Ronald Pofalla: «Dialogue with the West may not be held along with the opposition persecution» :: Charter'97 :: News

German policymakers responded skeptically to Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s utterances to the Die Welte about Belarus’ approaching the European Union. As secretary of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Ronal Pofalla who, together with Mari Louise Beck, the Bundestag deputy from the Green party, arrived to Minsk lately, declared the Belarusian authorities might not rely on the dialogue with the West along with the opposition persecution.

Statements of the German policymakers were published in the today’s issue of the Tagesspiegel, reports the Radio Svaboda.

According to Ronal Pofalla, the official Minsk has to meet the requirements of the European Union, which were forwarded by Brussels last year as their first steps towards the dialogue. Among these are access of the opposition to the mass media and release of political prisoners, firstly, of the former candidate for the presidency Alyaksandr Kazulin.

“There are no signs of the pressure on the opposition being relaxed,” Mari Louise Beck declared to the Tagesspiegel.
However, the German policymakers admitted slight changes in the political atmosphere in Minsk.

“Today it is possible to speak to the authorities more openly than in March 2006,” Pofalla admitted. These slight changes are due to the continuous fuel quarrel between Minsk and Moscow.

During his meeting with the minister for foreign affairs of Belarus the general secretary of the CDU, among other issues, touched upon the repressions against The Belarusian Helsinki Committee- the only human-rights organization acting in the country, which was deprived of its premises. Without a domicile the organization may not continue its activities.

Mari Louise Beck appealed to the European Union for its more active involvement in the destiny of the country. She pointed out that the European Commission has not been provided yet with any office in Minsk. New projects of the European Union for Belarus may face certain problems. The TASIS experience showed that the projects need corresponding visas of the Belarusian authorities.

Mari Louise Beck appealed to the German authorities for Germany to reduce entry visa costs for Belarusian citizens and to establish free entry to Germany for people under 25.