From: thietaniemi@cc.helsinki.fi (Tapani Hietaniemi)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.soviet,talk.politics.soviet,soc.culture.europe
Subject: Re: Estonia
Date: 27 Jan 93 09:56:34 GMT
Organization: University of Helsinki

In article <12531@dunbar.ed.ac.uk>, alexei@cogsci.ed.ac.uk (Alexei Moiseyev) 
writes:
> 
>>This was a part of the ESTONIAN news posted previously. Still,
>>it is important to point out that the minority situation in
>>Estonia is being scrutinized by a Commissioner of the Conference
>>on Security and Co-operation in Europe. This is done due to
>>the Estonian invitation
> 
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
>>             CSCE MINORITY REPRESENTATIVE IN ESTONIA
>>
>> Mr Velliste expanded on the problems posed ...[]...  and the participation of
>> non-citizens in local elections.
> 
> So, even _this_ is a problem!  How long is it before Russian speakers
> will be deprived of even this little?  


The right to participate in local elections is no right to given to
"Russian speakers" in Estonia but to all non-citizens that are permanent
residents in the area of the republic, even to Finns.

If the non-citizens would be deprived of this right, it should require
changing the Estonian constitution according to which:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Art.161
The right to initiate amendments to the Constitution shall rest with
at least one-fifth of the complement of the Riigikogu and with the
president of the republic. Amendments to the Constitution may not be
initiated, nor the Constitution amended, during a state of emergency or
a state of war.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

If the Estonian citizens would like to deprive the right of non-citizens 
to participate in local elections, they should choose a new parliament
in 1996, with five of six of representants and the president favouring
the idea. Theoretically, in the beginning of the year 1997 it would
be possible. This outcome is a most unlikely one, because no Estonian 
political party has supported such an idea.

>>Mr van der Stoel, accompanied by his assistant Rob Zaagman and
>> professor Alan Rosas, also met with Estonian President Lennart
>> Meri, who spoke about the present condition of the economy and
>> foreigners in Estonia. 
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> If someboby called that Asian or Carribean immigrants and their
> offsprings in Britain, 'Nazi' is the label he thereby would get.


Blame the Radio Free Europe of the words used in that piece of news.
According to your opinion the reporter (Kionka?) should be called
"a Nazi". I do not share your opinion.
 
> Hoorey for El' Presidente Meri, The Dictator of Estonia.


This underscores the futility of your propaganda. Meri is a president
elected according to rules set by the Constitution. The Constitution
does not give much power to the president but the most important
and most powerful politician in Estonia is of course the prime minister Mart
Laar. But I am afraid that you couldn't even accuse him of "dictatorship"
because you did not know his name.

thinks
the observer
Tapani Hietaniemi, Universitas Helsingiensis
                   urbs fennorum
Newsgroups: soc.culture.soviet