’WPC… h3^² T7Į>K_Ļ}޲`Į…_åøķ2¬7Š>jMK,×·-{¹ī¼«+PÓŗ©ņŸA²¹l"œ„ŠŌ±6Ą]§aĶŪ·ŹĶŗO쳉ĢP qŚ’®QŌ„Ä((’k.^€8ĻĄ×ŠõgĆ軫œI:Ó£Ÿ5`v¾$ēH?zIx“SQōž3f!YÜsŖ„ÖĶ.nÓ«“Ø«ż%‡•Ŗæó ŪĒ™čæó¬žČqRMŠš§Æq†ļT’ŲžÅ÷ē"°yc¼X׋Ł!Ājų#:K (¶$L“o‡££ēųšÕ§ĄŃ9.·Ó!»ewš¼pQ[†54öŽö mģxX^÷yŁ8ńČŲ:ĄL~ ą>Čy cūÄ:0V/Ad]–­šž‰ż<¹ @"Ś&³Aåņrܬe­6¶YN2™Ļ²ÓUšżQև¦‹å^Ī+¹bżTĒ©ėlu}U’¹„Øm[h+ó] ņ@\©…1·fhuL>±4Ÿ‰'­l“—`īŽætŝĀŃyą³ėq'ō4"ĻŃŽ.”­K$ ˆÜ…É–’ƒ8g¶ō{ßB ”˜Śn¬yŹ ūp»}ϊėČßf"ūk LŸOIīK€PĒ”T–EQHŌą #ÉØUNq %æ 0rÅ^ 7wC4G[j mlNƒ˜\\YORK_UNIVERSITY\q_hrts_hp4000tnŅV,,,,ŅV0(ÖĆ9 Z‹6Times New Roman RegularX(J؁$””Ó  ÓŌ€XļXXXŌŌ€XļXXXļŌs|/— ½”u/rtyBarŒē­3|x’U‹’ĄĄĄŻ ƒ؁!ŻÓ  ÓŌ€X|†XXXŌŌ€X|†XXX|†ŌŻ  ŻŌ_ŌÓ  Óņ ņŌ‡¼'»XX|†ŌLATVIAŌ#†X|†X»¼'„#Ōó óŠ ° ŠÓuÓņ ņĢŌUKUS.,ŌFollow-up€„€State€ReportingŠ «ū Šą0  ąAction€by€State€PartyŌUS.,UK.,ųŌŠ•å(#(# ŠĢŌ_ŌCERDŌ_Ō€€A/54/18€(1999)ó óŠ i ¹ ŠĢAnnex€XŠ < Œ ŠĢņņComments€of€the€Government€of€Latvia€on€the€concluding€observations*€adopted€by€the€CommitteeŠ  ^  Šon€the€Elimination€of€Racial€Discrimination€on€the€initial,€second€and€third€periodic€reports€of€LatviaóóŠ ÷ G  ŠĢWith€regard€to€the€Committee's€observation€(paras.€395€and€404)€that€there€are€residents€who€are€inŠ É  Ša€discriminatory€position€in€applying€for€citizenship,€the€Government€of€Latvia€once€again€wishesŠ ²  Što€stress€that€it€is€important€to€examine€the€question€of€citizenship€within€the€context€of€the€forcibleŠ ›ė  Šand€illegal€incorporation€of€Latvia€into€the€USSR,€as€a€consequence€of€which€its€statehood€for€aŠ „Ō  Šlimited€time€existed€only€ņņde€jureóó.Š m½ ŠĢThe€persons€who€settled€in€Latvia€during€the€period€of€its€existence€only€ņņde€jureóó€are€not€deprived€ofŠ ? Šthe€right€to€citizenship.€€Latvia€has€recognized€it€in€the€sense€of€the€right€to€acquire€citizenshipŠ (x Šthrough€naturalization.Š a ŠĢThe€Government€challenges€the€observation€that€the€naturalization€procedure€may€not€be€easyŠ ć3 Šenough.€€The€Ō_ŌOSCEŌ_Ō€High€Commissioner€for€National€Minorities,€Mr.€Max€van€der€Ō_ŌStoelŌ_Ō,€was€oneŠ Ģ Šof€the€Government's€main€counterparts€in€dealing€with€the€question€of€naturalization€tests€and€otherŠ µ Šspecific€issues.€€On€11€January€1999€he€publicly€expressed€his€satisfaction€with€the€current€state€ofŠ žī Šaffairs€as€to€the€citizenship€issue€and€stated€that€no€recommendations€in€that€respect€would€follow.Š ‡× ŠĢThe€Government's€view€is€supported€by€the€statistics,€which€are€self-explanatory€š"š€95.6€per€centŠ Y© Šand€96€per€cent,€respectively,€of€the€applicants€for€naturalization€pass€the€language€and€the€country'sŠ B’ Šhistory€test€at€the€first€attempt.€€The€State€party€wishes€the€Committee€to€take€note€of€this€fact.Š + { ŠĢThe€Government€wishes€to€draw€the€attention€of€the€Committee€to€the€contradiction€betweenŠ ż!M  Šparagraph€389€and€paragraphs€397€and€406€of€the€concluding€observations.€€In€one€the€CommitteeŠ ę"6! Šnotes€that€restrictions€that€had€been€applied€to€non-citizens€have€been€lifted,€but€in€the€others€refersŠ Ļ#" Što€reports€which€allege€the€existence€of€unjustified€differences€between€citizens€and€non-citizens.€Š ø$ # ŠUnder€the€provisions€of€general€recommendation€XI€of€the€Committee,€the€Government€accepts€theŠ ”%ń $ Šdebate€on€the€question€of€non-citizens€and€has€shown€its€good€will€in€doing€so€during€theŠ Š&Ś!% Špresentation€of€the€report.€€Nonetheless,€the€Government€wishes€to€stress€that€such€a€discussionŠ s'Ć"& Šshould€be€based€upon€reliable€information.€€Therefore,€the€Government€challenges€the€validity€ofŠ \(¬#' Šthe€source€of€information€the€Committee€is€referring€to.Š E)•$( ŠĢ___________Š +g&* Šą  ą*€See€paragraphs€384-414€of€the€present€report.Š ,P'+ ŠĢThe€Government€wishes€to€stress€that€former€USSR€passports€will€become€null€and€void€in€LatviaŠ Ņ-")- Šas€from€1€January€2000.€€To€the€contrary€of€what€is€suggested€in€the€general€comments€(para.€398),€Š ° Šthey€are€still€valid€in€Latvia,€so€that€the€holders€of€former€USSR€passports€can€freely€travel€to€thoseŠ ™é ŠÓ  Ócountries€that€recognize€this€passport€as€valid€for€travel€and€they€can€also€freely€return€to€Latvia.€Š ‚Ņ ŠÓśÓĢĢIt€should€also€be€emphasized€that,€contrary€to€what€is€suggested€in€the€Committee's€observations,Š =  Šthe€pace€of€issuance€of€the€new€internationally€recognized€travel€documents€to€Latvian€non-citizensŠ & v Šcannot€be€considered€slow,€since€at€the€time€of€the€session€of€the€Committee€72€per€cent€of€allŠ  _ Šnon-citizens€in€Latvia€had€already€received€passports.€€The€remaining€non-citizens€are€constantlyŠ ų H Šencouraged€through€the€prime€public€information€media€to€apply€for€the€new€passports.Š į 1  ŠĢŠ  ³  Šņ ņŌCEUS.,ŌŌ_ŌCERDŌ_Ō€€A/58/18€(2003)ó óŠ ° ŠĢņņAnnex€VIIóóŠ ƒÓ ŠĢņņCOMMENTS€OF€STATES€PARTIES€ON€THE€DECISIONS€AND€CONCLUDINGŠ U„ ŠOBSERVATIONS€ADOPTED€BY€THE€COMMITTEE€AND€REPLIES€OF€THE€COMMITTEEóóŠ > Ž ŠĢ...Š  ` ŠĢņņThe€fourth€and€fifth€periodic€report€of€Latviaóó€ņņ*óóŠ ā 2  ŠĢThe€following€comments€were€sent€on€30€September€2003€by€the€Permanent€Representative€ofŠ “  ŠLatvia€to€the€United€Nations€Office€at€Geneva€concerning€the€concluding€observations€adopted€byŠ ķ  Šthe€Committee€following€the€consideration€of€the€fourth€and€fifth€periodic€reports€submitted€by€theŠ †Ö  ŠState€party:Š oæ  ŠĢą0  ąš šThe€Government€of€Latvia€appreciates€the€constructive€dialogue€with€the€Committee€whichŠ A‘ Šallowed€the€Government€to€present€its€views€and€exchange€opinions€with€the€experts€onŠ *z Švarious€issues.€€At€the€same€time,€the€Government€regrets€that€the€positive€spirit€and€tone€ofŠ c Šthe€discussion€has€not€been€fully€reflected€in€the€concluding€observations,€and€that€someŠ üL Šissues€that€were€touched€upon€in€the€concluding€observations€were€not€discussed€during€theŠ å5 Šconsideration€of€the€Governmentššs€report.ŠĪ(#(# ŠĢą0  ąš šWith€regard€to€paragraph€7€of€the€concluding€observations,€the€Government€would€like€toŠ  š Špoint€out€that€there€has€been€a€mistake€of€fact.€€The€ruling€that€the€Committee€refers€to€wasŠ ‰Ł Šmade€by€the€Constitutional€Court€of€Latvia€(ņņŌ_ŌSatversmesŌ_Ō€Ō_ŌTiesdŌ_Ōóó).ŠrĀ(#(# ŠĢą0  ąš šAs€to€paragraph€9€of€the€concluding€observations,€the€Government€notes€that,€as€statedŠ D” Šduring€the€examination€of€the€report,€the€aim€of€the€legislature€when€adopting€the€StateŠ -} ŠLanguage€Law€was€to€establish€a€strict€framework€for€the€use€of€the€Latvian€language€in€theŠ f Špublic€sphere,€as€well€as€in€the€private€sphere,€when€the€public€interest€so€requires.€€AnŠ ’O Šimportant€principle€behind€the€Law,€the€formulation€of€which€was€recognized€byŠ č 8 Šinternational€organizations€as€being€in€compliance€with€Latviaššs€international€obligations,Š Ń!!  Šis€to€prevent€unjustified€interference€with€the€right€of€every€individual€or€group€ofŠ ŗ" ! Šindividuals€to€use€the€language€of€their€choice.€€In€this€light,€the€Committeeššs€concern€withŠ £#ó" Šthe€possible€narrow€interpretation€of€the€Language€Law€seems€irrelevant,€as,€in€the€givenŠ Œ$Ü# Šcase,€only€a€narrow€interpretation€can€ensure€broad€recognition€of€the€individualššs€right.Šu%Å $(#(# ŠĢą0  ąš šThe€Government€notes€that€the€Committeeššs€recommendations€contained€in€paragraphs€12Š G'—"& Šand€13€of€the€concluding€observations€are€conflicting.€€The€Government€would€like€to€drawŠ 0(€#' Šthe€Committeeššs€attention€to€the€number€of€studies€already€conductedthat€showed€that€theŠ )i$( Šreasons€for€the€relatively€low€level€of€naturalization€is€thelack€of€motivation€based€on€theŠ *R%) Šinsubstantial€differences€in€rights€between€citizens€and€non„citizens.€€However,€as€theŠ ė*;&* ŠLatvian€delegation€stated€during€the€consideration€of€its€periodic€report,€the€GovernmentššsŠ Ō+$'+ Špolicy€is€to€encourage€naturalization€by€all€available€means€in€order€to€ensure€that€theŠ ½, (, Šoverwhelming€number€of€Latviaššs€residents€are€citizens.€€The€Government€is€also€surprisedŠ ¦-ö(- Šat€the€ššgrowing€number€of€persons€who€fail€the€language€examinationšš€as€there€are€noŠ ° Šstatistical€data€available€to€support€this€statement.€€It€would€therefore€appreciate€clarificationŠ ™é Šon€this€matter.Š‚Ņ(#(# ŠĢą0  ąš šWith€respect€to€paragraph€15€of€the€concluding€observations,€the€Government€notes€thatŠ T¤ Šinternational€human€rights€standards€allow€States€to€limit€the€right€to€work€in€certainŠ =  Šprofessions,€in€the€public€as€well€as€in€the€private€sector,€only€to€its€nationals.€€SuchŠ & v Šrestrictions€are€not€discriminatory€since€they€have€the€legitimate€aim€of€protecting€nationalŠ  _ Šsecurity,€public€order€and€the€rights€of€others.€€The€restrictions€on€working€in€certainŠ ų H Šprofessions€that€exist€in€Latvia€concern€jobs€in€both€the€public€and€the€private€sector€relatedŠ į 1  Što€the€judicial€branch€(e.g.,€sworn€attorneys,€notaries)€and€State€security€considerations€(e.g.Š Ź   Šmanager€of€a€security€company)€and€are€therefore€seen€to€be€in€compliance€with€the€above„Š ³  Šmentioned€principle.€€The€Government€would€therefore€appreciate€the€CommitteeššsŠ œģ  Šclarification€on€this€matter.Š…Õ (#(# ŠĢą0  ąš šThe€Government€is€surprised€to€learn€the€Committeeššs€concerns€over€educational€reformŠ W§  Šand€its€implications€on€the€rights€of€linguistic€minorities,€since€there€are€no€linguisticŠ @ Šminorities,€in€the€traditional€sense€of€the€term,€in€Latvia.€€At€the€same€time,€the€GovernmentŠ )y Šnotes€that€the€reform€is€being€implemented€gradually€and€with€great€caution,€and€it€ensuresŠ b Šthe€right€of€national€minorities€to€have€their€own€education€programme€should€they€wish€toŠ ūK Šdo€so.Šä4(#(# ŠĢą0  ąš šFinally,€the€Government€has€the€pleasure€to€inform€the€Committee€that€it€has€decided€toŠ ¶ Šestablish€a€working€group,€chaired€by€the€Secretariat€of€the€Minister€for€Special€AssignmentsŠ Ÿļ Šfor€Societal€Integration€Affairs,€with€the€mandate€to€evaluate€whether€any,€and€which,Š ˆŲ Šadjustments€to€the€legislation€and€State€policy€are€necessary€in€Ō_ŌcombatingŌ_Ō€racialŠ qĮ Šdiscrimination€in€the€light€of€the€Committeeššs€concluding€observations.ššŠZŖ(#(# ŠĢ______________Š ,| ŠĢ*/€€See€paragraphs€437„462€of€the€present€report.€€The€comments€refer€to€the€unedited€version€of€theŠ žN Šconcluding€observations.Š ē 7 ŠŌUS.,CE.,īŌ