BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS
DATE:
25/03/2008
U.S.-Belarus Ties Worsen, U.S. Cuts Embassy Staff
Diplomatic ties between the U.S. and Belarus have plunged to a new low, as Washington has announced that it is reducing the staff strength in the U.S. embassy in Belarus by almost half, and Belarus confirmed on Tuesday that a espionage ring working for the United States had been uncovered in the country.
The U.S. embassy has denied the allegation first reported by Belarus State television last weekend saying it had no spies working in the country.
In a statement issued on Monday to announce the staff cut, the U.S. State Department said, "The unfortunate actions by the Belarus authorities demonstrate that Belarus has taken a path of confrontation and isolation rather than a path of engagement and democratic reform."
The diplomatic broil between the two nations heated up on March 7, whenBelarus recalled their ambassador to Washington in protest of U.S. sanctions on Belarus' state-controlled oil-processing and chemicals company, Belneftekhim. They also urged the U.S. to recall their ambassador Karen B. Stewart, and Washington followed suit on March 12.
Five days later, the Belarussian Foreign Ministry gave an "urgent recommendation" to Jonathan Moore, deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Minsk, that the United States reduce the size of its embassy staff.
Russia's ITAR-TASS news agency quoted Andrei Popov, press secretary of the Belarussian Foreign Ministry, as saying that with this, staffing at the U.S. embassy would be equal with the Belarussian embassy in Washington, which has 18 diplomats.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said on Monday that Visa processing in Belarus is temporarily suspended. On Tuesday, a representative of the Belarussian intelligence service KGB reiterated, "the report about a spying network made up of 10 Belarussian nationals is completely true."
Source:
http://www.rttnews.com/forex/gblnews.asp
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