OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Working Group on Belarus visits Minsk

MINSK, 5 February 2002 - Three members of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly ad hoc Working Group on Belarus, Uta Zapf (MP, Germany), the Chair of the Group, Urban Ahlin (MP, Sweden), and Helena Demakova (MP, Latvia) visited Minsk from 3 to 5 February.

The goal of the visit was to continue discussions begun during the Group's visit in November 2001 on ways in which the OSCE PA can reinvigorate a dialogue with the Belarusian authorities and with other political and social forces in the country on the continued basis of the four criteria established during the pre-election period. In doing so, the Group aims to assist Belarus in overcoming its isolation and in enhancing the democratization process in the country. The visit also served as an opportunity to assess the situation in the country in light of the upcoming decision of the 21 February meeting of the Standing Committee of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly with regard to the representation of Belarus in the Assembly. The delegation's finding will serve as a basis for the Standing Committee's decision.

During the course of the visit, the delegation met Mr. Voitovich, Chairman of the Council of the Republic, Mr. Popov, Chairman of the House of Representatives, as well as other parliamentarians from the two chambers of the National Assembly. From the government, the delegation met Mr. Khvostov, the Foreign Minister, Mr. Latypov, the Head of the Presidential Administration, and Mr. Podgainy, the Minister of Information. The delegation also met the Advisory Council of Opposition Political Parties, the Republican Co-ordinating Council of Political Parties, research institutes, representatives of civic organizations and trade unions, family members of disappeared and imprisoned opposition politicians, the Belarusian Association of Journalists, as well as OSCE Ambassadors and representatives of international organizations.

During meetings with parliamentary and governmental officials, the delegation expressed concern that the OSCE Advisory and Monitoring Group in Belarus (AMG) remained without a Head of Group since the departure of Ambassador Wieck in December, and that the Belarusian authorities wish to change the mandate of the Group. The delegation urged the Belarusian authorities to accept the proposed candidature of the new Head of Group, to allow the AMG to continue working on the basis of the original 1997 mandate and the relevant article of the Istanbul Summit Declaration, and to discuss the future work of the AMG in Belarus once the new Head of Group has taken up his duties in the country. The delegation expressed the opinion that the inability to quickly resolve this issue in a positive way could become an obstacle to a deepening of co-operation between Belarus and the various European structures.

The delegation expressed cautious optimism with regard to steps being taken to move ahead with legislation related to the four criteria. In particular, the delegation was pleased to learn that a draft media law was in the final stages of preparation, that this draft law would be further discussed publicly with relevant civic organizations and that it would also be sent to the relevant bodies of the OSCE and the Council of Europe for expert analysis before being considered by the National Assembly. The delegation also took note of the continued work on the electoral code within the framework of the recommendations of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Inter-Parliamentary Assembly as well as some proposed legislation aimed to expand the powers of the parliament. It is hoped that these efforts will ultimately result in legislation, which meets international standards and the proper implementation of which will contribute to the democratization process in Belarus.

The delegation expresses its concern over the recent proposal to introduce a new licensing procedure, which could hinder the ability of research institutions to carry out research and present accurate information to the public. Such measures could also further hinder the ability of civic organizations and political parties in their efforts to reach out to the public. The delegation also urges the appropriate Belarusian authorities to reinvigorate the investigations into the cases of disappeared opposition politicians and to follow through on public statements regarding the possible release of Mr. Klimov in the near future.

Ms. Zapf, Mr. Ahlin, and Ms. Demakova express their gratitude to all their interlocutors for the frank and open discussions that took place during the visit and look forward to continuing such discussions during future visits.