BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

25/03/2006

Norway condemns Berlarus arrests

Norway joins EU and OSCE member nations in condemning the arrests of demonstrators and political dissidents in Belarus over the past few days, and the closing of the tent camp on the October Square, says Foreign Minister Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere.

Norway appeals to Belarus authorities to respect the citizens' democratic rights, freedom of assembly and freedom of expression.

The Norwegian Foreign Minister underlines that Norway backs the strong criticism from the OSCE and the EU of the president elections in Belarus.

- The elctions were not (carried out) in accordance with the principles of free and democratic elections, the minister says.

- Norway will actively support the democratic forces in Belarus, and we have therefore decided to increase the support of the Belarus voluntary organizations and the opposition, Stoere says.

He underlines that representatives for the Belarus opposition are welcome in Norway for talks about the situation.

(NRK/Press release)

Source:

http://www.norwaypost.no/cgi-bin/norwaypost/imaker?id=23090