BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

05/05/2008

Eleven U.S. Diplomats Leave Belarus

Eleven U.S. diplomats left Belarus on May 3, RFE/RL's Belarus Service reported, leaving just four diplomats at the U.S. Embassy in Minsk, including Jonathan Moore, the deputy mission chief. On April 30, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry declared 10 U.S. diplomats persona non grata and ordered them to leave the country within 72 hours (see "RFE/RL Newsline," May 2, 2008). The 10 expelled diplomats were reportedly joined by one Marine who guarded the embassy and was not on the expulsion list. "We're considering all options, but this is not a tit-for-tat thing," U.S. Deputy Undersecretary of State David Merkel told RFE/RL on May 2, responding to a question as to whether Washington will retaliate by expelling Belarusian diplomats. There were 32 diplomats at the U.S. Embassy in Minsk at the beginning of 2008. JM

Source:

http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2008/05/3-cee/cee-050508.asp

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