BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

08/02/2007

EP President meets Belarus opposition leader

President Poettering today met Mr Aliaksandr Milinkievich the leader of the Belarus opposition and former presidential candidate. The Belarus politician has received the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 2006.

President Poettering commented:

"I conveyed to Mr Milinkievich, and the democratic opposition he represents, a strong message of support and encouragement to continue the struggle.

The European Parliament will continue to be strongly committed to the defence of human rights, freedom and democracy all over the world. As the voice of the citizens of Europe, we are the guardians of these values which are the basis on which the European Union is built.

Belarus belongs to the family of European nations. Belarussians have the right to live in freedom. In the European Parliament we strongly condemn the policy of conscious breach of human rights and basic freedoms performed by the government in Minsk.

I have assured Mr Milinkievich that the European Parliament is a firm ally of all the people in Belarus who stand for human rights, freedom and democracy. We in the European Parliament will do our utmost to make it possible for the people living in Belarus to be able to enjoy all those freedoms, which for us in the EU are an everyday reality.

I wished Mr Milinkievich every success. My firm conviction is that victory for democracy in Belarus is only a matter of time. Dictatorships do not last forever".

The European Parliament has adopted seven resolutions on the situation in Belarus since the beginning of this term in 2004.

Source:

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/infopress_page/008-2870-036-02-06-901-20070208IPR02869-05-02-2007-2007-false/default_en.htm

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