General Clark emphasised that the best security for Russia is NATO enlargement, adding that he is satisfied with Estonia's progress towards NATO integration. President Lennart Meri also awarded General Clark the I Class Order of the Cross of the Eagle, the highest military award in Estonia. This prompted an emergency meeting of the Riigikogu National Defence Committee, which earlier supported the receiving of the tanks. However, the Committee seemed to be won over by suggestions that Estonia is in line to get some free Leopold-1 tanks, which are more modern. Those supporting the receiving of the tanks, on the other hand, attacked the Defence Ministry for not giving Poland a firm answer for over half a year, making this a public slight against a NATO member.
Beggars apparently can be choosers.
Instead of creating a new ministry to handle information technology, the government decided to give the responsibility of IT policies to the Transport and Communications Ministry . There will also be a name change to the Ministry, but no idea what it will be just yet. A mildly bad press piece for Ilves came out, as various papers quoted Austrian Ambassador Michael Miess suggesting Ilves had Nazi sympathies . The Education Ministry has made it clear it wants to officially move to second city Tartu by July 2001 . The plan has been in discussion for years as a part of a decentralisation plan.