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Baltics : Divided by Citizenship Fights
***The newly independent Baltic republics are being torn apart by the sensitive nationality problem, involving Russians and other minority populations. Jorma T. Mattila of IPS reports from Riga, Latvia.
HAVING regained their independence after 50 years of Soviet Russian domination, the Baltic states of Estonia. Latvia and Lithuania are now struggling with a complicated heritage, including a major part of its population that was imported from other regions of the Soviet Union.
Ethnic Latvians, for example. form only 51 percent of Latvia's current population of 2.7 million, and there have been strong calls for strict citizenship legislation to keep minorities, particularly the 37 percent Russian population, under tight control
The Russians and other ml norities in the three Baltic states fear they will be reduced to second-class citizens or even aliens In a region where they were born, or lived most of their lives.
For the Balts, the large Russian minority is the result of decades of Soviet occupation and a strictly enforced policy of "Russification" of the non-Russian republics In the Soviet Union. "People are very nervous, because our nation has simply been Invaded by migrants." said Yurt Boyars, director of the Institute of International Affairs in Latvia University and a member of parliament of the Republic of Latvia
The latest proposal for Latvia’s Citizenship Act reserves automatic citizenship only for those who were Latvian citizens before theSoviet invasion of 1040. and their descendants. They total 1.7 million people, including non-Latvlans who were citizens prior to World War 11
All other residents will have to prove that Latvia has been their home for at least 16 years, take a test in the Latvian language and pledge an oath of allegiance. Criminals. Communist Party officials, alcoholics. Soviet soldiers and people spreading "totalitarian ideas' will be refused citizen ship
"If there was only 51 percent of German speakers In Germany. Germans would also be nervous about their nationality acts." said Boyars who chaired the committee that prepared the Citizenship Act. which should come into effect in July 1992
From that moment on. "we have a system of apartheid here", said Tatyana Zhdanok, a leader of the opposition "equal rights" faction in parliament. Zhdanok and many other original Latviancittzens plan to refuse their new passport to protest the inequality of Latvians and Russians.
They regard the citizenship issue as an attempt by nationalist radicals to grab power tn the country. The radicals have already strengthened their position In the ruling Popular Front
Their purpose Is to get Into power In the new parliament. by limiting participation tn the forthcoming elections to those who will be citizens In July," said Zhdanok. But the conflict is In essence about property, she stated.
Privatisation of state property has Just begun, and radical nationalists want to prevent Russians and other minorities from getting a share of state
properties.
"We know that municipalities already have an unofficial order to give buildings and office space only to companies led by ethnic Latvians * said Zhdanok A national law al ready says that Joint stock companies can only be set up by citizens, while 60 percent of all stock has to be in the hands of citizens. Russians are also discriminated against by a new law of education, that says that starting In 1993, all higher education will be provided only In the Latvian language "We have Initiated a private Russian uni verslty. but the officials will not give us any building for the university." said Zdhanok
In Estonia. a country of 1.0 million, parliament has restored the 1938 citizen ship law Automatic citizenship there also goes only to some one million citizens of the old republic and their descen dan Is
The 600,000 other residents. mostly Russians, can apply for citizenship If they have lived in Estonia for two years, speak Estonian, and take an oath Processing their applications, however, will take a full year
But there has been no deci sion yet on the "xero-polnt" after which the two years of residency begin to count It is very likely that parliament will decide to take Independence day. Aug 20. 1991. as the zeropoint. said Andrea Kolliat. director of the Estonian Immigration office
In that case the Russians and other minorities will have to wait three years before they will receive their passports. Kolllst admitted that one reason for this is that many na tionalist politicians want to hold elections soon In which the Russians cannot vote
The attitude of ordinary Estonians towards Russians is clearly more negative than that of Latvians Although no violent Incidents between the two groups have been reported so far Koilist predicted big dtffi cultlee for the future when the isolated Russian community has to be Integrated In Estonian society
'Most of the Russians Uwe tn areas where the neighbours are also Russians Their chil dren play with other Russian children and go to Russian schools Fellow workers at the tactorles are Russians and they only watch Russian TV shows from Ix-nlngrad and Moscow ' he said
In Lithuania the biggest Baltic country, the nationality problem is less severe Out of a 3 7 million population only 340.000 are Russians There are also 200.000 Poles and I 10.000 people of other na Uonalitlea
Lithuania accepted a new clttzenahip law In 1989 well before actual independence, basically giving citizenship to the whole population
But alleged discriminations of Poles and anti-Polish meaj sures have already led to complaints from Poland There have been talks between Poland and Lithuania, where President Vytautas Landsbergis denounced the Polish attitude as a sign of 'expansionism and nationalism'.