BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

11/02/2008

Belarus Worried About "Polish Charter" Law

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry has expressed alarm about Warsaw's plans, under a law called the Polish Charter, to grant extensive privileges to people of Polish origin who live in post-Soviet states, Belapan reported on February 8. Ministry spokesman Andrey Papou said the previous day that the enforcement of the law could "seriously destabilize interethnic relations in our country, spark tensions in Belarusian society, disrupt its stability, and give rise to mistrust between Belarusian nationals of different descent." The Polish Charter was adopted by the Polish parliament in September 2007 and will take effect in March. The law grants people of Polish origin free multientry visas, a 37 percent discount on rail travel in Poland, and rights to employment, setting up a company, and studying in Poland similar to those enjoyed by Polish citizens. Charters will be issued to applicants for a 10-year period with a possible further extension of another 10 years. According to Polish official statistics, 900,000 people of Polish origin live in Belarus, though Belarus's 1999 census registered only 400,000. AM

Source:

http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2008/02/3-cee/cee-110208.asp

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