Belarusian Opposition Delegation Meeting in U.S. Congress :: Charter'97 :: News

A visit of Belarusian opposition delegation to the U.S. capital continues. Yesterday the leader of the Belarusian Popular Front party Vintsuk Vyachorka, the chairman of the United Democratic party Anatol Lyabedzka, First Secretary of the Party of Communists of Belarus Syarhei Kalyakin, a wife of the political prisoner Iryna Kazulina and a chairman of a working group of the Non-governmental Organizations Assembly Syarhei Matskevich held meetings in the Congress and the U.S. National Security Council.

The democrats who hold majority in the U.S. Congress have no divergences with Bush administration and the Republican Party on the policy towards Belarus, told the BPF leader Vintsuk Vyachorka after the meeting in the Congress.

“A consensus exists here. One of the important questions during the meeting with the new Chairman of the U.S. Commission for Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission) Alcee Hastings was whether anything would change in the policy towards Belarus under the new Democratic majority in the Congress. Mr. Hastings assured us that absolutely nothing would change. “Belarus Democracy Act” has been initiated both by Democratic and Republican Representatives, by the way. Mr. Hastings has a high opinion of this act,” Vyachorka said to Radio Svaboda.

Mr. Hastings visited last presidential election in Belarus as an observer. He expressed his conviction that Russia is exerting pressure on Belarus now, and it has nothing in common with urging Belarus to follow the democratic path of development.

A talk with the former U.S. Ambassador to Belarus Michael Kozak, who who is responsible for democracy, human rights and international affairs issues in the National Security Council now, has taken place.

“Ambassador Kozak discussed the situation in Belarus in general and in the democratic forces with us. It is clear that Mr. Kozak is not merely interested in Belarus, but he does so enthusiastically. By the way, he wears a white-red-white bracelet all the time,” the politician said.

In Washington Mr. Vyachorka offered to work up a positive program of support to Belarus under a condition of realizing democratic requirements, an American analogue to the European Commission document, and to spread it out. Anatol Lyabedzka offered to initiate Congress hearings on Belarus in connection with the new situation in its foreign policy and economy. Iryna Kazulina calls upon the U.S. to bring up the issue of Belarusian political prisoners’ release over and over again.