Belarus’ Embassy in Washington tries to rebel

Belarus’ Embassy in Washington tried to refute statements of US Department of State spokesman Tom Casey on participants of the recent meeting between OSCE countries ambassadors and the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The public statement says the embassy expects that the United States Department of State to disavow the statement by the press secretary.

Mr. Casey stated on the briefing on 7 March heads of OSCE mission had been invited to the meeting with a deputy minister of foreign affairs of Belarus. “Our Ambassador was not permitted into that meeting, but was kept outside it,” the American diplomat said. “During that meeting, we understand from those present, the Belarusian Government made a number of accusations against the United States and suggested strongly that our Ambassador should leave,” he continued. “She was then called into a separate meeting afterwards and was then told again that the Belarusian Government believed that she should leave the country and also talked about a number of other possible restrictions on the movements of diplomats and other things that they might be trying to impose.”

The embassy has brought to public information that the Ambassador of the United States to Belarus did attend” the above mentioned meeting. ”Mr. Jonathan Moore, Deputy Chief of Mission, also attended the meeting,” the statement of the embassy runs. “These are the facts, and the official Washington is fully aware of these facts.”

Last Friday Belarus declared it recalled its ambassador to the US Mikhail Khvastou to Minsk for consultations and suggested Stewart to leave Belarus to the same end. The US responded it wouldn’t recall its ambassador. White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said to ITAR-TASS as far as she knew Stewart continued to work in Minsk and no changes would be made in the US approach to that issue.