BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

26/03/2007

As EU Politicians Express Support For Belarusian Democrats

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who presided over celebrations in Berlin on March 25 to mark the 50th anniversary of the creation of the EU, said the Minsk rally was a "source of immense hope for those in Europe who still endure oppression -- like the people of Belarus," international news agencies reported. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in Berlin the same day that the European Union is ready to form "a full partnership" with Belarus and boost financial aid to the country if it adopts democratic reforms. European Parliament Deputy Chairman Janusz Onyszkiewicz attended the March 25 rally in Minsk. "There is a dictatorship in Belarus.... There cannot be a country in the center of Europe without democracy," Onyszkiewicz told the crowd. JM

Source:

http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2007/03/3-CEE/cee-260307.asp