BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

Friday, 22 April 2005

Rice on Belarus again

Contributed by David Ferguson

US State Department: Rice

Regime change after Belarus' 2006 presidential elections?

US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice continued her attack on what she calls 'Europe's last dictatorship' - Belarus. Speaking at a two-day NATO moot in Vilnius, with Foreign Ministers from the 26 members, Rice, together with Javier Solana, European Union Foreign Policy chief, met opposition leaders from the isolated country. "We talked about several ways that we could support efforts in Belarus. The point was made very clearly that the 2006 elections really do present an excellent opportunity for the international community to focus on the need for free and fair elections in Belarus," said Rice.

"Elections have been an important catalyst in any number of countries now around the world, if the international community makes very clear that they need to be free and fair and is prepared to judge whether they are free and fair," said Rice. Aside from the US State Secretary, Belarus opposition groups in Vilnius also met with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Antanas Valionis and Javier Solana, European Union Foreign Policy chief. "Mr Solana stressed the importance of the opposition and civil society uniting, especially in view of next year's presidential elections. The High Representative also reiterated the EU's support for the democracy process in Belarus," explained Cristina Gallach, Solana's spokeswoman.

"They would like to unify the civil society movements that are interested in changing Belarus. We did talk about the disappeared in Belarus and the need for there to be an accounting for those people," said Rice. "And the fact that this is something that the entire Belarusian population, undoubtedly, cares about because any number of people have had relatives or friends disappear in this society." The United States is talking ever more clearly about 'free and fair' Belarus elections in 2006. "We will support the idea that elections, when they are held, should be real elections," said Rice. "They should not be sham elections and the international community ought to be prepared and ready to help Belarus."

Rice was less detailed on whether the US will support ever more concrete protest plans by the Belarus opposition: "The people of Belarus will have to make their determinations about how they move forward. But the key here is that people ought to be able to protest, to speak their minds, there ought to be free media," said Rice. "The Belarusian government should know that their behavior is being watched by the international community, that this is not a dark corner in which things can go on unobserved, uncommented on, and as if Belarus was somehow not a part of the European continent."

Source:

http://euro-reporters.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=206&Itemid=1