Today US Charge d’Affaires in Minsk visited Presidential Administration
- 21.05.2008, 11:10
Today morning Jonathan Moore, US Charge d’Affaires in Minsk, has visited the Administration of the Belarusian president. “I really was in the Presidential Administration today, but cannot reveal any details still. First I am to report about that to our government in Washington,” Mr. Moore said to the Charter’97 press-center.
The US diplomat hasn’t informed which officials of the presidential administration he met. “It’s true, we had a meeting. We hope that I will comment on that today. It’s a duty of diplomats to meet with people representing all sides. We still have diplomats in Belarus, and as Charge d’Affaires I am always ready to meet with different people,” Jonathan Moore said to the Charter’97 press-center.
“The US Embassy in Minsk continues its work. The US position towards the Belarusian authorities hasn’t changed. As before, we insist on carrying out political and economic reforms in Belarus. Release of political prisoners should become the first step on the path of reforms,” the diplomat said.
It should be reminded that the US Treasury imposed sanctions against Belneftekhim company on 13 November 2007. In particular, the sanctions provide freezing of any bank accounts of these entities that are within US jurisdiction and Belneftekhim representative offices in Germany, Latvia, the Ukraine, Russia, and China, and its wholly-owned US subsidiary Belneftekhim USA, Inc.
According to the guidance to the sanctions issued in March 2008, the sanctions were also extended to the entities, where Belneftekhim has direct or indirect income of at least 50 per cent.
After that ambassador Mikhail Khvastou was recalled from Washington for consultations. On 12 March US ambassador Karen Stewart left Minsk on the insistence of Belarus. The US was recommended to reduce its embassy staff. In response the US embassy suspended visa issuing. 17 American diplomats left Minsk on 27 March.
On 31 March Belarus decided on further reducing of its embassy staff in Washington and proposed the US to do the same. The US refused to cut down the number of its diplomats. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus declared 10 American diplomats persona non grata. They left Belarus on May 3.