BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

13 February 2006

State's Burns Meets with Belarus Civil Society Representatives

U.S. "remains deeply concerned about the Belarusian government's conduct"

Washington -- R. Nicholas Burns, the State Department's under secretary for political affairs, met on February 10 in Washington with representatives of Belarusian civil society to discuss the state of democracy and human rights in Belarus as the country prepares for a presidential election in March, according to a statement released February 13 by the State Department.

The United States has been encouraging the democratic process in Belarus during the time leading up to the March 19 presidential election but has emphasized that it is not endorsing any specific candidate. "Our principle in this has always been that we support a democratic process, not a particular outcome," Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried told reporters during a February 7 briefing on Belarus at the State Department. (See related article.)

In the Burns meeting, the under secretary assured the Belarusian civil society representatives of the United States' "deep and continuing interest in Belarus, both ahead of and after the March 19 election," according to the statement. The Belarusian representatives attending the meeting included Marina Rakhlei of the BelaPAN news service, Olga Stuzhinskaya of the Office for Democratic Belarus (Brussels) and Olga Tarasov of the International League for Human Rights.

The European Union and the United States recently issued a joint statement expressing disappointment that Belarus refused visas to officials who wished to convey international concerns over "undemocratic conditions" that threaten free and fair presidential elections.

It is vital that the March 19 elections be conducted in accordance with international standards, the statement continued, "so as to guarantee that the general will of the electorate prevails." (See joint statement.)

Following is the text of the statement on the Burns meeting:

(begin text)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Office of the Spokesman

February 13, 2006

MEDIA NOTE

Under Secretary Burns Meets with Belarusian Civil Society Representatives

Under Secretary for Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns met on February 10 with two representatives of Belarusian civil society, Marina Rakhlei of the BelaPAN news service and Olga Stuzhinskaya of the Office for Democratic Belarus (Brussels), as well as Olga Tarasov of the International League for Human Rights. They discussed the state of democracy and human rights in Belarus in the run-up to the March 19 presidential election. Under Secretary Burns assured them of "our deep and continuing interest in Belarus, both ahead of and after the March 19 election." Burns sent best wishes to Svetalana Zavadskaya, who was unable to attend the meeting due to illness. Ms. Zavadskaya is president of the Dmitry Zavadsky Foundation, named after her husband, a journalist who disappeared in Belarus in 2000.

The United States remains deeply concerned about the Belarusian government's conduct leading up to the election, harassment of civil society, and failure to investigate seriously the cases of the disappeared. As Under Secretary Burns said in Friday's meeting "We want the people of Belarus to join the rest of the continent and help complete the transition to a Europe whole, free and at peace."

(end text)

Source:

http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2006&m=February&x=200602131519491CJsamohT0.5303003&t=livefeeds/wf-latest.html

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