MOSCOW -- The Soviet Union lifted its 10-week oil blockade of Lithuania Saturday, a day after the Baltic republic met Moscow's demand for a moratorium on its independence declaration.
Lithuanian government spokeswoman Rita Dapkus said crude oil started flowing through a Soviet pipeline to the republic's only refinery at 5:35 p.m. Saturday, less than 24 hours after the republican Parliament approved the moratorium.
'Our prime minister received a phone call from Moscow saying we would be receiving oil, and it looks like that's happened,' Dapkus said.
President Mikhail Gorbachev cut off all oil and most natural gas and other supplies of raw materials to Lithuania in mid-April in an attempt to force the Baltic republic to rescind its March 11 declaration of independence.
In past weeks, Gorbachev softened his stand, saying if the Lithuanian Parliament declared a temporary moratorium on the declaration he would lift the blockade and agree to negotiations on the republic's desire to secede.
After two days of emotional debate, the Parliament in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius passed a compromise resolution Friday to declare a 100-day moratorium on the independence declaration, effective once negotiations on secession begin. No date has been set for the negotiations.
Dapkus said Lithuania would be receiving about 20,000 tons of oil a day, or half of what the republic received before the blockade, until the oil refinery can resume functioning at its normal levels.
The blockade forced Lithuania to close the refinery and at least a half-dozen other businesses because of a lack of fuel, and dozens of enterprises were unable to operate at full capacity. About 40,000 workers were laid off because of the embargo.
Dapkus said it would be some time before the republic could tell if the sanctions have been totally lifted.
Lithuanian President Vytautas Landsbergis, whose 11th-hour support for the independence freeze proved decisive Friday, flew to Tallinn, Estonia, after the vote to report on the action to leaders of the other two Baltic republics, which have also declared independence.
Landsbergis said Friday that the moratorium was just an intermediate step.
'The real tension and crisis is not now, it is coming,' he said. 'It will begin when we come closer to the negotiating table.'
Lithuanian officials said it was unclear when actual negotiations may begin, and they expect a preliminary period of 'talks about talks' to set the agenda for the negotiations.
Gorbachev has said he will try to persuade Lithuania to remain a part of the Soviet Union during the negotiations, but officials in the republic say they will insist on working out a plan for secession.
