Lithuanian premier: Company must take responsibility for spill

During his meeting today with Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga, Lithuanian Prime Minister Rolandas Paksas said that the Lithuanian oil company Mazeikiu nafta must assume financial responsibility for the accident at the Butinge Oil Terminal, said Vike-Freiberga's advisor on foreign affairs Andrejs Pildegovics. Paksas said Lithuania understood Latvia's concern about the accident. Lithuania was ready to cooperate in an information exchange and also "understood the concept of compensation," he added. Pildegovics said that signing the protocol on improving information exchange between Latvia and Lithuania, due to take place in May, was also discussed during the meeting. The officials discussed the ratification of the Latvian-Lithuanian sea border treaty, and the need for signing an agreement on fisheries. The Latvian President said that Latvia was interested in working out an agreement on fisheries. Paksas said that negotiations between both countries' experts must continue because no concrete solution had yet been reached. A series of issues linked with the enlargement of NATO were also discussed. Both sides agreed that the Baltic countries needed a lobby among NATO member countries to receive an invitation to NATO by the end of next year, said Pildegovics.