Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-07-05-Speech-4-172"
Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
---|---|
rdf:type | |
dcterms:Date | |
dcterms:Is Part Of | |
dcterms:Language | |
lpv:document identification number |
"en.20010705.8.4-172"2
|
lpv:hasSubsequent | |
lpv:speaker | |
lpv:spokenAs | |
lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, these are tense times for President Lukashenko. In just over two months’ time presidential elections will be taking place in his country, White Russia. Not without reason the power-hungry White Russian head of state is rather concerned about the outcome. For example, will the opposition succeed in uniting behind one candidate? Will it, moreover, be able to develop a strategy for cooperation with the growing number of critics in the Lukashenko camp?
In addition the neutral attitude of his Russian counterpart Putin must be uncomfortable. What is more, recent opinion polls cannot be reassuring either. Finally, the grave accusations of two senior magistrates of the White Russian Public Prosecutor’s Office, place the president himself, together with the country’s present Attorney General, in a very unflattering light: it is alleged that on their orders specially formed death squads liquidated no less than 30 citizens in the period 1998-2000. These include prominent missing persons such as the former White Russian Minister of Internal Affairs Zacharenko, the opposition politician Gontshar and the White Russian television reporter Sawadski.
In order to secure his reelection above everything else the autocrat in Minsk eschews no means of neutralising his political rivals – ‘depicted’ in the state media as enemies of the people and criminals – in advance. No wonder that over half the population state in opinion polls that they do not expect fair and free presidential elections on 9 September.
Once again, an understandable attitude. Because President Lukashenko is trying to frustrate all efforts in that direction – specifically a network of local, officially registered observers, actively supported by the OSCE mission in Minsk. In this connection see particularly the presidential decree of 12 March, approved by parliament on 7 June.
In view of the influence on developments that Moscow can exert on developments in Minsk, participation of Russian monitors in an OSCE mission to observe the presidential elections of 9 September would be advisable. I should like to know whether Commissioner Patten is able and willing to take initiatives in this direction."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples