BRATISLAVA, January 22, (WEBNOVINY)- Coalition parties KDH and MOST-HID failed to agree within almost two weeks on a change to the law on use of a minority language and an amendment to the law on state citizenship. Both parties are to discuss the issues at bilateral meetings, based no an agreement achieved on the ground of the Coalition Council.
One of the participants in the talks who wishes to remain anonymous told SITA that the parties have exchanged stances on the use of minority languages and interrupted the negotiations. The source added that the parties did not come to a consensus either in the dual citizenship area. The talks should continue next week.
MOST-HID proposes to reduce the quorum for use of a minority language in official communication in municipalities from the current 20 percent to 10-percent minority population. It argues that adoption of the proposal would extend applicability of the law also to areas where smaller minority communities live. The KDH however is against such reduction. MOST-HID leader Bela Bugar said they would attempt to finish talks within the time period necessary for putting the issue on the agenda of the parliamentary session in March. Chairman of the KDH deputy club Pavol Hrusovsky recently said that they have a problem with everything, which is not in the government program statement. „This was not there. We do not see any need for a change,“ he stated.
The parties are to discuss as well a draft amendment to the state citizenship law. The KDH proposed that a person with dual citizenship cannot work with police or armed forces. The MOST-HID however does not like this solution. According to Bugar there is a conflict between the parties in what they consider disloyalty towards the Slovak Republic, i.e. whether citizenship of another state is a display of disloyalty.
SITA