Solana had good relations with last dictator of Europe

The EU’s high representatives said he wouldn’t make any conditions for the authorities of Belarus.

Javier Solana, the EU’s High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy and Secretary General of the EU’s Council, told journalists in Minsk he hoped for deeper and closer cooperation between the European Union and Belarus.

The EU’s high representative said his visit was the beginning of a deeper and closer interaction between the European Union and Belarus.

J. Solana emphasised he was optimistic about for the future and added he hoped for developing of deeper relations between Belarus and the European Union. J. Solana said he had "a very long meeting" with president and "a very good meeting" with foreign minister Syarhei Martynau and in the morning he had met opposition representatives.

"We will meet again in March. It will be a very important meeting," Solana said.

Asked what terms Belarus was supposed to meet, he said he hadn't come to impose terms and that the EU was building relations with other countries on a no terms basis.

Belarusian foreign minister Syarhei Martynau, for his part, said that Belarusian-EU relations were pre-determined geographically.

"Those are relations in the economic, energy and transit spheres and in fighting such challenges as illegal migration and organized crime," Martynau said.

The Belarusian foreign minister S. Martynau said he hoped Thursday's meeting would pave the way for cooperation between the EU and Belarus. He also stressed the Minsk talks focused on mutual steps towards improving relations.

Solana leaving Belarus in good mood

Commenting on a two-hour meeting with Alyaksandr Lukashenka to Radio Svaboda, Javier Solana noted it was not talks but thoughts exchange on further developing. All in all, he is glad with his meetings with Lukashenka, Martynau, and representatives of the Belarusian opposition.

He said his meetings in Minsk were constructive. J. Solana said they had discussed all difficult issues and was satisfied with the results. He added he’d got an impression that Belarusian president had a desire to work in the direction of the EU’s Eastern Partnership Initiative. He said he was leaving the country in a good mood.

What concerns possible visit of Lukashenka to the EU’s summit in Prague and in Brussels, Solana said he didn’t know if the Belarusian president would receive an invitation, as this is decided by the EU’s presidency.

Commenting on detention of the businessmen in Vaukavysk, and crackdown of youth rallies ahead of his visit, Solana noted that everything that must have been said, was said, and what should have been criticised, was criticised. He said he found the results constructive.

Solana ducked the question about concrete “difficult” issues, discussed at the meeting with Lukashenka. He stressed they had establish good relations, and all question could be solved not under the table, but at the table, in an open way. He added he hoped for solving of all existing problems.

Solana refused to answer a question about possible Belarus’s joining the EU. He said this question hadn’t been raised, only the Eastern Partnership Initiative, which had possibilities to develop partnership with Belarus in economy and policy, had been discussed.

What concerns formal results of the meeting, Solana noted signing of documents hadn’t been discussed, but the sides had tuned the relations, which is more important than any document.

Note of www.charter97.org: Judging by statements of the EU’s Council, he forgot that in 2006, the European Union made 12 proposals for the Belarusian authorities on normalization of relations. One of the main requirements is release of prisoners of conscience. Former political prisoner Alyaksandr Kazulin told Javier Solana about the increasing number of political prisoners in Belarus.

The European Union has been stating it is going to follow this document and normalization of relations between official Minsk and Europe is impossible without accepting of 12 proposals. The European Union urged the Belarusian authorities to:

1. respect the right of the people of Belarus to elect their leaders democratically – their right to hear all views and see all election candidates; the right of opposition candidates and supporters to campaign without harassment, prosecution or imprisonment; independent observation of the elections, including by Belarusian non-governmental organisations; their freedom to express their will and have their vote fairly counted;

2. respect the right of the people of Belarus to independent information, and to express themselves freely e.g. by allowing journalists to work without harassment or prosecution, not shutting down newspapers or preventing their distribution;

3. respect the rights of non-governmental organisations as a vital part of a healthy democracy – by no longer hindering their legal existence, harassing and prosecuting members of NGOs, and allowing them to receive international assistance;

4. release all political prisoners – members of democratic opposition parties, members of NGOs and ordinary citizens arrested at peaceful demonstrations or meetings;

5. properly and independently investigate or review the cases of disappeared persons;

6. ensure the right of the people of Belarus to an independent and impartial judicial system – with judges who are not subject to political pressure, and without arbitrary and unfounded criminal prosecution or politically-motivated judgements such as locking-up citizens who peacefully express their views;

7. end arbitrary arrest and detention, and ill-treatment;

8. respect the rights and freedoms of those Belarusian citizens who belong to national minorities;

9. respect the rights of the people of Belarus as workers – their right to join a trade union and the right of trade unions to work to defend the people’s rights;

10. respect the rights of the people of Belarus as entrepreneurs to operate without excessive

intervention by the authorities;

11. join the other nations of Europe in abolishing the death penalty;

12. make use of the support which the OSCE, the EU and other organisations offer to Belarus to help it respect the rights of its people.