Belarusian Opposition Delegation Arrived to USA :: Charter'97 :: News

A delegation of Belarusian opposition has arrived to Washington late at night Monday because of inclement weather in Washington airport. Today morning an official program of the Belarusian democrats’ visit to the USA has started.

In particular, Belarusian oppositionists are to meet with Senator John McCain, a potential Republican candidate in presidential election 2008. They are to be received by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs David Kramer, and to meet with members of Helsinki Committee in the Congress. Meetings with European Ambassadors in Washington, and researchers, representatives of society and the press are planned. A meeting with the editorial office of the Washington Post is scheduled for Wednesday.

One of the members of the Belarusian delegation, the BPF party leader Vintsuk Vyachorka has defined objectives of this meeting and talks to Radio Svaboda:

“It is the first arrival of a substantial delegation of democratic forces to Washington since the beginning of this year. It has created new problems and new chances for Belarus. It is clear that those in Washington who are in charge of our region, who are concerned about the future of independent states, former members of the Soviet bloc, who are concerned about the situation with democracy and human rights, want to learn our opinion about the situation, about the chances for changes to the better, and how they could influence them. We are set to answer these questions”.

The Belarusian delegation includes the leader of the BPF party Vintsuk Vyachorka, the chairman of the United Civil Party Anatol Lyabedzka, First Secretary of the Party of Communists of Belarus Syarhei Kalyakin, a wife of the political prisoner Iryna Kazulina and a chairman of a working group of the Non-governmental Organizations Assembly Syarhei Matskevich. The visit is to last until March 4.