Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-07-04-Speech-4-191"
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"en.20020704.9.4-191"2
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"Mr President, three weeks ago the European Parliament was highly critical of Belarus’ closure of the OSCE office. The fact that its top official Andrew Carpenter, who has been deeply involved in democracy and human rights in this European state, failed to received an extension to his visa in practice meant the closure of the office.
Now we are once again lamenting the infringement of human rights in Belarus, injustices against journalists, dissidents, people who are subjected not only to trial and serious prison terms but who are also violated, degraded and sidelined from official society. People have actually lost their lives in the fight for democracy in Belarus. This is a further expression of the lack of faith in the political and popular legitimacy of the country’s own regime.
The Commission, represented here by Commissioner Diamantopoulou, must now seriously review the European Union’s strategy with regard to Belarus. The country is, and has long been, isolated. We must not give an inch in our demands regarding human rights, but we must, at least at a lower technical level, open a dialogue with Belarus. Despite everything, it is a European state. It is a neighbour of Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, of the enlarged EU. A new strategy is required.
Allow me to mention a few points which may serve as suggestions for such a strategy. Firstly, no one person, namely President Lukashenko, can stand in the way of a whole country of ten million inhabitants. These people must be given a European vision, must be given hope of a different future. Secondly, civil society must be strengthened and local elections in Belarus prioritised as an expression of strong grassroots involvement in democracy in this country. Thirdly, election rules in the country must be more open and create greater confidence that elections actually are reliable and fair, which has not previously been the case. Fourthly, we in the EU must act in such a way as to avoid strengthening polarisation in Belarus. We must support democracy but without splitting the country. Fifthly, we must continue in our single-minded fight for human rights. Belarus may once again crop up under topical and urgent matters in the European Parliament in September. Sixthly, we must remind Belarus and President Putin that they have a responsibility within the framework of the union with Belarus to stand up for human rights in this country."@en1
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