BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

20/04/2006

Ottawa denies Belarusian plane right to land

CBC News

The federal government refused to let an airplane full of high-ranking Belarusian officials make a stopover in Canada Thursday, citing international concerns about human rights and democracy abuses in the former Soviet republic.

Supporters of the Belarusian opposition demonstrate against Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk on March 19. (Associated Press)

Opposition sources in Belarus cited by Agence France-Presse said the plane was bound for Cuba, carrying Prime Minister Sergei Sidorsky and other government officials to the Caribbean island for an official visit.

Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Pamela Greenwell said the airplane was allowed to travel through Canadian airspace, but Ottawa refused a request to let it land here on the way to its destination.

"Recent developments in Belarus have raised serious concerns throughout the international community about the current regime's commitment to democratization and human rights," Greenwell told CBC News Online.

"In light of these concerns, we were not prepared to facilitate the entry of senior-level representatives of the Belarusian regime onto Canadian soil."

About 1,000 pro-democracy activists have been arrested in Belarus since President Alexander Lukashenko claimed 82 per cent of voters had cast ballots for him in disputed elections on March 19.

A Canadian journalist spent 15 days in prison after being detained while covering one of the biggest anti-Lukashenko protests.

In the wake of the election, the European Union called on world governments to refuse to recognize Lukashenko as Belarus's president and impose travel bans on senior members of his regime.

Greenwell said that Canada has no obligation under international law to permit "foreign state aircraft" to use its airspace or land on its soil.

She said she did not know where in Canada the Belarusian plane's pilot had wanted to land, or what alternate arrangements were made to get it to its destination safely.

A story in the online edition of the Cuban newspaper Granma said that as well as Sidorsky, the plane would be carrying "a large delegation composed of various members of the government, the president of the state committee of aviation, the president of the radio and television company, and representatives of that country's largest companies. "

Source:

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/04/20/canada-belarus060420.html