Salvation lies

Invitation to Prague to the summit dedicated to the Eastern Partnership program of the EU for Alyaksandr Lukashenka has turned into a day of great lies, a well-known journalist Iryna Khalip writes.

Karel Schwarzenberg, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic which is presiding in the EU now, arrived to Minsk with intent to give the invitation to the dear guest. But two hours before the historic meeting the European Minister wanted to show off for the opposition and he invited a few democrats for a meeting. Importantly he tried to soothe them: “Just do not imagine I have arrived to invite Lukashenka! Nobody wants to see him in Prague, and the decision is to be adopted at the last moment. So far the question remains open. In general, I have arrived to meet with you, and I will drop in to Lukashenka on my way to the airport, though I am not willing, it’s just because of the protocol, damn it”.

Right after the meeting with oppositionists Schwarzenberg went to Lukashenka’s residence and handed him the invitation to Prague. There is no use in asking Schwarzenberg, the Czech Republic as the presiding country and the UN in general, why Lukashenka has been invited to Prague at all – he hasn’t fulfilled any conditions of the European Union; and his country which is called the last dictatorship in Europe for 10 years, has been included into the Eastern Partnership. The answer is know to everyone: it is better to expand the circle of potential friends and allies at the cost of dictatorship, then to allow Russia to swallow this dictatorship and thus advance to the West. Belarusians were stunned not by the glossy paper with invitation to Lukashenka, but by lies of the Czech minister. Moreover, no one had forced him to talk about that, and oppositionists were not imposing their company on the minister, it was an initiative of the visitor. So why have he lied? They could say sincerely: “Well, friends, we have grown weak, we have a crisis, we do not want to waste paper for condemning resolutions, and waste time for endless brainstorming of how to overthrow Lukashenka, which have been fruitless so far. So let him go to Prague, moreover, the Eastern Partnership is not the most important project of the EU, and he is unlikely to become the VIP. At the most he could be sitting somewhere on the edge of the bench. If one’s soul needs lies so much, then he could say something so strong that Schwarzenberg would be carried in arms towards his residence. For instance, he could whisper (“just between us, not for the press”) that the invitation is a part of a combination of many moves for enticing Lukashenka from his safe den in which international laws are not effective: “Let him just lend on the territory of the EU, and he would be arrested there, if not this time, then the next one. The main thing is for him to feel safe and start travelling”. Then the opposition would forget all the demands of the European Union as easily as Europe has forgotten them, and would see Lukashenka of to every voyage by a many-thousand demonstration with slogans: “Bon voyage, dear Alyaksandr!” And he could just have no meeting with the opposition, and then no lies would be needed.

However, Karel Schwarzenberg explained the nature of his lies to journalists in Minsk before leaving to Prague. “I am an old man,” he said. “My memory is serving me not as well as before. And if you have poor memory, you should say truth to everybody, as you cannot remember what you have lied last time. That’s why it’s better to say only the truth every time”. Now everything is clear: minister’s memory has failed him. During the meeting with the opposition he forgot why he had arrived to Minsk, and then, meeting with Lukashenka, he forgot the lies he told an hour ago. Memory often betrays in old age, but is it possible that the problem is so serious?! Maybe the explanation is much easier, and the old forgetful Schwarzenberg didn’t remember where he had arrived, and he took Lukashenka for Yushchenko, for instance?

However, the minister is free to flirt about his old age. He remembered everything perfectly well. He hasn’t forgotten to inform that he “just brought a paper with invitation from the Czech president”. That should mean that Schwarzenberg is just an insignificant person, he has arrived as a messenger from his president. And president Vaclav Klaus on the same evening expressed false surprise: “Who was that monster who dared to invite the last dictator of Europe to the free Czech Republic?” the spokesperson of Klaus, Radim Ochvat, hastily stated that the president “won’t shake hands with Lukashenka” and “won’t invite him to his residence in Prazsky hrad” in case Lukashenka arrives to Prague, and in general the president of the Czech Republic is surprised by the “double standards” in relations with the Belarusian dictator.

That’s it. But the state presiding in the European Union is in charge of adopting decisions formally, and everybody knows that. In fact, decisions on such issues are adopted in Brussels collectively. And European ministers and their presidents can exchange angry words asking who had done that, and promise not to shake hands wit the dictator to their heart's content. But responsibility for recognition of the dictator as their partner now belongs to each of them. Forgetfulness is not an argument. When some European politician easily forgets about political prisoners in another European country and votes for partnership with such a country, he should simply retire. But when a few hundreds of European politicians forget about that, it is not a matter of age, it’s changing their course. It’s no senility, it’s pure pragmatism. Lukashenka is the partner of the European Union, and let him go to Prague, and the Europeans will step aside, hold their noses and bear that in some way. They have managed to bear even more disgusting things for the sake of peace in the world.

However, I am grateful to them, for their cynicism, forgetfulness, for double game and betrayal of “Solidarity” and “Charter-77”, of the things to which they belonged once. I am grateful because the European Union has released the Belarusian opposition from moral obligations and deceiving hopes. Nobody would think any more that Solana is a god from the machine who is to invent a way out of the dead end Belarusian situation. No one would devour every word of any European official saying “we’ll help you, we’ll give you an advice, we know the right way”. No one would agree to take part in the show called “parliamentary elections” only because the EU officials advised that. People still remember the election last year when the oppositional parties like good pupils rushed to take part in the race as smart Europeans had recommended them so. Lukashenka was laughing observing their attempts to be elected in a honest way, and once again stated publicly that there would be no opposition in his parliament. And Europeans who decided to invite Belarus in the Eastern Partnership were loudly expressing their tender emotions over seeing, for instance, a Communist party candidate in the list: “Oh, the democratic changes here are great! A Communist on the list of candidates! And he is going to be elected in the lower chamber, not the upper one!..”

That election campaign ended in nothing, as one might expect. But part of the opposition continued to play in the field of :Lukashenka on the request of Europe. They have got accustomed to think that the EU won’t give bad advice. They are clever. Meanwhile Europe recommended changing wording: human rights are not fashionable now, and struggle with dictatorship is not the current trend. But “dialogue”, “evolution” and other meditational terms are entirely up-to-the-minute. You shouldn’t fight with dictatorship, as it is better to make friends with it. That’s the spirit of our fabulous age. We’ll overcome the crisis together. And many people nodded to this mantra.

Now everything is to become better. One should have to realize that Solana won’t arrive to set free the oppressed Belarusian nation, and won’t bring the NATO cannons with him. We’ll have to decide for ourselves. It will be an honest way.