On Monday night, Paksas reiterated while meeting with voters inthe southern city of Alytus that he will not resign at this time.

The president has repeatedly refused to quit, saying that he had neither violated Lithuania's constitution nor broken his own oaths.

The row has jolted the ex-Soviet republic which was due to jointhe European Union next May.

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