Riga - Citizens of the three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will be able to travel to the United States without visas from November 17, a senior US official said Wednesday.

US Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff confirmed the date while visiting Riga. The announcement comes a day after making a similar announcement in Bratislava and two days after doing so in Prague.

"I am pleased to tell Latvians today that the first day of the new programme will be November 17, which is the day before Latvia's independence day, so it's a great opportunity to celebrate," Chertoff told reporters.

"This is a recognition that the United States views Latvia and the countries of western Europe on an equal status," Chertoff said, before confirming that the same conditions would also apply to Estonia and Lithuania, where he is due to make similar announcements.

However, Chertoff was keen to stress that only holders of the latest biometric passports would be eligible for visa-free travel and even they will still need to register in advance at a special US government website.

Latvian interior minister Mareks Seglins said Latvia had also signed agreements with the US on terrorist screening and organized crime but refused to be more specific, telling Deutsche Presse- Agentur dpa: "These are issues which are not to be discussed in detail here because part of this is confidential information. The rights of our citizens are not threatened in any way." (dpa)