It is high time to start talks :: Charter'97 :: News

Authorities have to start the dialogue with the opposition, Viktar Ivashkevich, organizer of the European March appointed for 14 October, considers. The full-value dialogue with Europe is impossible without such step taken by the official Minsk.

Head of the organizing committee of the European March, deputy chairman of the BNF Party Viktar Ivashkevich sent the public appeal on “the Belarusian economy being close to crises” according to recent conclusions of the independent economists, the “Belarusi i Rinok” newspaper writes.

Growing external debt of corporations, energy resources price hike and decreasing competitiveness of Belarusian goods as well as export decreasing are indicators of such situation. The only way out of the situation is market reforms, economy restructuring, new investments and technologies. The authorities denied the reforms and started selling the state properties out. But the major direction for the crises overcoming became searching of credits wherever possible and on any conditions”, it is said in the appeal.

“Russia suggests rather tough lending conditions, i.e. full-value payment for power resources and selling of the most liquid enterprises.” Friends” from the”third world” countries offer investments but on their own territories. Europe is ready to give long-term loans only on condition of fulfillment of its 12 proposals on democratization of Belarus.

Belarusian society, government and opposition are facing the choice: either to go to Europe or to be swallowed by Russia”, V.Ivashkevich declares.

According to Ivashkevich, the authorities and opposition as well as the people in general are split into”pro-European” and “pro-Moscow” forces. Thus, the ”pro-Europeans” among the authorities organized the visit of deputy foreign minister Valery Varanetsky to Brussels but it didn’t strike the target. However, the “pro-Moscow” forces organize persecution of opposition youth trying to break the very intentions of the dialogue.

The”pro-European” opposition forces, in their turn, organize the European March and “pro-Russian” are trying to block it. There is no unity in the people either.45% population of Belarus are for integration with Europe and 30% are against .70% population are ready to withstand economic hardships for the sovereignty of Belarus, 30 % are ready to join Russia for overcoming the hardships.

Viktar Ivashkevich makes conclusion that if the present socio-economic course remains the social explosions are inevitable. But the opposition is ready to stop criticizing the authorities during the transient period to market reforms. He considers that the crises may be prevented in case of the dialogue started between the opposition and authorities and the EU joining the process of the Belarusian economy reforming.

It is this autumn that all efforts of the opposition and civic society are to be concentrated on distributing the idea of the European choice in Belarus. That will be the key idea of the forthcoming elections of 2008 to the “house of representatives” and the basis of the dialogue proposed to the authorities. According to Viktar Ivashkevich, the dialogue between the authorities and opposition is required for effective organization of the dialogue with Europe.

Belarusian opposition is ready to prove its” pro-European” intentions 14 October. ”The request was submitted to the Minsk city executive committee for holding the European March. The site of the European March - www.europeanmarsh.org started working. Everyday well-known people of Belarus declare why the are going to participate in the European March .Hopefully, the European choice is to be supported by many people, especially by youth”, Viktar Ivashkevich remarked.