US envoy condemns Minsk's decision to close OSCE Office as mistake

• BelaPAN
• 15.02.2011, 18:52

Ian Kelly, the US representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), has condemned the Belarusian authorities’ recent decision to close the Organization’s Office in Minsk as a mistake.

The government of Belarus should revise the decision, Mr. Kelly said while talking to Belarusian reporters via a video link on Tuesday.The Belarusian authorities decided on December 31 to halt the operation of the OSCE Office.“This is a fully conscious decision based on the absence of objective grounds for the operation of the OSCE mission in Belarus,” commented the Belarusian foreign ministry’s spokesman. “This position was repeatedly voiced as part of the Belarusian side’s official statements for many years.”Minsk’s decision to close the Office came amid criticism of the country’s most recent presidential election from the observation mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.Mr.

Kelly said that the unconditional release of opposition figures detained over the December 19 post-election demonstration in central Minsk remained crucial to Belarus' further relations with the international community.As an OSCE member, Belarus must respect human rights, the rule of law and democracy, he said, noting that compliance with the Organization's fundamental principles was rewarding. The OSCE has no opportunities to impose economic sanctions on a member state, but both the European Union and the United States have moved to adopt restrictive measures against Belarusian officials for their role in the ongoing post-election crackdown on dissidents, he said.Mr. Kelly said that as an OSCE member, the US was not interested in Belarus' isolation. The OSCE was set up to establish contacts and engage in a dialogue, he said.He said that the OSCE would continue its cooperation with Belarus through the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the OSCE media freedom representative, as well as through educational programs.He added that Dunja Mijatovic, the OSCE media freedom representative, had expressed her intention to visit Belarus to study the situation closer. He said that he hoped that Minsk would not reject her request.