Budapest  - A top official at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe was in Budapest on Tuesday seeking to quiet the row between Hungary and Slovakia over the latter's controversial language law.

Speaking to reporters, Knut Vollebaek, the OSCE's High Commissioner on Ethnic Minorities, welcomed the rapprochement signalled by a meeting last week between the Slovak and Hungarian prime ministers, but he made it clear he intends to watch whether the two sides keep to pledges issued at the time to follow the OSCE's guidelines on implementation of the language law.

"As the OSCE's commissioner on minority affairs, it is my duty to monitor minority rights, but also to help minorities to integrate into society in the country in which they live," Vollebaek said.

The legislation in question, the amended Slovak State Language Act, restricts the use of minority languages in official communications and public life.

Slovak officials claim the law's purpose is to safeguard the national language of the small, mountainous Central European nation. However, ethnic Hungarians living in Slovakia fear the law could be used to penalize them for using their mother tongue.

Vollabaek expressed regret at the way in which the law was introduced. However, he said that it did not necessarily contravene European norms, though he expressed concern over ambiguities.

"There is no doubt that certain paragraphs in the legislation are unclear and can be interpreted in several ways, so it is essential to work out careful guidelines on how it is applied," Vollebaek said.

Vollebaek met Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai during his visit, and he plans to travel to Bratislava, the Slovak capital, on Wednesday to discuss the issue with the Slovak side.

Last week, the Hungarian premier met his Slovak counterpart, Robert Fico, in northern Hungary. After talking for an hour, they issued a joint statement in which both countries agreed to follow the OSCE's guidelines on the implementation of the language law.

Fico refused to consider any change to the language law itself after his meeting with Bajnai.

He also disappointed many in Hungary by not apologizing for Slovakia's refusal to allow Hungarian President Laszlo Solyom into Slovakia to attend the unveiling of a statue in a majority-Hungarian border town.

That event, on August 21, marked a nadir in relations between the neighbouring EU member states, which have steadily worsened since the far-right Slovak National Party joined the coalition government in 2006.

Right-wing opposition parties in Hungary have slammed Bajnai for what they see as his failure to stand up to Fico.

Around 500,000, or one in 10 Slovak citizens, are ethnic Hungarian.  dpa