"Remove language qualifications for candidates in the election law" was the message, she told journalists shortly after landing at Riga International Airport Feb. 12.
Failing to comply could result in a change in attitude from America on NATO expansion reaching Latvia, she added.
So far, she said, she has done a better job of convincing the Americans of Latvia's serious democratization efforts than in persuading Latvian politicians about the need to amend the election laws.
Vike-Freiberga proposed to the Parliament last December to consider the possibility of removing from the election law what many feel is a difficult state language proficiency requirement for candidates.
She went as far as suggesting that this provision was a violation of human rights, running contrary to the Latvian constitution and the regulations of international organizations.
Several high-ranking foreign officials have approved of the president's initiative. But local politicians have so far been reluctant to give her proposal strong backing.
"We do not make the rules," Vike-Freiberga warned. "We are the ones who need this security. If Latvia shows an inability to leave behind 'the traumas of the past,' its admission to NATO may be delayed."
During her visit, the president met several top U.S. officials, among them former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
She said she tried to convince U.S. officials that, "NATO would benefit from admitting Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia in the next round of enlargement as it would expand the area of security and (NATO) values."
Several NATO officials have visited Latvia and praised the country's efforts to join the defense alliance. But none has dared to comment about the country's precise chances at the Prague summit this November, when it is decided who will be allowed into the organization.
"Candidate states are expected to show goodwill and commitment, because the alliance wants to accept states capable of contributing to NATO," Vike-Freiberga explained.
Latvian foreign policy has both NATO and European Union membership as priorities. The president urged politicians to come forth with constructive proposals and initiatives to amend Latvia's election law.
The Latvian leader had been visiting the U.S. since Jan. 31.
During her stay she attended the World Economic Forum in New York, met with high-ranking U.S. officials in Washington and visited Houston, Texas, a sister city of Latvia's northwestern city of Ventspils, where she held a lecture on Latvian foreign policy at the Baker Institute.
She answered question at the event, available online at www.bakerinstitute.org, and stated that both EU and NATO membership were equally important for her country.
Building a social system and improving conditions for pensioners should be made a priority in Latvian domestic politics, she said.
As for economic ties with Houston, Vike-Freiberga referred to cooperation between the city's port and the port of Ventspils, suggesting that Texan businessmen should step up their cooperation with Latvia.
She also took time out to watch the Latvian ice hockey team beat Austria and tie with Slovakia in the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
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