Belarusian Representation in Vienna Keeps Silent :: Charter'97 :: News

Special envoy for issues, relating to the cooperation between OSCE and Belarus, Ebergard Haiken told the “Y.S.News” correspondent that he received this title on March 8. For more than a month they didn’t hasten to make news this public, hoping to reach a compromise with the Belarusian authorities. However, the OSCE’s patience came to an end after they almost banished from the territory of Belarus the acting head of OSCE group in Minsk Michele Rivolier. At the special session of the OSCE Political Council in Vienna on April 16 Haiken for the first time acted in new capacity, rather than as a candidate for the head of the group.

What will be Haiken’s responsibility in the new role?

“I already started holding meetings with the Belarusian ambassador – an official representative of the Belarusian government. We are keeping in touch,” – the “Y.S.News” quotes Haiken as saying. When asked for how long he will run consultations in Vienna, he answered: “I have time and I have patience.”

Meantime, in the corridors of the OSCE headquarters in Vienna they already coined a new satirical name for the group “AMG OSCE group in Vienna” (instead of “in Minsk”), as far as its head-to-be Haiken and deputy head of the mission Rivolier are currently staying in the Austrian capital. Both were granted temporary cabinets in the OSCE office in Kartnerring str., next to the building of the famous Vienna Opera.

At the same time the Belarus permanent representation at OSCE declines to respond to the claims over the recent actions, undertaken by the official Minsk against Michele Rivolier, although these claims had been put forth by the Chairman of the OSCE Permanent Council Mr.Pimentel.