Latvian President Vaira Vīke-Frieberga on Sept. 12 began a week-long visit to New York, where she is expected to voice Latvia’s support for reform of the 60-year-old United Nations.

Vīķe-Freiberga is one of five special envoys chosen by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to help raise awareness for the reform movement.

During the week, the president is scheduled to participate in a number of discussions with other international leaders. The 60th General Assembly opens its session Sept. 13. A World Summit, a meeting of more than 170 heads of state and government, is scheduled Sept. 14-16.

Vīķe-Freiberga also will participate in the inaugural meeting in New York of the Clinton Global Initiative, a project of former U.S. President Bill Clinton, the Latvian president’s press office announced. The initiative is focused on bringing world leaders together to discuss pragmatic solutions to global problems such as poverty and climate change.

Also visiting the United States will be Foreign Minister Artis Pabriks. From Sept. 14-20 he will be in New York attending the General Assembly meeting and conferring with other officials from European Union states.

On Sept. 20, Pabriks is scheduled to travel to San Francisco to visit the Hoover Institute at Stanford University, according to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Pabriks also is expected to meet with the local Latvian community while in San Francisco.

Also visiting the United States is Ingrīda Ūdre, chair of the Saeima, as well as members of parliament Uldis Mārtiņs Klauss and Viesturs Šiliņš. They are scheduled to be in Washington, D.C., from Sept. 12-13 to meet with members of Congress and other U.S. officials.

Latvia stands ready to send 25 rescue personnel, doctors and police to help with recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which on Aug. 29 devasted the Gulf Coast of the United States, including the city of New Orleans.

Prime Minister Aigars Kalvītis will make the offer of help to the U.S. Embassy in Rīga, Latvian State Television reported Sept. 4. Latvia may also offer drinking water and building materials.

Meanwhile, no reports have been heard of any Latvian-Americans or Latvian citizens who might be among the victims of the hurricane and the ensuing floods. Once communication channels have been repaired, the American Latvian Association will attempt to reach its small number of members in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, said Juris Mežinskis, head of the association’s welfare office.

The ALA counts six members in Louisiana, five in Mississippi and eight in Alabama, Mežinskis told Latvians Online.

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, persons claiming at least some Latvian ancestry totaled 197 in Alabama, 259 in Louisiana and 138 in Mississippi. In the three states combined, a total of 254 persons claimed Estonian ancestry, while 2,714 claimed Lithuanian ancestry.

The American Red Cross is accepting donations for disaster relief on its Web site at www.redcross.org.