Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-09-28-Speech-3-363"
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"en.20050928.26.3-363"2
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".
Mr President, 11 years ago, immediately following his assumption of office, President Alexander Lukashenko made a significant pledge to his Belarussian electorate. He said he would revive the Soviet Union. Lukashenko has delivered on his promise. The historic white-red-white Belarussian flag is banned and Russian is the official national language. This absurd antinational policy has now reached its nadir with the existence, in Minsk, of an underground lyceum, which is the only secondary school left in the country in which lessons are still taught in the mother tongue, until such time, that is, as the secret service tracks down the private dwellings that also function as classrooms these days.
Against this background, I support the Commission’s initiative to contribute financially to independent radio transmissions for Belarus. In fact, that is what the Polish Government is already doing. Brussels would do well to take a leaf out of their book. Not only do the Poles earmark considerably more funds, but their programmes will also start straightaway in Belarussian this autumn. Meanwhile, the drastically deteriorated relation between Lukashenko’s Belarus and the three eastern EU Member States – Poland, Lithuania and Latvia – must be weighing heavily on the Commission.
The oppressive regime in Minsk even acts as if a NATO intervention were underway. This may result in a small border conflict. The major security risks for the European Union of 25 inherent in this prompt me to address a few questions to the Commission. What does it make of the initiative by Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Ukraine to coordinate their politics in respect of Belarus? Has the Commission taken steps to persuade Russia to shoulder its responsibility as President of the G8 and make a positive contribution to reducing the tensions caused by Lukashenko’s domestic and foreign policy?
I would ask you Commissioner, as you are replacing Mrs Ferrero-Waldner, to pass on those questions that are, after all, essential to the EU’s security policy, not least in view of the CFSP. I look forward to an answer. I have gathered from church contacts in my own country and scientific information from Germany that fellow citizens in the EU Member States ..."@en1
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