BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

09/03/2007

Belarussian opposition propose talks to Lukashenko - activist

by Prague Daily Monitor/CTK / published 8 March 2007

Prague, March 7 (CTK) - Representatives of the Belarussian democratic opposition have offered President Alexander Lukashenko to launch talks on the country's crisis situation after Russia increased prices for its energy supplies, Belarussian Inna Kulei told CTK today.

Kulei takes part in the One World film festival about human rights, held in Prague these days. She is the head of the Committee for the protection of persecuted persons. Her husband is Alyaksandr Milinkevich, Belarussian opposition leader and former presidential candidate.

"An unprecedented situation has developed after Russia decided to exert economic pressure on Belarus," Kulei said, adding that the opposition wants to prevent the country from losing sovereignty.

"We want a dialogue. There is no point in only distributing leaflets and blaming Lukashenko for dictatorship. This won't change the situation. It is necessary to act," she said.

Kulei said that Milinkevich proposed March 25, the anniversary of the foundation of independent Belarus in 1918, as the date for the negotiations about the country's future.

She said it was pointless to wait for the next elections if one wanted to change the situation in Belarus, calling the elections "farce."

Kulei admitted that the problem of the Belarussian political opposition was its disunity. She said the parties were rather political clubs as they performed no real political activity because no opposition representative was a member of parliament.

She also said she appreciated both financial and moral support from foreign humanitarian organisations.

Source:

http://launch.praguemonitor.com/en/39/czech_politics/2636/