Just three days after the launch of a 2,000-place, free-of-charge Latvian language training program on Sept. 19, almost all the places had been snapped up

Just three days after the launch of a 2,000-place, free-of-charge Latvian language training program on Sept. 19, almost all the places had been snapped up, reported Janis Kahanovics, deputy director of the Latvian Naturalization Board. Kahanovics said the program would encourage Latvia's 535,000 non-citizens to undertake naturalization procedures, which require applicants to have a certificate of basic proficiency in Latvian. Non-citizens, who make up almost a quarter of the population, are mostly Russian speakers of Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian or Polish origin. They cannot vote in national or local elections and are barred from holding jobs in state institutions. Kahanovics expressed regret that the board will have to turn away people who sincerely want to learn Latvian and become citizens. In its first year the Latvian Language Intensive Teaching Program, a joint effort of the state's naturalization board and the Council of Europe's Office for Security and Cooperation in Europe, will receive funding of $216,000 - pledged by the U.S., Swedish, and Norwegian governments. The United States' and Sweden's contribution is $90,000 each, while Norway's is $36,000. Previously, members of certain professions, such as teachers and medical staff, could enroll on state language training programs at no cost, but this is the first time courses will be open to the public free of charge.