NATO's US Ambassador Inspecting Latvia's Armed Forces

American Lieutenant-General Timopthy Kinnan, a US ambassador in NATO, wound up Tuesday his two-day inspection tour about the Latvian armed forces. He was familiarized, in part, with a plan for the development of the Latvian armed forces for a period ending in 2008, to be submitted for NATO's consideration this November. On Kinnan's itinerary were a naval base in Lijepaja, a military training centre in Adazhi and the control centre of the united air space surveillance system for the Baltic countries in the airport of Riga. This was a second recent visit by a high-ranking US serviceman to Latvia after General Carlton Fulford, deputy commander-in-chief of the US armed forces in Europe, performed a similar mission in Latvia a week ago. These visits are viewed in the Latvian political and military circles as a confirmation of the US intention to offer backing to the Baltic states' admission to the pact at the next NATO summit this autumn.