Karen Stewart: “Parliamentary” polls will be a key test for Lukashenka
- 19.06.2008, 16:15
The Belarusian authorities must free its last remaining political prisoners if it wants an easing of US sanctions and improved relations.
"We look for the release of prisoners and look for what might happen in the elections, which will be a key test of whether Lukashenko is willing to follow through on earlier cautious indications of willingness to reform,” the US Ambassador to Belarus Karen Stewart said to AFP in a telephone interview.
Ambassador Karen Stewart was speaking from Washington after the authorities in the ex-Soviet state forced her and most of her staff to leave the country, which the United States has dubbed Europe's "last dictatorship."
"We're still willing and ready to look at ways to improve our relationship. But it's dependent on some step on their side on the human rights situation and that is the basis for our sanctions," Karen Stewart told.
"We look for the release of prisoners and look for what might happen in the elections," she said, referring to parliamentary polls due in September.
The US has had to cut its embassy staff from 32 at the start of March to just four diplomats today in response to a series of instructions for US diplomats to leave, issued by President Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s leadership.
Tensions blew up after Washington tightened existing sanctions on Belarus, extending them to a major petrochemical firm Belneftekhim and its subsidiaries.
Stewart stressed that Washington wanted the release of all political prisoners, the most prominent being opposition leader Alyaksandr Kazulin, a former government minister who turned against Lukashenka to stand against him in a 2006 election.
In addition, the parliamentary polls will be a key test of whether Lukashenka is willing to follow through on earlier cautious indications of willingness to reform, she said.
"If any time there's willingness to move on some of these, we would certainly be willing to talk," she said.
"The next major milestone to look for improvements in Belarusian political life are parliamentary elections and the campaign period before that," she stated.
Stewart also added that among signs that Belarus might be willing to reform were the release early this year of all political prisoners apart from Kazulin. But the fiery opposition figure remained behind bars and two more political prisoners, youth activist Andrei Kim and leader of entrepreneurs’ movement Sayrhei Parsyukevich, have since been jailed and convicted.
It should be reminded that In November the United States of America slapped sanctions against Belneftekhim concern’s enterprises due to refusal of the authorities to release political prisoners. On 15 May they imposed economic sanctions on three more Belarusian enterprises – Belarusian Oil Trade House, Lakokraska and Steklovolokno. The European Union extended ban for entry the EU countries for Belarusian officials, responsible for violation of human rights in Belarus. The adopted in May resolution of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly calls to release political prisoners, too. In early June the USA and the EU issued a joint statement repeating their demand on immediate and unconditional release of all Belarusian political prisoners. One of the main conditions of improving relations with the West is holding of free parliamentary elections as well as release of political prisoners and stopping of persecution of the dissents in Belarus.