European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 30, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 12 a the stars and stripes Friday August 30, 1991crisis in the Kremlin  in services in limb emigre offices in Britain overwhelmed by requests London apr in Dusty Back rooms Baltic emigre groups that have guarded the flame of nationhood for 50 years Are besieged by requests for passports to the newly Independent states. Mounting piles of faxes and continually ringing telephones at the embryonic embassies testify to the Speed of events since the collapse of the soviet coup last week. Britain and the rest of the european Community among a growing number of other nations have recognized Latvia Lithuania and Estonia which were forcibly annexed by the soviet Union in 1940. But none possess the grand embassy buildings they once had. And All three arc scrambling to provide the diplomatic services that recognition entails. Erik Kross a 24-year-old graduate student from Estonia was hired by the republics foreign ministry a year ago to run an estonian information Bureau As a focus for Estonia s dealings with Britain. Now he is de Facto his country a representative in Britain. Quot this was going to be a part time Job but events have moved so fast a Kross said. A room in the basement of Estonia House in the West London neighbourhood of notting Hill doubles As the information Bureau and the offices of Estonia s emigre newspaper. As funds dwindled Over the years the lithuanian in Finland restores diplomatic ties with Baltic states from wire reports Helsinki Finland a Finland re established Diplo malic relations with Estonia Latvia and Lithuania on thursday ending its de Facto recognition of soviet sovereignty Over the Baltic republics. Czechoslovakia on thursday recognized the Independence of the Baltic republics. Finland became the sixth country to restore diplomatic ties broken some 50 years ago when the soviet Union absorbed the Baltic nations under an agreement with nazi Germany. Foreign minister Paavo Vayrynen said the finnish government had not intended to move so fast. As late As tuesday it was planning to wait until the Central soviet government reached agreement with the Baltic on their Independence. Although it has never officially withdrawn its 1920s recognition of Baltic sovereignty Finland s policy during the past half Century has been to avoid disagreement with the soviet Union on the Issue. But after Iceland Denmark Norway Germany and Sweden signed diplomatic agreements this week with the Baltic foreign ministers and 18 other countries announced forma recognition of the Baltic nations Finland found it had to fall in line behind the International mainstream Vayrynen said. The Exchange of letters Between Vayrynen and his counterparts a Lennart Meri of Estonia Janis Jurkans of Latvia and Algirdas saudi rugs of Lithuania a took place in the finnish governments banquet Hall. Gation sold its Kensington Palace gardens embassy building to the syrians. Latvia a legation once based in fashionable Eaton place is now two Back rooms in a Bay Swater building owned by the latvian welfare fund. All three expect the niceties of diplomatic relations to be settled during an impending series of Baltic visits by foreign office minister Douglas Hogg. Kross said he gets 20 Telephone Calls a Day asking for visas which he cannot give because none exist. A i checked with the soviet embassy and their visa Section says that they Are no longer issuing visas for Estonia even though they have not recognized our Independence. Unfortunately we can tissue visas either or passports. There Are no instructions As yet from the estonian foreign ministry about what we should do a he said. He has also not been instructed on How to respond to an inquiry from the British company that wants to sell knitting machines to Estonia or a diplomatic approach from the official representative of the Dalai Lama Tibet a exiled spiritual Leader. Lithuania established an information office in Britain in january As a Channel for official dealings with a British government that could not talk directly to the lithuanian legation. The legation is staffed by 86-year-old charge do affaires Vincas Balickas an appointee of the prewar lithuanian government. The office is based in Lithuania House Home also of the lithuanian National Council in Britain and its emigre newspaper a euro pos  lithuanian foreign ministry official Kestutis Stanke Vicius who arrived in Britain in March says Lithuania Hasni to decided whether the information office or the existing legation should be Lithuania a diplomatic representative in Britain. His sensitivity on the Issue reflects the delicacy of dealings Between the emigre communities which have kept the Faith through five decades of exile and Young officials being sent abroad by the newly Independent states. Visas and passports Are still a Long Way off for Lithuania As Well. Documents for people wishing to travel there Are available at the country sports of entry. News of International recognition for Baltic Independence was perhaps sweetest of All for Marie Ann Zarina head of Latvia a four member legation. Her father Charles Zarina was the last latvian ambassador in Britain. He died in 1963, confident that his country would one Day regain its Independence. Quot my father would be overjoyed to see this Day a Zarina said. A a he always believed that it would come and that it would come because of change within the soviet  the latvian legation has continued to Issue passports. Soviet leaders stand out four rubles about 3 cents is All it takes to pose beside soviet president Mikhail s. Gorbachev left or russian Republic president Boris Yeltsin. Cutouts of the two Art on display in Moscow a trendy Gorky Street. Troops to leave Germany Early soviet says by Marc Fisher t he Washington Post Bonn Germany a the 258,001 soviet troops stationed in the former East Germany will be pulled out sooner than the German soviet treaty requires according to the soviet defense minister. In an interview on German television defense minister Yevgeny Shaposhnikov said not Only that Quot there will he no brakes put on the troop withdrawal Quot but also that the Complete removal of soviet forces from German territory will be accomplished before the treaty mandated deadline the end of 1994. Quot i can make the Happy announcement that the troop withdrawal is moving ahead of schedule Shaposhnikov said. When East Germany ceased to exist last october w Ith German reunion about 360,000 soviet soldiers and 240,000 family members remained in hundreds of bases throughout Eastern Germany. They had formed the front line of the Warsaw pact defences. German defense officials said last week that 258, j0u soviet soldiers remain in Germany. About 70 percent of this years quota of troop removals has already been achieved. Shaposhnikov said he accepts All aspects of the German soviet treaty governing the military cuts. Earlier German foreign minister Hans die i Rich Genscher had expressed his wish to see the soviets leave Early calling a Quick departure a Good Way for the soviets to save on the High Cost of maintaining troops abroad. Germany has agreed to pay for much of the Cost of the soviet withdrawal including transportation costs retraining of the troops and the construction of housing for thousands of returning soldiers. A soviet military spokesman in Germany told Reuters news Agency that a breakup of the soviet Union could complicate the troop withdrawal by making it harder to transport units. Many soviet units leaving Germany travel by ship across the Baltic sea to the Bailie republics. But the republics have declared Independence and told the Central government to remove All soviet troops from their territory. Both Poland and Czechoslovakia also have expressed reservations about allowing soviet troops to pass through their countries on their Way out of Germany