[lg policy] Ukraine: Speaker asks OSCE to examine controversial bill on status of Russian

[Harold Schiffman]

Speaker asks OSCE to examine controversial bill on status of Russian

Speaking on television Nov. 12, Rada Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn said he
had sent the highly controversial bill on the status of Russian to the
OSCE high commissioner for ethnic minorities and other European
structures, TSN reports. Historically, there are Ukrainian-speaking
and Russian-speaking Ukrainians, Lytvyn said, adding “Ukraine will
continue as a state as long as Ukrainian remains the state language.”

The speaker said about ten bills on the language policy had been
tabled in the Rada. He specified he had sent to the OSCE the one
causing the most confrontation. Lytvyn explained his move by the wish
not to promote a stand-off in Ukraine. Lytvyn had earlier asked the
country’s Academy of Sciences members to examine the bill and give its
impartial assessment. He said he had received their assessment which
was absolutely negative.

The speaker was surprised by the large number of protests which
snowballed in Ukraine over the proposal to make Russian a state
language, saying none of the language bills has been included in the
Rada’s agenda.This issue should be resolved with the help of a quiet
and balanced dialog, Lytvyn stressed.

http://zik.com.ua/en/news/2010/11/13/256244

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