BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS
DATE:
19/03/2008
U.S. Embassy in Minsk stops issuing visas to Belarusians
MINSK, March 19 (RIA Novosti) - The U.S. Embassy in Minsk has suspended visa services for Belarusian nationals, the embassy said in a consular notice posted on its website on Wednesday.
"The U.S. Government is in the process of reviewing the request made by the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on March 17 that the U.S. Embassy in Minsk reduce its staffing. Therefore, visa processing has been temporarily suspended while our resources are engaged addressing other priorities," it said.
It added that some visa appointments had been postponed.
The mission said that further information would be provided "once the extent of the U.S. Embassy's ability to provide visa services in Belarus has been determined."
U.S. Ambassador Karen Stewart left Belarus last Wednesday at the urging of Belarusian authorities.
Almost two weeks ago, Minsk advised Ambassador Stewart to leave the country and recalled its ambassador from Washington for consultations over new sanctions against Belarus' national petrochemical company, Belneftekhim.
Last November, the U.S. introduced sanctions against Belneftekhim and froze the assets of its U.S. subsidiary. Belarus said the moves breached a bilateral trade deal designed to give better access to Belarusian goods and services.
Alexander Lukashenko, the controversial Belarusian leader dubbed "Europe's last dictator" by Washington, pledged last year to retaliate in the economic sphere and threatened Stewart with expulsion from Minsk.
He also said the U.S. sanctions were caused by Minsk's decision to start oil production work in Venezuela. In December, a joint Belarusian-Venezuelan oil production company was opened in the South American country, with plans to produce about 7 million tons (51.45 million bbl) of oil annually. 40% is to go to Belarus and 60% to Venezuela.
The U.S. and the European Union have accused the Belarusian leader of clamping down on dissent, stifling the media and rigging elections. Lukashenko, who was re-elected to a third term in 2006, is currently barred, along with other senior Belarusian officials, from entering the U.S. and the EU.
The main Belarusian opposition figure, Alexander Kozulin, is currently serving a 5 1/2 year prison sentence for organizing protests against Lukashenko's reelection.
Source:
http://en.rian.ru/world/20080319/101729833.html
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