VILNIUS - Agence France-Presse



Lithuania's foreign minister warned yesterday that his country would resist the start of the EU-Russia talks if this conflicts with Lithuania's national interests.
EU foreign ministers meet in Luxembourg today to discuss negotiations with Moscow on a new “Partnership and Cooperation Agreement” but Lithuania wants Russia taken off the agenda.
"Our position has not been aaaay taken into account to date and I am prepared to demand that the issue of the mandate for the EU-Russian talks is taken off the agenda” Foreign Minister Petras Vaitiekunas told AFP. "We want understanding of our interests from our partners in the EU."
"We want cooperation with Russia we are sure it is very important for all the EU but we also want security solidarity and justice" he added.
Any EU member state can block talks between the bloc and other countries. Lithuania which is wrangling with Russia over a series of issues has stepped up pressure in recent months.
They include energy security Russia's international obligations Russia's cooperation in legal affairs as well as the resolution of conflicts in Georgia and Moldova where Russia has strong ties with separatist movements.
Lithuanian officials have said they want these issues included in the EU mandate for talks with Russia.
Vaitiekunas said more of the specific requirements Lithuania wants included in the EU-Russia negotiation mandate in exchange for approving talks.
"We want the provisions of an energy charter to be obligatory and that the Medininkai incident is mentioned in the declaration just like name of Vladimir Litvinenko was mentioned" he said the latter referring to the ex-Russian spy poisoned in London in November 2006.
The Medininkai incident refers to the killing of seven Lithuanian border guards and policemen at Lithuania's Medininkai border post by Soviet special forces on July 31 1991 after Lithuania's turbulent declaration of independence from the Soviet Union.
Lithuanian prosecutors allege Russian justice officials have declined to question three suspected killers. "We want real assistance we want justice with names" Vaitekunas said.
"If our interests are not taken into account we shall continue negotiations with the partners" he added.
A Russian official has warned that conditions imposed by Lithuania could complicate talks with the EU already made difficult by differences over Kosovo Georgia and U.S. security shield plans.
Poland put the brakes on the start of the EU-Russia talks for more than a year because of a trade spat with Moscow. Warsaw dropped its objections last month leaving Lithuania as the only stumbling block.
The EU and Russia hold summits each year and numerous working group discussions but the main bilateral accord is based on a deal reached in 1997 when Russia was still in convalescence following the break-up of the Soviet Union. The new accord is to address Europe's massive dependency on Russian energy and review human rights. The EU hopes the talks can be launched at an EU-Russia summit in Siberia on June 26-27 when new president Dmitry Medvedev will represent Russia for the first time