BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

13/08/2009

U.S. says Belarus needs more reforms, ahead of visit

BAJORISKIAI, Lithuania, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Belarus must allow more freedom to opposition activists, the media and organisations if it wants U.S. sanctions to be lifted, a senior U.S. official said ahead of his visit to Minsk on Friday.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Phillip Gordon will be the most senior official to visit ex-Soviet Belarus since Minsk demanded last year the departure of Washington's envoy at the climax of a diplomatic row.

The West has for years accused veteran President Alexander Lukashenko of crushing human rights but Minsk has relaxed its grip in the past two years in a bid for warmer ties with Europe, alarming its traditional ally and former Soviet master, Russia.

While the EU has cautiously praised Minsk for its progress, the United States has made no similar moves. Its sanctions are in place and the post of ambassador remains vacant. Gordon indicated his visit would not produce any concrete results on these issues.

"There are specific steps on political prisoners, allowing operations of non-governmental organisations and civil society groups, allowing distribution of the free press," Gordon said late on Wednesday while visiting Lithuania.

"They have taken some positive steps in those areas, and we have noticed, and that's why I am going," he told journalists at the lake house of Lithuanian Foreign Minister Vygaudas Usackas.

"Maybe they are ready to move towards that direction, but they need to do more in order to have sanctions lifted."

The European Union suspended a travel ban on Lukashenko -- imposed when it accused him of rigging his re-election to a third term in 2006 -- after Minsk released the last of what it called political prisoners last August.

Gordon said the United States has recognised that "political prisoners" have been released.

"But there are a couple of outstanding issues where there is possibility for someone to be put in prison for what might be political reasons," he said.

He also said Washington was ready to send an ambassador to Minsk, but "the ball is really in (Minsk's) court and as I have said, sanctions were put on in response to human rights and democracy practices, not the size of our embassy".

Minsk's overtures to the EU have irked Moscow. Russia is pressuring Belarus to recognise the independence of Georgia's breakaway regions Abkhazia and South Ossetia, a move the EU has made clear would unwind their rapprochement.

Lukashenko started looking westward two years ago after a row with Russia over gas prices which Moscow doubled. He broke his years-long isolation from Europe with a trip to Italy in March after EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana visited Minsk.

Source:

http://www.kyivpost.com/world/46886

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