About Belarus MFA Position in Respect of the Last Statements of OSCE and EU Chairmanships (press release by MFA press service)

BelTA question:

How Belarus MFA can comment on the statement of OSCE Chairmanship-in-Office and EU Chairmanship made on June 4, 2002 about the activities of OSCE AMG in Belarus?

Answer by Belarus MFA press secretary Pavel Latushka at the briefing on June 6, 2002:

In respect of the statement of OSCE Chairmanship-in-Office we'd like to underline that our country's approaches to the development of co-operation with OSCE are stated in Belarus MFA statement made on May 15, 2002. The above statement clarifies the key of Belarus position.

We have been consistently defending our national interests in co-operation with OSCE and we are still urging to consider results of OSCE AMG in Belarus since it was deployed in 1998 at the OSCE Standing Council. We also suggest determining OSCE AMG tasks and goals, reviewing the mandate of the group because the sides have entirely different approaches to the mandate and functions of the Group.

It would also be logic on the part of the OSCE to develop a unified document, which should contain uniform approaches to the activities of the Organization's field missions in other countries. Today everything is within the authority of the leaders of the OSCE field missions, which does not comply with the spirit of co-operation with the countries of the region, security issues including.

The approaches advocated today by OSCE Chairmanship are short-sighted and in prospect would lead to undermining of trust to the Organisation. OSCE should equally consider the interests of each of its member-countries instead of supporting those of certain countries or attaching political features to the issues where compromise decisions are might be taken.

As to the statement of EU Chairmanship, we also recommend to address to the Belarus MFA statement made on May 15 in which the answer to this question is stated.

The statement of Spanish Chairmanship in EU still gives no answer why Spanish Chairmanship sees no opportunity for the developing of direct co-operation between EU and Belarus but stresses on the development of such co-operation by means of OSCE AMG in Minsk.

We'd like to repeat once again that our point of view was articulated in the Belarus MFA statement made on May 15, 2002.