BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

13/07/2007

Belarusian Lawmaker Slams OSCE Resolution

Mikhail Orda, a lawmaker in Belarus's House of Representatives, has criticized the resolution on Belarus adopted on July 9 by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly (see "RFE/RL Newsline," July 10, 2007), Belapan reported on July 10. Orda told the agency, "The ugliest thing is that the resolution begins with [a suggestion that] Belarus -- a country that has never threatened to anyone, that was among the first to adopt measures to fight terrorism, and that does not have drug trafficking despite being a transit route -- constitutes a threat to Europe!" He continued, "On the contrary, we are contributors to European security today. And it is not clear where we will end up if we now start manipulating the concept of 'security.'" Orda also said that France, with its "Muslim affairs and riots," is a greater threat to European security than Belarus. AM

Source:

http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2007/07/3-cee/cee-110707.asp