BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

08.09.2005

Poland champions ethnic minority rights in Belarus

Poland wants to build step by step an alliance of the European public and political opinion for the protection of ethnic minority rights in Belarus - leader of the Civic Platform and presidential candidate Donald Tusk has said. Tusk is in Brussels with the persecuted leader of Belarus ethnic Poles Andzelika Borys, who is not recognized by the administration of the authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko.

Andzelika Borys says it is crucial for Poland to win allies in its efforts to help the Polish ethnic minority in Belarus as their treatment by the administration is tantamount to violation of human rights.

Donald Tusk does not predict a breakthrough soon. The talks with the secretary general of the Council of Europe Terry Davis did not bring any concrete decision, he said. But the fact that Davis learned about the situation of ethnic Poles in Belarus is a success, Tusk believes. In his opinion, European politicians still do not appreciate the role of democratic and citizens movements in Belarus. "These talks show that there is much to be done yet", Donald Tusk said.

Source:

http://www.radio.com.pl/polonia/article.asp?tId=27203&j=2