Press Report

Press Report

According to Press-Secretary of the European Commission van der Pass, the Commission will recommend the European Union to consider six potential new members. The countries are Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Estonia and Cyprus. The recommendation was adopted yesterday and is to be made public today. Still, Nordic countries would prefer to start talks with all potential members without giving any preferences. Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs Nils Hedvig Petrsen in an interview said that the EU Summit might reconsider the recommendation by the European Commission. The Summit will be held in Luxembourg in December this year.

According to Press-Secretary of the European Commission van der Pass, the Commission will recommend the European Union to consider six potential new members. The countries are Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Estonia and Cyprus. The recommendation was adopted yesterday and is to be made public today. Still, Nordic countries would prefer to start talks with all potential members without giving any preferences. Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs Nils Hedvig Petrsen in an interview said that the EU Summit might reconsider the recommendation by the European Commission. The Summit will be held in Luxembourg in December this year. Diena, B&B

President Ulmanis visited Daugavpils yesterday. While addressing members of the City Council, the President pointed at the low pace of naturalization process in the city. Only 600 non-citizens out of 40,000 have applied for naturalization. Mr. Ulmanis also highly assessed harmonious relations between ethnic groups in Daugavpils and pointed at aprogress achieved by its inhabitants in studying the Latvian language.

President Ulmanis visited Daugavpils yesterday. While addressing members of the City Council, the President pointed at the low pace of naturalization process in the city. Only 600 non-citizens out of 40,000 have applied for naturalization. Mr. Ulmanis also highly assessed harmonious relations between ethnic groups in Daugavpils and pointed at aprogress achieved by its inhabitants in studying the Latvian language. Diena

President Ulmanis in an interview for

President Ulmanis in an interview for "DIENA" stressed once again that Latvia would not agree to accept security guarantees from Russia as a compensation for not becoming a NATO member. He expressed hope that Russia's negative attitude toward the possibility of Latvia joining the bloc could be overcome by negotiating and developing "a flexible dialogue". "The Washington Post" in an article published yesterday evaluated the chances of the three Baltic states to join NATO in 1999 as "thin". The article is a comment on Secretary of State M.Albright's visits to Lithuania and St. Petersburg. During her meeting with Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Primakov Mrs. Albright noted that none of the NATO members had made an apparent decision supporting the admission of the three countries. Diena

Sergey Zhuravlev, a Member of the Writers' Union of Latvia, warns against implementing the new Education Law that provides for using Latvian as the only language of instruction in all state-financed schools after 2005. The reform, according to Mr. Zhuravlev, is "language genocide" that would destroy the entire Russian language education system.

Sergey Zhuravlev, a Member of the Writers' Union of Latvia, warns against implementing the new Education Law that provides for using Latvian as the only language of instruction in all state-financed schools after 2005. The reform, according to Mr. Zhuravlev, is "language genocide" that would destroy the entire Russian language education system. SM

Press Report

Press Report

On July 8 the Cabinet adopted amendments to the Law on the UN Convention on Refugees and on the Protocols. The amendments cancel the provision of the Law that allowed to apply it only to refugees entering Latvia from European countries. The

On July 8 the Cabinet adopted amendments to the Law on the UN Convention on Refugees and on the Protocols. The amendments cancel the provision of the Law that allowed to apply it only to refugees entering Latvia from European countries. The Saeima will consider the amendments this autumn after the summer vacations. Neatkariga

The Presidents of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia during their meetings with the press stressed that the results of the Madrid Summit were unexpectedly favorable to the three Baltic states and increased their chances to enter NATO. President Ulmanis told the press that he was planning to discuss increasing the defense budget with the Minister of Defense.

The Presidents of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia during their meetings with the press stressed that the results of the Madrid Summit were unexpectedly favorable to the three Baltic states and increased their chances to enter NATO. President Ulmanis told the press that he was planning to discuss increasing the defense budget with the Minister of Defense. Diena

The Prosecutor General's Office decided to make the secret files of Prime-Minister Skele's case available to the press. All journalists willing to obtain the confidential information will have to take a written obligation not to disseminate the facts of the case. The Prosecutor General's Office was forced to take the decision after a leakage of information on the case was discovered. The most well known one was the quoting of case documents in the

The Prosecutor General's Office decided to make the secret files of Prime-Minister Skele's case available to the press. All journalists willing to obtain the confidential information will have to take a written obligation not to disseminate the facts of the case. The Prosecutor General's Office was forced to take the decision after a leakage of information on the case was discovered. The most well known one was the quoting of case documents in the Saeima by former Minister of the Interior Adamsons. The Prime-Minister believes that the documents do not contain any evidence against him and does not object to making his case public. Diena

According to

According to "DIENA", former Minister of the Interior Turlais considers leaving "Saimnieks" for "Latvijas Cels". Mr. Turlais refused to give any comments on the rumor.

Press Report

Press Report

Yesterday the NATO Summit decreed to admit Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic to the bloc in 1999. The Summit confirmed that Romania, Slovenia and the three Baltic states could be considered for NATO membership in the future. Russian representatives warned NATO members against admitting Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania to the bloc stressing that their NATO membership would be considered by Russia to be a threat to its security.

Yesterday the NATO Summit decreed to admit Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic to the bloc in 1999. The Summit confirmed that Romania, Slovenia and the three Baltic states could be considered for NATO membership in the future. Russian representatives warned NATO members against admitting Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania to the bloc stressing that their NATO membership would be considered by Russia to be a threat to its security. Diena

The Riga City Council voted for restoring the Monument to the Liberators of Riga yesterday. Still, the Council declined Mrs. Zhdanok's (the "Equal Rights") suggestion to allot additional funds to the project.

The Riga City Council voted for restoring the Monument to the Liberators of Riga yesterday. Still, the Council declined Mrs. Zhdanok's (the "Equal Rights") suggestion to allot additional funds to the project. Diena

President Ulmanis was interviewed by

President Ulmanis was interviewed by "DIENA" on naturalization and citizenship issues. The President noted that ethnic Russians living in Latvia were not to be blamed for injustices made to the Latvian people during the Soviet rule. He warned against hasty political steps that could induce an explosion of hard feelings and animosity. President Ulmanis does not believe the Citizenship Law to discriminate non-citizens. Still, he suggested that the Law should be changed in the course of time. Mr. Ulmanis believes that children born in Latvia should be given Latvian citizenship. When touching upon the activities of the Council of Nationalities, the President said that he expected a more constructive approach of its members to the problems under discussion. Among such issues Mr. Ulmanis mentioned restrictions on employment of non-citizens. He has already discussed the issue with Head of the Human Rights Office Olafs Bruvers. The Office will analyze the situation while the Naturalization Bureau will study the reasons for the slowness of naturalization. The President criticized the "window mechanism" for being outdated and agreed that naturalization fee was too high for many potential applicants for citizenship. On the other hand, Mr. Ulmanis pointed at the agreement between the governing factions not allowing to amend the Citizenship Law and warned against emphasizing the issue during current period of instability in the Cabinet. In his interview the President pointed at the lack of a clear strategy for integrating non-citizens in the Latvian society. Latvia should form a society that would give any of its members deserving to obtain citizenship the right to do so, said President Ulmanis. He believes the new alien passports to be a stabilizing factor "helping a non-citizen to pass the border-line separating him or her from obtaining citizenship." Diena

Press Report

Press Report

Tomorrow in Madrid President Ulmanis will meet US President Clinton to discuss security and economic issues. Mr. Ulmanis will also have meetings with other state leaders during the Madrid Summit. At a press-conference President Ulmanis said that the US President always mentioned the large number of non-citizens in Latvia during their meetings. Mr. Ulmanis believes that President Clinton will raise the issue again in Madrid. US representatives told the press last Sunday that the US would call upon the three Baltic states to seek for opportunities of joining NATO despite Russia's objections. Still, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania will not be among the countries to be welcomed as new NATO members during the summit. According to a high-ranking NATO official, not less than three and not more than five new members will be admitted to the bloc.

Tomorrow in Madrid President Ulmanis will meet US President Clinton to discuss security and economic issues. Mr. Ulmanis will also have meetings with other state leaders during the Madrid Summit. At a press-conference President Ulmanis said that the US President always mentioned the large number of non-citizens in Latvia during their meetings. Mr. Ulmanis believes that President Clinton will raise the issue again in Madrid. US representatives told the press last Sunday that the US would call upon the three Baltic states to seek for opportunities of joining NATO despite Russia's objections. Still, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania will not be among the countries to be welcomed as new NATO members during the summit. According to a high-ranking NATO official, not less than three and not more than five new members will be admitted to the bloc. Diena, Neatkariga

The

The Saeima Presidium distributed the draft of the Second Part of the Satversme among the deputies. The Second Part will define human rights guaranteed by the Satversme. Saeima deputies will submit their proposals on the draft document to the Saeima Committee within one month to be later considered by the Saeima. Diena

The Procurator General's Office still has not managed to study all documents of Minister of Communications Kristopans' case. Mr. Kristopans has allegedly violated the Anti-Corruption Law. The Procurator General's Office has already postponed its final verdict on Kristopans' case. A spokesman for the Office told

The Procurator General's Office still has not managed to study all documents of Minister of Communications Kristopans' case. Mr. Kristopans has allegedly violated the Anti-Corruption Law. The Procurator General's Office has already postponed its final verdict on Kristopans' case. A spokesman for the Office told "DIENA" that a large number of documents to be studied accounted for the delays.

Representatives of the "Union of Councils" human rights organization had a meeting with Director of the State Human Rights Office Olafs Bruveris. Mr. Bruveris welcomed the establishment of the office of the American human rights organization in Riga. Mr. Leonid Stonov of the "Union of Councils" believes that all non-citizens permanently residing in Latvia should be granted citizenship. He said that the step would speed up the country's economic development.

Representatives of the "Union of Councils" human rights organization had a meeting with Director of the State Human Rights Office Olafs Bruveris. Mr. Bruveris welcomed the establishment of the office of the American human rights organization in Riga. Mr. Leonid Stonov of the "Union of Councils" believes that all non-citizens permanently residing in Latvia should be granted citizenship. He said that the step would speed up the country's economic development. SM

Tomorrow the Riga City Council will consider the possibility of restoring the Monument to the Liberators of Riga. Riga Mayor Andris Berzins believes that the monument should be restored and hopes that the City Council will support him.

Tomorrow the Riga City Council will consider the possibility of restoring the Monument to the Liberators of Riga. Riga Mayor Andris Berzins believes that the monument should be restored and hopes that the City Council will support him. B&B

In an article in

In an article in "SM" claims that some Western politicians are not aware of the large number of non-citizens in Latvia. The author forecasts a tangible worsening of relations between Latvia and Russia. He stresses that Latvian politicians did not keep their promise to review the Citizenship Law while the country was not implementing recommendations given by international experts. The situation is the reason for the Russian side postponing Prime-Minister Skele`s official visit to Moscow.

Press Report

The Baltic Assembly held a seminar on language and cultural policy in Tallinn last Saturday. Estonian member of the Assembly M.Kubo in his report said that Estonia could not afford financing of a bilingual education system. Latvian representatives mentioned problems encountered by native Latvian-speakers who often were not understood when using the language in their everyday life.

The Baltic Assembly held a seminar on language and cultural policy in Tallinn last Saturday. Estonian member of the Assembly M.Kubo in his report said that Estonia could not afford financing of a bilingual education system. Latvian representatives mentioned problems encountered by native Latvian-speakers who often were not understood when using the language in their everyday life. Diena

The Mandate of the OSCE Mission to Latvia has been extended until January 31, 1997. Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Press-Secretary Pildegovics said that the Mission has almost accomplished it task and had to monitor the naturalization process.

The Mandate of the OSCE Mission to Latvia has been extended until January 31, 1997. Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Press-Secretary Pildegovics said that the Mission has almost accomplished it task and had to monitor the naturalization process. Diena