Justas Paleckis: “No miracle has happened. No compromise with Belarusian authorities found”
- 1.03.2010, 15:33
Members of the delegation of the European Parliament have noted deterioration of the human rights situation in Belarus.
On February 25-27 in Minsk the official mission of the European parliament held meetings with representatives of the government, civil society and opposition. The mission was headed by Bulgarian deputy, head of the European Parliament’s delegation in the EuroNest Kristian Vigenin. The delegation included head of the sub-committee on human rights Heidi Hautala, head of the delegation for relations with Belarus Jacek Protasiewicz, Lithuanian delegate, rapporteur on Belarus of the Foreign Affairs Committee Justas Paleckis.
As informed by Radio Svaboda, on February 26 an unplanned meeting of the head of the mission and the chairman of the European Parliament’s delegation in the EuroNest Kristian Vigenin with deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus Valery Varanetski.
And later at a neutral territory, in the National library, the mission met with heads of standing committees for international affairs of the “council of republic” Nina Mazaj and of the “chamber of representatives” Syarhei Maskevich.
“No miracle has happened. There was no compromise,” stated the member of the delegation Justas Paleckis. “But the discussion was very useful, and the main conclusion is that some formula might be found with the course of time. And so far everything indicates that there are more chances all the 10 seats are to be given to the opposition”.
Besides, members of the European Parliament’s mission met with representatives of the Union of Poles not recognized by the authorities and made comments on the situation in Belarus.
“Since December 2009 and over the last few weeks we are hearing about Belarus again, where events with different public organisations are taking place, not only with the opposition,” Jacek Protasiewicz said in an interview to BelaPAN. “Thus, abductions of youth activists took place. They were taken to woods, intimidated. Recently police applied force against old ladies in Ivyanets, expelling them from the Polish House before the ruling of the court. We are concerned by these events and we have come to take in the situation on the spot, to discuss it at different levels, with those who know it, with those who support such steps. We are not looking for negative, but we want to see everything as it is, we haven’t come with a ready opinion”.
The member of the European Parliament has also expressed an opinion that the meeting of Alyaksandr Lukashenka and Polish Foreign Minster Radosław Sikorski hadn’t solved the conflict with repressions against the Union of Poles headed by Andzelika Borys.
“First about the conflict. It is over, when it is finished, when no problems are left,” Jacek Protasiewicz said. “Lukashenka’s statement that he has a desire to solve this problem and he is ready to listen to experts’ opinions, is a very important step I the right direction, but it does not solve the problem”.
As said by him, people from the pro-regime Union of Poles and those who are treated as members of unrecognized Union, have a right to act as independent organisations.
“If they cannot cooperate, why couldn’t they be given an opportunity to work separately, as two structures? This decision could solve the problem,” Jacek Protasiewicz said. “As for the resolution. There are repressions which are used against old ladies in Ivyanets and Hrodna. The EP President Jerzy Buzek asked the European Commission, ministers of the EU countries and the European Parliament to express their position on the situation. The European Parliament is naturally concerned with that”.
During the meeting with activists of the unrecognized Union of Poles, European Parliamentarians were offered documents and photographs, which according to the UPB spokesperson Ihar Banster demonstrate attempts of the Union of Poles legalize their activities and normalize relations with the authorities.
“Compellingly, in detail and in chronological order activists of the association gave to parliamentarians an account of all the events with Ivyanets branch of the organisation in Ivyanets, Minsk region. They also told about actions of authorities against the unregistered UPB. They discussed the situation of the UPB in the context of the general situation in Belarus, which is characterized by violations of citizens’ rights and freedoms,” Ihar Bantser said.
At the moment European deputies are studying the situation in detail. Jacek Protasiewicz noted that after publishing the report of the mission, the European parliament is to adopt a resolution on the situation with human rights in Belarus, and also the decision of the delegation in EURONEST. As said by Protasiewicz, the final decision on the make-up of the Belarusian delegation is to belong to the EU Parliament.