Bratislava, February 8 (TASR) - Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) High Commissioner for Minorities Knut Vollebaek arrived in Slovakia on Monday to help resolve the controversy over a state language amendment adopted late last year that representatives of the country's Hungarian minority view as curtailing their language rights.

In the morning Vollebaek met one of the Hungarian representative parties Most-Hid, which hopes to enter parliament after the general election in June 2010.

The commissioner asked whether there is political equilibrium between the amendment and laws governing the use of ethnic-minority languages and concerning the minorities themselves. Bugar replied that it won't be possible to adopt any legislation to improve matters before the elections in June.

Nor does the language amendment benefit relations between Slovaks and Hungarians, given that the legislation came into force only months prior to the parliamentary elections, said Bugar, who also complained about the fines laid down for the illegal use of minority languages when dealing with the authorities.

Later in the day Vollebaek is scheduled to meet President Ivan Gasparovic, Premier Robert Fico, Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak and other representatives of the Hungarian minority.

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