Interview with Latvian president ahead ahead of Bush visit

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• published: 21 Jul 2015
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1. Riga's old town with presidential palace across the river 2. Car driving down street in the old town 3. Flags from various countries flying on flagpoles 4. People sitting in cafe 5. Presidential palace 6. Flags flying 7. Set up shot of Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga 8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Vaira Vike-Freiberga, Latvian President: "From what I understand from his position, from the position of his administration, that they have a very clear view of the situation. They have desire to have a good collaboration with Russia on concerns of international importance, such as the fight against terrorism. At the same time they are completely on our side, as it were, in terms of the need for everybody, us included, to look back at the darkest pages of our history, to acknowledge our mistakes and errors, and to come to terms with our past." 9. Cutaway of interview 10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Vaira Vike-Freiberga, Latvian President: "We certainly would like the Russian Federation to recognise that Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, having been occupied and then considered as being a part of the Soviet territory, was completely unjustified and totally illegal. There was a recognition of the illegality of the secret protocols of the Molotov -Ribbentrop pact, which was taken still at the very end of the Gorbachev era, but we would like present-day Russia to come out with a simple statement to that effect as well. I think it would immensely improve our ability to work together and it would improve the climate in Russia, which I must say that the rhetoric recently has recently sounded like the return to the Stalinist time." 11. Poster being dragged up 12. Worker handling ropes 13. "I'm for peace" protest organisers 14. Poster being put on billboard 15. SOUNDBITE (English) Eriks Steidzenieks, Director of Advertising Agency ZOOM: "Right now we are protesting against Bush personally as the main initiator of the Iraq war." 16. Billboards: "Imagine Peace George" STORYLINE Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga said on Thursday that recent Russian rhetoric was reminiscent of "Stalinist times," and urged the Kremlin to recognise the Soviet annexation of the Baltic states. In an interview with The Associated Press, Vike-Freiberga said Latvia appreciated U-S support for efforts to get Moscow to admit to its "unjustified and illegal" occupation of the Baltics and hoped to sign a border treaty with Russia soon. Russia maintains that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania willingly joined the Soviet Union instead of being annexed by Josef Stalin under the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939 with Nazi Germany. Vike-Freiberga strongly disagreed. Speaking in the presidential palace a day before U-S President George W. Bush was expected in the Latvian capital, Vike-Freiberga said Russian acknowledgment of the Soviet occupation "would immensely improve our ability to work together." "It would improve the climate in Russia, which I must say the rhetoric recently has sounded like the return to the Stalinist time," she said. The Latvian president is the only Baltic leader set to join celebrations on May 9th marking the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. When Bush heads to the Latvian capital, upon his arrival, he will be greeted by large billboards saying "Imagine peace, George!" The billboard was set up by a group of Latvian activists. According to protest organisers, the security measures - which will seal off the city centre for the entire duration of the U-S president's visit - preclude any possibilities to express their opinions publicly. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/d3eaa187b5b037bcd39e49acdecd7e62 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork