Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-02-21-Speech-4-204"
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"en.20080221.21.4-204"2
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"Mr President, most of the political prisoners held in Belarus were recently released, in fact nearly all of them were, with only one exception. This does not mean we can be confident that things are moving in the right direction in Belarus. On that very same day, the homes of a whole range of individuals connected with the opposition in Belarus were raided. In addition a secondary school teacher was sacked. By way of explanation he was told that since he was a member of the opposition Civil Party he did not represent an ideology in line with that of the State.
A very strange situation exists in Belarus. In that country, there is a concept of state ideology, and therefore it is hardly surprising that when candidates apply to study journalism, law, and international relations, they have to present recommendations from the authorities. That is how the selection process works. This is totally unacceptable, although we do welcome the step taken and are cautiously pleased about it.
As for Belarus itself, the question that immediately springs to mind is what the underlying reason for such action can be. It would appear that through this action and by consenting to the opening of a European Commission delegation in Minsk, President Lukashenko wishes to demonstrate that he does not feel irrevocably bound to adopt a pro-Russian policy to the exclusion of all others. Indeed, it is becoming increasingly difficult to conduct such a policy in Belarus. The country does not wish to become totally absorbed by Russia. In this instance, even Mr Lukashenko has adopted such a stance, but events speak for themselves.
Russia is quite simply buying up Belarus.
has just concluded yet another transaction, as a result of which it now owns one quarter of the shares in the companies controlling the oil and gas transit routes through Belarus.
share will soon increase to 50%. It also seems that Russia will succeed in persuading Belarus to adopt the rouble as its national currency.
As a result of all this, the situation is becoming increasingly threatening. Support for independent action in Belarus and for civil society is all the more necessary. Support is already being made available, but it must be scaled up. In particular, support must be provided for the institutions that have just been set up in Belarus. I could focus on television broadcasts to the country, which are an important resource for ensuring that the local people know what is actually going on. In my view, we should keep Belarus in the forefront of our minds, because this is an issue for Europe as a whole. We cannot tolerate a situation in which there is a country like Belarus, run by a dictator, in the very centre of Europe."@en1
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"Gazprom's"1
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