Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-07-04-Speech-4-189"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2002-07-04"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Human rights2
dcterms:Language	"nl"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20020704.9.4-189"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2002-07-04-Speech-4-1902
lpv:speaker	lp:Jan Marinus Wiersma2
lpv:spokenAs	member; PETI (2002-01-17--2004-07-19)3 substitute; Committee on Regional Policy, Transport and Tourism (2002-01-17--2004-07-19)3 member; PES (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 chair; Delegation to the EU-Ukraine and the EU-Moldova Parliamentary Cooperation Committees and Delegation for relations with Belarus (2002-02-07--2004-07-19)3 member; Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy (2002-01-17--2004-07-19)3 unknown; Partij van de Arbeid (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 member; Delegation for relations with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (2002-02-07--2004-07-19)3 member; Conference of Delegation Chairs (2002-02-07--2002-09-24)3
lpv:translated text	"Thank you, Mr President. I share Mrs Schroedter’s view that it is actually regrettable in itself that, within the space of one month, we are having to talk about Belarus twice in the plenary session. This is a bad advertisement for that country. Last time, we discussed the problems surrounding the OSCE mission in Minsk and its closure by stealth. This problem has still not been solved. Up in the gallery, we have Mr Carpenter, one of the diplomats who has left Belarus and with whom we had a talk this morning, and Mr Stakewitz, one of the opposition leaders in Belarus, and I think we ought to give them a warm welcome here. Again, there is talk of a number of incidents relating to freedom of press. Old times persist in Belarus. This is on top of our own experiences. Everything we do there and try to do in tandem with the OSCE and the Council of Europe is often misrepresented in the state media, which always ends up with me, the chairman of your delegation, being alleged to be a NATO spy. This is indicative of the climate in that country. My invariable response is that I am a spy for democracy rather than for NATO, even though I form part of the NATO delegation. I do not want to say too much about freedom of the press; our resolution is crystal-clear. As far as solutions are concerned, I should like to call on the Council and the Commission to try to engage in more dialogue with Russia about Belarus. The Russian Federation has an enormous impact on that country and has, so far, refused to help us bring pressure to bear on the Lukashenko regime. Relations between the EU and Russia, and between Russia and NATO have improved considerably, but we ought to use these to galvanise Russians into bringing about greater democratic involvement in Belarus. The criticism is sometimes levelled at us that, with our policy and our resolutions, we are trying to isolate Belarus, and that this is only playing into Lukashenko's hands. Although I am sensitive to this criticism, I think one could claim that Lukashenko is mainly isolating himself and that we are actually waiting with bated breath for a sign on his part, an essential concession to democracy, so that we can respond by opening up a gateway for his country. After all, we are keen to do something together for Belarus; there are plenty of problems to solve together, but this should be made possible by the regime in Belarus itself."@en1
lpv:unclassifiedMetadata	"(Applause)"1

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