Milinkevich: France expressed unambiguous support for democratic process in Belarus :: Charter'97 :: News

France expressed unambiguous support for the democratic process in Belarus, Aleksandr Milinkevich, united opposition forces` presidential contender, commented to BelaPAN on his Monday trip to Paris at the invitation of the French government.

According to Mr. Milinkevich, he had a 45-minute meeting with Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy and discussed with him the situation in Belarus regarding human rights and the media, the forthcoming presidential election and possible steps on the part of France to help promote democracy in the country.

As Mr. Milinkevich said, the minister promised to raise the Belarus issue during his forthcoming visit to Moscow.

While in Paris, Mr. Milinkevich also met with Laurent Bili, a technical advisor to President Jacques Chirac, a political advisor to Prime Minister Nicolas Sarkozy and the first secretary of the opposition Socialist Party.

He gave an interview to the EuroNews television channel and met with reporters of the country`s leading media outlets. Questions were mostly about the opposition`s winning chances in the presidential election, the possibility of anti-government protests and Mr. Milinkevich`s stance on relations with Russia.