On Monday, V. M. Lytvyn, Chairman of
the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, met OSCE High Commissioner for Minorities Knut Vollebek. The Parties
discussed the issues of national minorities in Ukraine.
V Lytvyn attached great importance to the meaningful dialogue between the Ukrainian parliament and the OSCE, "when there is a common stand on the issues of different national minorities who should feel comfortable in Ukraine." He stressed that "long-lasting problems can not be solved rapidly", while their effective solution "depends on the implementation of the set tasks."
Discussing the issues of language policy, the Head of the Parliament called for adopting a balanced stand in view of the sensitivity of this topic. "We are actively working towards making tolerance dominant. I suggest my colleagues at the parliament to tackle all issues via dialogue," he said. V. Lytvyn believes that the bills on language issues, recently submitted to the Verkhovna Rada, need expert review. He stressed that issues of language, religion, and national minorities are so sensitive that they shall be tackled by experts.
"We should "make haste slowly", tackling these matters," he said. V. Lytvyn believes that "language is competition, so the most competitive language wins." "I am for observing the language rights, but not on the backs of the state language," the Head of the Parliament stated. "Efforts should be directed to the implementation of applicable laws on language."
Answering the questions of Mr Vollebek, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine predicted that the bills on amendments to election laws might be considered in the middle of November. "All legislative initiatives will be scrutinized," V. Lytvyn assured. He stressed that no electoral system is perfect. "What matters is democratic organization of elections, while every attempt to make the law politically biased turns into a political scandal," he stressed. The Head of the Verkhovna Rada leaves open the possibility of introducing a mixed majoritarian-proportional election system with the parties´ right to nominate their candidates. He also expects discussion of a five-per-cent vote threshold.
The parties called for dialogue and cooperation.