Baltics question Soviet decision

The Russian Prosecutor General’s office says a request by two lawmakers to check the legality of Soviet recognition of the independence of three ex-Soviet Baltic republics in 1991 makes no sense. Spokeswoman Marina Gridneva said Wednesday the office is obliged to pick up any request by lawmakers but added this one, involving Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, “has no legal prospects.” The lawmakers argued that the State Council created by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev wasn’t authorized to make such a decision. The motion has caused an uproar in the Baltic nations, which are now members of the European Union and NATO.