Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-10-27-Speech-3-113"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20041027.8.3-113"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
".
Mr President, dear colleagues, if we just look at a map, we would see immediately that the expansion of the European Union offered Belarus a unique opportunity, if that opportunity itself is not only theoretical. Both of these ‘ifs’ are the particularly fragile props, on which we can only imagine Belarus as a bridge between the European Union and Russia. The Belorussian bridge would be needed by all three sides, and profitable for Belarus itself. However, first there has to exist a democratic, independent Belorussian state. At present Belarus is a semi-dependent protectorate, ruled by an autocratic dictator, supported by Russia. Those who believe that everything in Belarus, including the elections, depends only on Mr Lukashenko, are wrong. When we criticise only the rulers of Belarus, we are departing from reality. Since 1997 a Russia-Belarus union has formed, which is expanding in the direction of ever greater state amalgamation. And so Russia's responsibility must not be ignored. For instance Mr Lukashenko appointed General Ushopchik, a man wanted by the Court of Lithuania for the murder of unarmed civilians during the events in Vilnius in 1991, a Vice-Minister in today's Belorussian Government. We hope that Lukashenko made this political provocation without instruction from Moscow's advisers. But as for his friendship with the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein, including arms trading, it is doubtful whether this could have been achieved without Moscow's approval. It seems that the present situation is useful to Russia. Were it not useful to Russia, the situation there would have changed long ago and the country would not be run by Lukashenko. But the protectorate is given to none other than Lukashenko. Not only to the country, but to the regime. The situation will change when Russia understands that this is not the most useful scenario for Russia either. Meanwhile an information centre on a democratic Belarus could already be operating now in Brussels, if the European Union were to help found it."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples