Jul 3 2004 3:39PM
Tallinn to host SS veterans forum
TALLINN. July 3 (Interfax) - Tallinn will host the 12th congress of the Union of Freedom Fighters on July 6, which includes veterans from the 20th Estonian SS division.
Kuno Raude, a member of the union's board, told Interfax that the forum had been sanctioned by the Tallinn City Hall.
The event will start with a religious service at the Tallinn Methodist Church. Its participants will lay flowers at the square of the Maarjamae memorial complex, after which the ceremony will move to the Kadriorg stadium, where the forum's flag will be raised and a report and greetings will be read. There will also be a concert, and soldier's soup will be given out from a field kitchen.
In addition, Raude said the forum participants will endorse an address to the parliament. He, however, noted that the text of the address has not yet been agreed upon and so it is too early to talk about its contents.
Raude said the forum will mark the 60th anniversary of defensive battles in Estonia and the 10th anniversary of the withdrawal of Russian troops from the country.
Raude was unable to specify how many people will take part in the forum. "There are fewer and fewer of us every year. The forum in Rakvere last year, for instance, was attended by about 1,200 people," Raude said.
__________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? New and Improved Yahoo! Mail - Send 10MB messages! http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail