Vilnius, 8 September 1997 (RFE/RL) - A ranking U.S. official said in Vilnius Friday that Washington fully expects to reach later this year an agreement with all three Baltic states on a charter expressing common values and principles of cooperation.
Assistant Deputy Secretary of State Ron Asmus said at a press conference that the negotiations on the so-called Baltic charter are in the finishing stages. He said the charter could be signed within weeks.
Asmus and other American officials are guests at the international conference on good neighborly relatations. The gathering brings together East and Central European presidents and Russia's Prime Miniser Viktor Chernomyrdin.
The conference was recognized in a special message from the U. S. President Bill Clinton as "complementing and helping to advance efforts to build a more integrated and secure Europe."