Will US demand Belarus to recall its diplomats before May 16?
- 3.05.2008, 11:42
The US has officially warned Belarus, that Belarusian Embassy in Washington and the consulate general in New York can be closed, like the US Embassy in Minsk.
As informed by sources of Radio Svaboda in the US Department of State, the US would demand Belarus to recall its diplomats from Washington and New York before may 16.
Simultaneously searches of a country which would undertake to represent diplomatic interests of the US in Belarus.
An American political analyst, a chairman of the EDK Consulting company Dr. Elie Krakowski says that closing of a diplomatic missions and severance of diplomatic relations is a very rear occurrence in the US policy.
“I believe that the situation is uncommon indeed. The US Department of State does not like to close its Embassies abroad and other embassies in its country for a number of reasons. Closing embassies and severance of diplomatic relations is recognition that all diplomatic efforts had been exhausted and fruitless. Closing US embassies as a rule is connected with unusual instability of a situation in this or that country, or with an expanding armed conflict menace life of the US diplomats. The conflict with Belarus is of a different kind. Considering the defiant behaviour of Lukashenka’s regime, I think that the full rupture of relations between Washington and Minsk is possible. It also seems to me that the US with their harsh position set a wider goal: to demonstrate that as before the White House is not going to put up with crackdown on democracy in any country of the world. However, Washington is taking more resolute steps concerning the countries with which economic, political and partner relations would suffer less because of a rupture of relations. Belarus is obviously in close and dependant relations with Moscow,” Elie Krakowski said.
According to the political analyst, Moscow won’t win anything from the US-Belarusian conflict. “By supporting the autocratic regime of Lukashenka, Moscow causes the same sentiment as China, which supports military junta in Myanmar. The situation with Belarus is not to the interest of Russia at all, as it is subject to criticism of the West for actions against Georgia, and for cooperation with Iran, and for fuel blackmailing of neighbouring and far countries of Europe. The fact that the US hasn’t signed a directive to close the embassy yet, shows the desire of the US side to solve the problems in working order, without excesses. If that won’t succeed, Ithink that the US Department of State, or Bush Administration to be exact, would take extreme measures”.