MINELRES - CSCE HCNM - Slovakia -answer 25/11/93

MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
OF THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC

Bratislava, 25 November 1993

ref. 3829/93-KM

Mr. High Commissioner,

I acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated 8 November 1993 conveying your evaluation and recommendation concerning the situation on the Hungarian minority in Slovakia based on the first study stay of the team of experts and your personal follow-up visit to our country.

The clear message your letter brought us strengthens our conviction that it was a sound decision to establish a team of experts within the framework of your mandate. We can only hope that the continuation of its work will serve to the benefit of both nations and minorities concerned. We would also like to assure you that the team of experts can also count on our support and openness also in its future work.

Allow me to point to a few issues concerning the ethnic minorities policy official bodies of the Slovak Republic are pursuing:

1. The President of the Slovak Republic, the National Council of Slovak Republic as well as the Government of Slovak Republic are constantly endeavouring to guarantee the implementation of rights of persons belonging to ethnic minorities in all fields of political, social and cultural life - present economic conditions taken into consideration.

2. Mr. Michal Kové_, President of the Slovak Republic, has initiated a series of ethnic minority round table discussions with representatives of all political as well as non-political (cultural, religious, regional) organizations of all the ethnic minorities residing in Slovakia.

3. According to the bill prepared by the Government, the National Council of Slovak Republic has recently passed on a new Law on name and surname changing the old legislation to the benefit of persons belonging to ethnic minorities.

4. The Slovak Government has recently approved, and is to submit to the National Council of the Slovak Republic, the project of a new administrative system and a territorial division of Slovakia, which fully respects the vital interests of all the ethnic minorities in Slovakia - including the Hungarian minority - without neglecting the national interests of the Slovak nation and all the citizens of Slovakia, namely the integrity of its territory, efficient exercise of state administration as well as accessibility to citizens. Before the final decision the draft will be consulted with experts of Council of Europe.

5. The Interior Ministry has completed the first draft of a new bill which will change two currently valid laws - namely the Law on official language in the Slovak Republic and the Law on territorial and administrative division of Slovak Republic - in order to bring them into compliance with the recommendations of Council of Europe concerning the bilingual or multilingual designation of towns and villages on traffic signs. It is expected that the bill will be passed in the parliament by the end of this year.

6. The Ministry of Education and Sciences of the Slovak Republic in continuing the reform of the whole educational system has expanded the choices opened to children (and parents) belonging to ethnic minorities by proposing a so-called alternative instruction without reducing or abolishing those already given. The positive reaction to this innovation has come from the Ruthenian ethnic minority, which already has considerable experience with this type of instruction, also German and Romany minority, as well.

7. The pedagogical University in Nitra, as well as the Faculty of Philosophy of Cornelius University in Bratislava provide suitable - in a proper proportion - opportunities for training of teachers for the minority language school.

8. We would also like to recall that the Mixed Slovak-Hungarian Expert Commission for Evaluation of the Situation of the Slovak Minority in Hungary and Hungarian Minority in Slovakia - established by the common agreement reached between the Prime Ministers of Slovakia and Hungary - has been constituted and has agreed upon the first proposal of its working modalities. It is expected that this expert commission would help to promote the impartial discussion of issues which are the subject of concern for both parties.

Dear Mr. High Commissioner,

We take into consideration your recommendation to foster the work of the Governmental Council on Nationalities. We assume that the new division of responsibilities among the newly appointed Deputy Prime Ministers within the recently formed coalition government will contribute to achieve this aim.

According to its Status the Governmental Council on Nationalities is a consultive, initiative and coordinating body helping the Government to decide on essential questions of national minorities living on the territory of the Slovak Republic. These are the main tasks:

to participate at the working out of governmental decisions promoting the rights of national minorities, ensuring the equal living conditions to all citizens belonging to different national minorities living on the territory of Slovak Republic;
to prepare, discuss and submit surveys on ethnic relations to the Government, to propose solutions to problems of national minorities;
to comment on draft laws and on other obligatory regulations concerning national minorities before their are submitted to the Government;
to discuss and submit reports, proposals, recommendations concerning important aspects of life of national minorities to the bodies of state administration as well as to self-government;
to request respective institutions to perform scientific analyses, studies and expertise in the national minority field.

The valid status of the afore-mentioned body contains the necessary provisions concerning the pre-parliamentary discussion of law drafts concerning ethnic minority issues. Therefore we are sure that it will be able to react properly to your recommendation. I can only ensure you one more time that my Government is keen to create and/or improve conditions enabling the Council on Nationalities to fulfil its tasks and also in this way prove its commitment to promotion of fundamental rights and freedoms of persons belonging to ethnical minorities.

Let me express my firm confidence that as soon as the Hungarian Government will solemnly declare its devotion to the principle of inviolability of factual, international approved border between Slovakia and Hungary, some unhealthy tensions, discouraging suspicions and pretensions - alleged or real - will be eased or even cease to exist.

Yours sincerely,

[WAS SIGNED]