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.

• Interview with the Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga
• Vaira Vike-Freiberga comments on the anti-Semitic statements made by the Russian Ambassador to Latvia
• Head of the Saeima Foreign Affairs Committee Aleksandrs Kirsteins will not apologise for comments on Russian-Latvian relations
• State Security Police initiate a criminal case of incitement of national hatred

Telegraf prints an interview with the Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga. The main topics of the interview are Latvian Russian relations, the economic role of Russia and domestic issues. The President does not agree with the view that Latvias society is getting more extreme and believes that in the upcoming municipal elections Latvian citizens will not support radical forces. Regarding the minority education reform, the President states that the reform was very politicised and used by several political forces to manipulate with feelings of Russian-speakers to ensure political support for these forces. When asked whether the President is not concerned that so many people [non-citizens] do not have any rights to participate in Latvias political life, Vaira Vike-Freiberga says that she would be very happy to introduce herself with a sociologic study about mentality of these people and argues that there are so many non-citizens because of the passive attitude of these people: either they are not interested in politics or they do not understand what it is about.

‘An ambassador, when s/he makes certain statements, represents the stance of his government on this issue,’ stated the President of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga commenting on the latest statements of the Russian Ambassador to Latvia Viktor Kaluznij which according to representatives of the Jewish community and historians are anti-Semitic. In the interview with Latvian Radio, the President said such statements are not acceptable.

‘An ambassador, when s/he makes certain statements, represents the stance of his government on this issue, stated the President of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga commenting on the latest statements of the Russian Ambassador to Latvia Viktor Kaluznij which according to representatives of the Jewish community and historians are anti-Semitic. In the interview with Latvian Radio, the President said such statements are not acceptable. Diena

The Head of the Saeima Foreign Affairs Committee Aleksandrs Kirsteins believes that he should not apologise for his comments on Latvian Russian relations [that there are only two ways of building relations with Russia ‘either to beat her up or to lick the dust’] as it was asked by the Head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian State Council Konstantin Kosatchev. The Russian official evaluated the statements of Aleksandrs Kirsteins as provocative and offensive.

The Head of the Saeima Foreign Affairs Committee Aleksandrs Kirsteins believes that he should not apologise for his comments on Latvian Russian relations [that there are only two ways of building relations with Russia ‘either to beat her up or to lick the dust] as it was asked by the Head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian State Council Konstantin Kosatchev. The Russian official evaluated the statements of Aleksandrs Kirsteins as provocative and offensive. Latvijas Avize

On the basis of the application submitted by the Head of the parliamentary group of the union For Human Rights in the United Latvia Jakovs Pliners State Security Police initiated a criminal case of incitement of national hatred in a number of articles published by the national-radical internet portal

On the basis of the application submitted by the Head of the parliamentary group of the union For Human Rights in the United Latvia Jakovs Pliners State Security Police initiated a criminal case of incitement of national hatred in a number of articles published by the national-radical internet portal www.latvians.lv. The newspaper also reports that the Prosecutor General Office replied to the application of the Head of the Saeima Foreign Affairs Committee Aleksandrs Kirsteins. In his application Aleksandrs Kirsteins asked the Prosecutor General Office to examine whether publications in the Russian language media incite national hatred. The Prosecutor General Office replied that publications do not incite national hatred, but reflect personal views of journalists. Chas