BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS
DATE:
10/03/2008
Belarus Recalls Ambassador Over U.S. Economic Sanctions While Washington Says Ambassador Will Remain In Minsk
Minsk has recalled Ambassador to the United States Mikhail Khvastou for consultations over economic sanctions imposed in November 2007 by the U.S. Treasury Department against Belarus's largest petrochemical company, Belnaftakhim, Belapan and RFE/RL's Belarus Service reported on March 7. "This step was forced upon us, and it may lead to a search for some sort of a compromise. But, I repeat, the American side forced us to take this step," Anatol Krasutski, the deputy chairman of the foreign relations committee in the Belarusian Chamber of Representatives, said on March 7. The U.S. Treasury Department has frozen all assets under U.S. jurisdiction belonging to Belnaftakhim and its representatives, and has forbidden Americans from doing business with the company on the grounds that it is controlled by Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka. Belarusian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrey Papou said the same day that U.S. Ambassador to Belarus Karen Stewart "has been urgently recommended to leave Minsk for the same purpose." Papou continued: "During a rather long period of time, Belarus took quite a number of consistent and constructive steps for the purpose of normalizing relations with Western countries. By ignoring agreements reached earlier, the United States has violated the agreed procedure of actions toward the normalization of the relations." Papou was referring to the Helsinki Final Act, in which the United States "pledged to refrain from any act of economic compulsion aimed at subordinating the exercise by other participating states of the rights inherent to their sovereignty [or] its own interests." AM
U.S. State Department spokesman Tom Casey said on March 7 that U.S. Ambassador to Belarus Stewart will remain in Minsk, despite the Belarusian government's "urgent recommendation" that she return to the United States for consultations, Belapan and RFE/RL's Belarus Service reported. Stewart "is in Minsk and she will remain in Minsk while we continue to review the situation," Casey said. "It is important, we think, to have our embassy there in Minsk and to have high-level diplomatic representation there to engage with the Belarusian government on a number of concerns," he said. "We are appreciative of the fact that they have released several of the political prisoners, and we, in fact, noted at the time that if they were to release the remaining political prisoners -- very specifically [former presidential candidate Alyaksandr] Kazulin -- then we might be in a position to engage with them and begin a dialogue on how we might be able to improve relations. But frankly, if the Belarusian government wishes to shoot itself in the foot, they are welcome to do so," Casey said. AM
Source:
http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2008/03/3-cee/cee-100308.asp
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