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Lithuanian MP apologizes for suggesting that Estonian officers were to blame for airspace invasion on July 4

Arvydas Anusauskas, chairman of the national security and defense committee in the Lithuanian parliament, has apologized for his earlier remark that an unidentified plane had probably been allowed across the Lithuanian border on July 4 because of mistake by Estonian air defense officers.

"I have never given any interviews or made any statements on this issue, let alone accused Estonian military officers," Dr. Anusauskas said, according to the Baltic News Service (BNS). "However, I assume responsibility for the words hastily spoken during a radio discussion and regret that they were misunderstood."

The unauthorized flight of a plane across the Lithuanian border on July 4 was probably due to a "small mistake" made by on-duty air defense officers, Dr. Anusauskas told the Ziniu radijas radio station last week.

One small mistake may prove important, Dr. Anusauskas said. Although the plane was detected by radars and recorded as unidentified when it was leaving Lithuania, it suddenly became "identified" upon return, he said.

"What can I say?" Dr. Anusauskas said. "Estonians were on duty. There are Lithianians and also Estonians and Latvians in Karmelava. Estonians were on duty. We cannot do anything to Estonian officers."

Lithuania made a mistake and should now admit it, he said.

On July 4, two representatives of Sweden's advertising agency Studio Total illegally flew a small plane from Lithuania to Belarus and dropped hundreds of parachute-wearing teddy bears that carried pro-human rights messages on the small city of Ivyanets and Minsk's outskirts before flying back to Lithuania unhindered.

Earlier this month, the Belarusian authorities asked Lithuania and Sweden to help them investigate the invasion of Belarus' airspace on July 4.

On August 21, the Lithuanian parliament's national security and defense committee discussed the incident. Dr. Anusauskas said that the findings of Lithuania's investigation should become known before the end of September. //BelaPAN