rmony Party or TSP, the Latvian Socialist Party or LSP, and the
Equal Rights Movement; Green Party or LZP [Olegs BATAREVSKI];
Latvian Liberal Party or LLP [J. DANOSS]; Latvian National
Conservative Party or LNNK [Andrejs KRASTINS]; Latvian National
Democratic Party or LNDP [A. MALINS]; Latvian Social-Democratic
Workers Party (Social Democrats) or LSDWU [Juris BOJARS and Janis
ADAMSONS, leaders]; Latvian Unity Party or LVP [Alberis KAULS];
Latvia's Way or LC [Andrei PANTELEJEVS]; New Christian Party [Ainars
SLESERS]; New Faction [Ingrida UDRE]; "Our Land" or MZ [M.
DAMBEKALNE]; Party of Russian Citizens or LKPP [V. SOROCHIN, V.
IVANOV]; People's Party [Andris SKELE]; Political Union of
Economists or TPA [Edvins KIDE]

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

International organization participation: BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, EAPC,
EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol,
IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE,
PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Aivis RONIS

chancery: 4325 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011

telephone: [1] (202) 726-8213, 8214

FAX: [1] (202) 726-6785

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
James H. HOLMES

embassy: Raina Boulevard 7, LV-1510, Riga

mailing address: American Embassy Riga, PSC 78, Box Riga, APO AE
09723

telephone: [371] 721-0005

FAX: [371] 782-0047

Flag description: three horizontal bands of maroon (top), white
(half-width), and maroon

Latvia Economy

Economy - overview: In 2000, Latvia's transitional economy recovered
from the 1998 Russian financial crisis, largely due to the SKELE
government's budget stringency and a gradual reorientation of
exports toward EU countries, lessening Latvia's trade dependency on
Russia. Latvia officially joined the World Trade Organization in
February 1999 - the first Baltic state to join - and was invited at
the Helsinki EU Summit in December 1999 to begin accession talks in
early 2000. Unemployment fell to 7.8% in 2000, down from 9.6% in
1999, and 9.2% in 1998. Privatization of large state-owned utilities
and the shipping industry faced more delays in 2000, and political
instability will continue to delay completion of the privatization
process over the next yea