BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

20/04/2006

Canada refuses refueling stop for Belarus PM

HAVANA (Reuters) - Canada refused to allow Belarussian Prime Minister Sergei Sidorsky's plane to land for refueling en route to Cuba on Thursday, a Belarussian diplomat and Canadian officials said.

Ottawa, which last month froze most ties with Belarus to protest against the controversial March 19 presidential vote, said it had strong concerns about the country's commitment to democratization and human rights.

"In light of these concerns, we were not prepared to facilitate the entry of senior-level representatives of the Belarussian regime onto Canadian soil," said foreign ministry spokeswoman Pamela Greenwell.

In Havana, Belarussian embassy councilor Victor Kozintsey said the reason Canada gave was that Sidorsky's delegation included officials banned from entering the European Union for their role in the presidential election.

The plane refueled in Boston instead, delaying Sidorsky's arrival in Havana, Kozintsey said.

"This is so childish. Does Canada belong to the European Union?" Kozintsey said. "The United States is more friendly than Canada," he commented.

The EU imposed a visa ban on top Belarussian officials considered responsible for the elections, which the United States, Canada and the EU condemned as unfair.

Communist Cuba was among the first countries to recognize the re-election of Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko for a third term.

Sidorsky, who was reappointed on Monday, was expected to meet President Fidel Castro on Friday afternoon.

Havana established diplomatic relations with the former Soviet republic in 1992. Cuba's ruling Communist Party daily Granma said Cuba and Belarus had "excellent political ties."

Source:

http://ca.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID=2006-04-20T202732Z_01_N20375503_RTRIDST_0_CANADA-BELARUS-CANADA-COL.XML