1987. Különkiadvány, 1987.10.01 / HU_BFL_XIV_47_2
The democratic principles that must be the hasis of our policy on protecting national minorities are as follovs:- Every national minority is entitled to collective rights: to jointly foster their language, culture and traditions, and to maintain contact vith the mother nation. The rights of national minorities stem from the humán rights of the individual: people living as national minorities cannot be equal citirens of their country if they do nőt have collective rights.- Respect fór the rights of national minorities is nőt each country's internál affair. As humán rights of a particular kind, minority rights belong under the protection of the community of nations. Every country haB the right and obligation to protest against the diafranchisement of minorities in any country vith vhich it maintains relations.- It is the mother nation's duty to closely monitor the situation of its scattered conational minorities, and to do everything possible in their interest that can be done vithin the framevork of the internetional protection of humán rights.- In viev of the ethnic composition of the population in our region, the minority problem cannot be aolved through a fair redraving of bordere. What ve must demand is nőt territory, bút the 6ame individual and collective rights fór minorities in every country.- Freedom to emigrate must be protected. Bút emigration cannot help the situation of minorities collectively. The members of minorities vho vish to remein must be given right6 such that their eventual emigration vili be voluntary departure, rather than flight.- Where the majority's humán rightB are being violated, tbere can be no hope of respect fór the rights of a minority. Where the national majorities have been isolated and are being set against each anotber, there can be no hope of freely maintaining relations betveen the mother nations and their scattered conational minorities in other countries. Settlement of the minority issue requires more democracy, broader régiónál integration, and closer reconciliation betveen nations. We need a mature long-term strategy. The State's long-term minority policy must strive to bring the actual situation closer to the democratic basic principles, and the State vili have to declare its intention of doing so. A declaration of the State's standpoint vili be necessary fór the folloving reasons:- It vili help to end speculation and dispel 6uspicion.- It vili 6erve as a compass fór 6hort-term measures and provide protection fór voluntary public initiatives that are in accord vith the basic principle6. 6 5
