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

Press Review

The

The Union of Latvian Social Democrats, becoming a coalition member party, is now expanding its ambitions and demands for its share of the most influential posts. The Chairman of Riga City Council ULSD faction J.Gulbis said that the representation of political parties in the Council should be proportional to the number of deputies and therefore Social Democrats should be represented in the administration of the Council. Neatkariga, Jauna Avize

Yesterday the Cabinet of Ministers adopted Latvian - German agreement on annuling the visa regime with Germany. The agreement will take effect on March 1.

Yesterday the Cabinet of Ministers adopted Latvian - German agreement on annuling the visa regime with Germany. The agreement will take effect on March 1. Neatkariga, Diena

On Tuesday the Saeima Commission on Education, Culture and Science rejected the motion, made by the faction

On Tuesday the Saeima Commission on Education, Culture and Science rejected the motion, made by the faction For Human Rights in United Latvia, to the draft language law to regulate to use of the language only in the state institutions. As the Chairman of this Commission Dz.Abikis told Diena, the Commission had started to consider proposals, submitted for the second reading of this draft language law and expressed his conviction that the OSCE recommendations would be conceptually supported in this draft law. Diena

SM informs that journalists, who came for this meeting, were asked to leave the premises before the discussion started. The representative of the Saeima faction For Human Rights in United Latvia A.Bartashevich told journalists afterwards that Commission members rejected not only the above mentioned motion but also several other, e.g. to state that religious organisations have the right to chose the language freely, as well as the proposal of Max van der Stoel that the state should regulate the use of the language only at those enterprises, where the state owned more than 50 % of shares. The author of the article states that deputies are still unwilling to fulfil the recommendations of the OSCE High Commissioner and points out that, a representative of the OSCE Mission to Latvia was present at this meeting and she just could throw compassionate glances at the Deputy A.Bartashevich whose proposals were refused so unanimously. SM, Bizness & Baltiya

Prime Minister V.Kristopans announced at a press conference yesterday that, according to the opinion of all Prime Ministers of the Nordic countries, a guarantee for a stable situation in the Baltic Region was a need for good relationships with Russia.

Prime Minister V.Kristopans announced at a press conference yesterday that, according to the opinion of all Prime Ministers of the Nordic countries, a guarantee for a stable situation in the Baltic Region was a need for good relationships with Russia. SM

The demands of Russia concerning national minorities differ from the opinion of European structures. And it means that they are not mandatory for us. This announcement was made by Latvian MFA State Secretary M.Riekstins after his meeting with the Russian Depyty Minister of Foreign Affairs A.Avdeyev. But M.Riekstins did not specify what demands he was talking about. Such statements caused incomprehension of the Russian party. A high MFA official informed that Russian party did not put forward any new demands, especially the ones contradicting to European recommendations. They just had discussed the draft language law, several norms of which were contradictory to a number of European conventions, and this fact had been recognised by the OSCE High Commissioner Max van der Stoel during his visit to Riga. Russian party also had expressed their concern about the slow speed of naturalisation. In his turn, M.Riekstins, without providing any concrete facts, stated that Latvia did not have any accute problems with national minorities.

SM