A/51/536 English Page 12 reference to the issue of citizenship, the Government of Lithuania stated that it could be acquired by every person permanently residing on the territory of the Republic. However, persons who were citizens of another State, as well as stateless persons, were qualified as foreigners. 41. The Government of Ukraine stated that it had endorsed an ad hoc programme of priority action to settle and re-establish Crimean Tatars and members of other nationalities who had returned to the Crimea, after having been deported on account of their nationality during the years of totalitarian rule. In addition, a special State programme had been drawn up to address the cultural, spiritual, educational and socio-economic problems of the 12 million ethnic Ukrainians living abroad. K. Commitments under international treaties and agreements 42. Germany had signed the Council of Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities in May 1995. With respect to the scope of application of the Framework Convention after ratification, Germany stated that it would apply only to the Danes of German citizenship, the members of the Sorbian people with German citizenship and members of ethnic groups traditionally resident in Germany, namely, the Frisians of German citizenship and the Sinti and Roma of German citizenship. Germany had also signed the Council of Europe European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages and was currently considering its obligations to protect minority languages traditionally spoken in Germany, namely, Danish, High Sorbian, Low Sorbian, North Frisian, Saterfrisian and Romany of the German Sinti and Roma as well as the regional language, Lower German, with a view to initiating the legislative procedures to prepare ratification of the Charter. 43. San Marino mentioned that the Government had signed the Council of Europe Framework Convention. 44. The Government of Lithuania stated that the rights of persons belonging to national, linguistic or religious minorities were protected by bilateral and multilateral treaties. It had signed bilateral treaties with Belarus, Poland, the Russian Federation and Ukraine, in which the rights, freedoms and duties of national minorities residing in those countries were set out in detail. III. ACTIVITIES OF THE RELEVANT ORGANS AND BODIES OF THE UNITED NATIONS GIVING DUE REGARD TO THE DECLARATION WITHIN THEIR MANDATES A. Commission on Human Rights 45. The Commission on Human Rights, at its fifty-second session held in 1996, considered the reports prepared by the Secretary-General on the subject (A/50/514 and E/CN.4/1996/88). It adopted two resolutions relevant to the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities. In resolution 1996/20 of 11 April 1996, the Commission urged States and the international community to promote and protect the rights of persons /...