Estonians Lay Flowers at WWII Monument

TALLINN, Estonia -- Estonian government ministers laid flowers at a disputed Soviet statue on Tuesday, the first time the Baltic state has paid tribute to the Red Army while commemorating the Allied victory in World War II.

The government was hoping the gesture would begin a process of reconciliation between ethnic Estonians and Russian-speakers, 10 days after Estonia was hit by riots over the decision to move the Bronze Soldier statue from downtown Tallinn to a cemetery outside the city center.

Prime Minister Andrus Ansip and Defense Minister Jaak Aaviksoo participated in the brief ceremony at the cemetery, which was observed by a small group of onlookers.

The Swedish ambassador to Estonia, Dag Hartelius, laid a wreath on behalf of the Western diplomatic corps. Russian Ambassador Nikolai Uspensky refused to take part in the ceremony.

"For many, the end of World War II means the victory of freedom over tyranny, and for many it means one violent regime was replaced by another," Estonia's government, president and parliament said in a joint statement.

Russia was furious at Estonia's decision to move the statue and a nearby war grave from downtown Tallinn. On Monday, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, lashed out at the European Union and NATO for doing nothing to stop the monument's relocation.

On Tuesday, Russia's national railway announced it would cancel passenger train service between St. Petersburg and the Estonian capital. Railway company RZD said the train service, inaugurated on March 31, had not attracted sufficient passengers to justify its continuation. It said the service would be suspended as of May 26.

In Estonia, train operator GoRail denied that the route was unpopular, and said the connection had boosted tourism between Tallinn and St. Petersburg.

Estonia's ethnic Russians _ who make up about a quarter of the country's population of 1.3 million _ took their frustration to the streets, resulting in the worst rioting Estonia has seen since it broke from the Soviet Union in 1991.

For Russia, the Bronze Soldier symbolizes the enormous human sacrifice the Soviet Union paid in defeating Nazi Germany, while Estonians are reminded of 50 years of Soviet occupation and totalitarian rule.

Estonia will officially inaugurate the Bronze Soldier at its new location at the end of June.

Spokesman Madis Mikko said the Defense Ministry aims to identify the 12 Red Army soldiers unearthed at the war grave by then and rebury them in a separate ceremony. Also, the statue's original limestone wall will be in place by then, Mikko said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Estonian ministers and the chief rabbi of Estonia's Jewish community, Shmuel Kot, laid flowers at the former Klooga concentration camp 25 miles west of Tallinn.

Ansip, Aaviksoo and the diplomatic corps also laid flowers at the Maarjamagi memorial for Estonian soldiers who fought and died for both the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany.