Latvia’s honorary consul in Texas, a well-known lobbyist who faces an investigation for allegedly selling access to the Bush Administration in exchange for donations to a new presidential library, has been suspended from his duties.

Stephen P. Payne’s suspension will last up to a year, the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs decided July 25. Details of the decision are not public, the ministry’s press office told Latvians Online in an Aug. 12 e-mail.

Payne, who is based in Houston, serves as the honorary consul in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and New Mexico.

Payne also is president of the lobbying firm Worldwide Strategic Partners and it is in that capacity that he has become the subject of a Congressional investigation.

U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman, a Democrat from California and chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, called for the investigation following a July 13 article in London’s The Sunday Times that claimed Payne—in a sting operation organized by the newspaper—sought a large financial donation from the former president of Kyrgyzstan. The donation would be for the forthcoming George W. Bush Presidential Center to be built at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. In return, according to the article, Payne could arrange a meeting with Vice President Dick Cheney and other officials.

In a July 14 letter to the lobbyist, Waxman asked Payne to provide details about his relationship with the library and about the solicitations he may have made.

“If true, this report raises serious concerns about the ways in which foreign interests might be secretly influencing our government through large donations to the library,” Waxman said of the newspaper’s report.

Following the Times article, Payne issued a statement denying any wrongdoing and questioning the newspaper’s methods.

“The paper and its employees, not content with merely reporting news, have instead opted to manufacture the news in this worst-case example of ‘Gotcha Journalism,’” Payne said in the statement.

Payne, who lobbied U.S. officials on Latvia’s behalf as it sought membership in the NATO defense alliance, became honorary consul in 1999. In 2004, he was awarded the Order of Three Stars, Third Class, Latvia’s highest civilian honor. Payne also is on the board of directors of the Washington, D.C.-based U.S.-Baltic Foundation.

Payne was not available for comment when his office was contacted Aug. 12.

Latvia also has honorary consuls serving Los Angeles, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Buffalo, New York City, Florida, California, Pennsylvania and Washington state. Honorary consuls do not perform consular duties, such as operating a consular register, but may represent Latvia in various events.

The American Latvian Association (ALA) and the Joint Baltic American National Committee (JBANC) have joined the growing list of civic organizations and government leaders denouncing Russia’s invasion of Georgia.

The two groups, along with the Central and East European Coalition, announced Aug. 12 that they want Russia to end its military action against Georgia, to accept a ceasefire and withdraw its forces from the country.

“We stand together with the nation of Georgia in this critical moment,” the Maryland-based ALA said in an e-mail sent to supporters. “We stand united with the Joint Baltic American National Committee, the Central and East European Coalition, the presidents and the parliaments of the Baltic States in expressing deep concern over Russia’s violation of the borders of the Georgian Republic and the deaths of innocent people of this proud nation in the Caucasus.”

Latvian-Americans, the ALA said, should e-mail U.S. President George Bush and their representatives in Congress to voice concern about “Russia’s expansionist policies and violence.”

The conflict began after Georgian forces entered South Ossetia in a bid to take control over the breakaway region, where Russian peacekeepers have been stationed since the 1990s. Russia, which has granted citizenship to many residents of South Ossetia, responded Aug. 8 by sending its forces into South Ossetia. However, the following day Russian forces began to drive deeper into Georgia.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, in an Aug. 8 statement issued by his government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, blamed Georgia for attacking peacekeepers and citizens in South Ossetia.

“We will not allow the deaths of our fellow citizens to go unpunished,” Medvedev said. “The perpetrators will receive the punishment they deserve.”

The Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs countered in an Aug. 11 announcement that Russian claims of arrests and repression of Russian citizens are “an absolute lie.”

The Washington, D.C.-based JBANC said it condemns the invasion.

“Russia has unjustifiably escalated a minor border incident into a major confrontation resulting in numerous unnecessary civilian casualties,” JBANC Managing Director Karl Altau said in a press release.

“Russia’s invasion of Georgia is a challenge to all democracies seeking to promote peaceful coexistence among nations,” the JBANC release continued. “The world’s response to Russia’s current aggression is critical since it will undoubtedly dictate the future course of Russia’s policies towards its neighbors. Therefore the United States and the European Union must take all necessary steps to end Russia’s aggression against Georgia.”

JBANC’s members include the ALA, the Estonian American National Council and the Lithuanian American Council.

A Latvian soldier serving in northern Afghanistan has died and three others were wounded when an improvised explosive device blew up Aug. 11, the Ministry of Defense has announced.

PFC Edgars Ozoliņš died from injuries suffered in the incident, the ministry said. No further details were announced, but Latvian media reported that the wounded are privates Ainārs Stepiņš and Juris Šķērškāns and PFC Andris Brencis. They were part of a patrol escorting members of the press.

Ozoliņš is the first Latvian soldier to die in Afghanistan.

The incident happened in the city of Maymaneh in Faryab Province. Thirteen civilians also were hurt, according to media reports.

Defense Minister Vinets Veldre expressed his condolences in a telephone call to Ozoliņš’ mother, said Airis Rikveilis, head of the ministry’s press office.

Members of the Latvian Armed Forces have served in Afghanistan since 2003 as part of the NATO defense alliance’s International Security Assistance Force. As of June 18, according to the defense ministry, the Latvian contingent included 117 soldiers, two representatives of the state police and one representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In December 2006, PFC Gints Bleija and PFC Vitālijs Vasiļevs were killed in Iraq when the vehicle in which they were riding was hit by an improvised explosive device. Also in Iraq, Lt. Olafs Baumanis was killed in a June 2004 explosion.