BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

06/03/2007

Belarusian Opposition Leaders Sum Up U.S. Visit

United Civic Party leader Anatol Lyabedzka and Party of Communists leader Syarhey Kalyakin said in Minsk on March 5 that the stances of the United States and the European Union on the Belarusian regime will remain unchanged and coordinated, Belapan reported. Lyabedzka and Kalyakin were commenting on their trip to Washington last week, in which they were accompanied by Belarusian Popular Front leader Vintsuk Vyachorka, civic society activist Syarhey Matskevich, and Iryna Kazulina, the wife of imprisoned opposition politician Alyaksandr Kazulin. "We discussed a great deal of issues, in particular, support for an independent satellite-television channel, the organization of a hearing on Belarus at the U.S. Congress, and a program to combat cancer. A sort of Marshall Plan for post-Lukashenka Belarus was also under discussion," Lyabedzka said. Lyabedzka described as "absolute nonsense" Belarusian Ambassador to the U.S. Mikhail Khvastou's comment last week that the goal of their visit to Washington was to suggest imposing new sanctions on Belarus. JM

Source:

http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2007/03/3-CEE/cee-060307.asp