BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

August 04, 2005

Belarus accuses EU, US of meddling in its internal affairs

Belarus on Wednesday accused the European Union (EU) and the United States of interfering in its internal affairs by encouraging an association of ethnic Poles to act against the Belarussian government.

The Belarussian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Minsk did not violate its obligations within the framework of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the ITAR-TASS news agency reported.

The statement rejected as "groundless fabrication" EU and US accusations that the Belarussian government oppresses non-governmental organizations, describing the charges as yet another reflection of the double standards practiced by Brussels and Washington.

The move has once again showed the EU and US attempt to capitalize on all excuses to exert political pressure on Minsk, the statement said.

In March, the Association of Poles, an organization grouping ethnic Poles living in Belarus, elected Anzhelika Boris, who has close ties with the opposition, as its new leader.

The result of that election was declared invalid by the Belarussian Ministry of Justice, and neighboring Poland accused Minsk of violating human rights.

The spats led to an exchange of expulsions of diplomats. Poland recalled its ambassador on July 28.

Both Washington and Brussels have expressed concern over the issues surrounding the Association of Poles election.

Source: Xinhua

Source:

http://english.people.com.cn/200508/04/eng20050804_200235.html