Integration monitor is a daily Latvian press digest on ethnic minority and society integration issues. The Monitor reviews the biggest Latvian dailies: Diena, Latvijas Avize, Neatkariga (in Latvian language), Vesti Segodnya (in Russian language). In specific cases other information sources are used. Latvian Centre for Human Rights is not responsible for information published by the media.

Press Review

The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) has approved the formate of the referendum-note with the question to be answered during the referendum on 3 October - “ Are you for the abolishing of the Law on Amendments to the Citizenship Law adopted on 22 June 1998?” The amendments will be abolished if at least 477,696 voters participate in the referendum, and at least 238,849 vote for the abolishing of the amendments. Yesterday the Cabinet of Ministers decided to allot 232, 600 Lats to the Central Electoral Commission for the organisation of the referendum which is a half of the amount requested by the Commission. According to Mr. Arnis Cimdars, the Chair of the CEC, it might create queues in some electoral districts due to the lack of the pooling “booths.”

The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) has approved the formate of the referendum-note with the question to be answered during the referendum on 3 October - Are you for the abolishing of the Law on Amendments to the Citizenship Law adopted on 22 June 1998? The amendments will be abolished if at least 477,696 voters participate in the referendum, and at least 238,849 vote for the abolishing of the amendments. Yesterday the Cabinet of Ministers decided to allot 232, 600 Lats to the Central Electoral Commission for the organisation of the referendum which is a half of the amount requested by the Commission. According to Mr. Arnis Cimdars, the Chair of the CEC, it might create queues in some electoral districts due to the lack of the pooling booths. Diena

The Saeima Commission on Education has received the clarified and more tolerant recommendations from the OSCE High Commissioner Max van der Stoel concerning the amendments to the draft Language Law. According to the Chair of the Commission Mr. Abikis, the new proposals are more “yielding” than the ones presented in spring since they provide cases when the state is allowed to regulate the use of the language in private sphere. The Commission has not reviewed these recommendations yet.

The Saeima Commission on Education has received the clarified and more tolerant recommendations from the OSCE High Commissioner Max van der Stoel concerning the amendments to the draft Language Law. According to the Chair of the Commission Mr. Abikis, the new proposals are more yielding than the ones presented in spring since they provide cases when the state is allowed to regulate the use of the language in private sphere. The Commission has not reviewed these recommendations yet.

During his visit in Moscow this week, the speaker of the Latvian parliament Alfreds Cepanis met with the speaker of the Russian Duma Gennady Seleznov, and the vice speaker of the Council of the Russian Federation Vladimir Platonov to discuss the Latvia-Russian relations. According to Mr. Cepanis, both parties were satisfied with the pace of meetings. Mr. Seleznov had expressed the need to resume the work of the Latvian-Russian inter-governmental commission.

During his visit in Moscow this week, the speaker of the Latvian parliament Alfreds Cepanis met with the speaker of the Russian Duma Gennady Seleznov, and the vice speaker of the Council of the Russian Federation Vladimir Platonov to discuss the Latvia-Russian relations. According to Mr. Cepanis, both parties were satisfied with the pace of meetings. Mr. Seleznov had expressed the need to resume the work of the Latvian-Russian inter-governmental commission. Chas

Commenting the statements of the Latvian Foreign Affairs Minister Valdis Birkavs concerning the Latvian-Russian relations, the official representative of the Russian MFA Vladimir Rachmanin said that “Latvia knows that the pre-requisite for the normalisation of the Latvia-Russian relations is the complete fulfilment of all OSCE recommendations, which do not limit only to the amending of the Citizenship Law.”

Commenting the statements of the Latvian Foreign Affairs Minister Valdis Birkavs concerning the Latvian-Russian relations, the official representative of the Russian MFA Vladimir Rachmanin said that Latvia knows that the pre-requisite for the normalisation of the Latvia-Russian relations is the complete fulfilment of all OSCE recommendations, which do not limit only to the amending of the Citizenship Law. Panorama Latvii, Neatkariga

Press Secretary of the Naturalisation Board Aigars Smiltnieks informed that today the 10,000 th person who had completed the naturalisation procedure, will receive the document about the acquiring of the Latvian citizenship. Since the beginning of the naturalisation process which started in 1995, some 149,000 people had rights to be naturalised, and only approximately 7% of them used these rights.

Press Secretary of the Naturalisation Board Aigars Smiltnieks informedthat today the 10,000 th person who had completed the naturalisation procedure, will receive the document about the acquiring of the Latvian citizenship. Since the beginning of the naturalisation process which started in 1995, some 149,000 people had rights to be naturalised, and only approximately 7% of them used these rights. Neatkariga

SM publishes the opinion of Mr. Oleg Shiptsov who argues that the result of the referendum- either abolishing amendments or keeping them - will not change the situation of non-citizens who, in any case, will be subjected to the humiliating procedure of naturalisation. However, if the outcome of the referendum is in favour of the keeping of the amendments, it will give a green light to Latvias movement into the European structures, since neither Europe nor US, nor Russia will have any pretensions towards Latvia. Therefore, Mr. Schiptsov calls for the voting against the amendments.

SM publishes the summary of the Russias response to the memorandum of three European countries concerning the Latvian-Russian relations in which Russia emphasised that the recommendations of the OSCE were not limited to the Citizenship Law, they addressed several other humanitarian problems in Latvia, for example, in sphere of language, and education. SM

Rigas Balss publishes an article about the Riga Secondary School No 40 with Russian as the language of instruction which has established the exchange program for teachers and students with the Pavilosta Secondary School with Latvian as the language of instruction, and could serve as an example of the successful integration. Rigas Balss