Other events in Baltic States

Romualdas Ozolas, signatory of Lithuania's Independence Act, member of the Seimas during the 6th and 7th term, died on Monday, 6 April, aged 76, reports LETA/ELTA.

Ozolas was born on 31 January 1939. He graduated from Vilnius University faculty of History-Philology in 1962. He competed post-graduate studies in Vilnius University in 1968-1973, was a lecturer at the university in 1973-1989.

Ozolas was a member of the Supreme Council of Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1989 and a member of the Supreme Council of Lithuania in 1990. He was a signatory of the Act of Independence of Lithuania. In 1990-1991 Ozolas was advisor to the prime minister of Lithuania. In 1990-1993 he was the chairman of the commission on regional problems and was a member of Lithuania's negotiation delegations with the USSR and later with Russia. He was a member of the group on the creation of the Constitution in 1992 and one of the creators of the national security concept.

In 1973-1989 he was a member of the Communist Party of the USSR, in 1989-1990 a member of an independent Lithuanian Communist Party, since 1992 a member of the Lithuanian Centre Movement and since 1993 the chairman of the Centre Union of Lithuania. In 1988-1990 he was member of Sajudis (Lithuania's reform movement) initiative group and deputy chairman of Sajudis council in the Seimas.

In 1992 Ozolas was elected to the Seimas and was a non-attached member of parliament. He was re-elected to the Seimas in 1996 and worked in the Committee on Economics and the NATO commission, he was a member of the Baltic Assembly since its establishment and member of its National Security and Foreign Affairs Committee.