Why does French MFA lobby for interests of Belarusian regime?

The French MFA is trying to persuade Poland to give up its principled position on Belarus.

This statement was made by a representative of the French MFA, Eric Fournier, during a meeting with the Belarusian diaspora. The meeting that took place last week in Warsaw was attended by co-heads of the Belarusian House in Warsaw Zmitser Barodka and Ales Zarembiuk, leader of the association For Modernisation Ales Mikhalevich, coordinator of the civil campaign European Belarus Aliaksandr Atroshchankau and activist Vitaut Siuchyk.

Eric Fournier spoke about his visit to Belarus and meetings with foreign minister Uladzimir Makei (in the picture), members of the “house of representatives”, opposition activists and wives of political prisoners.

According to the member of the meeting, the official say, he heard sometimes contrary opinions on a dialogue with the regime of Lukashenka, but even the foreign minister admitted there were political prisoners in the country. Nevertheless, as member of the meeting say, Fournier finds the dialogue with the regime necessary and will insist on inviting Uladzimir Makei to the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius.

All Belarusian participants of the meeting unanimously spoke against such steps forward until the release of political prisoners and creating conditions for an equal political struggle in Belarus.

Ales Mikhalevich said all attempts to start a “dialogue” with the regime end up in crackdown and new political prisoners. Zmitser Barodka and Ales Zarembiuk said about a difficult state of Belarusian political prisoners, the extension of a prison term for Zmitser Dashkevich and transferring political prisoners to stricter detention facilities.

Aliaksandr Atroshchankau, a coordinator of European Belarus civil campaign and former political prisoner, told charter97.org about his impressions of the meeting:.

“Cynicism and weak arguments are main features of all lobbyists for the 'dialogue' with Lukashenka's dictatorship. But that meeting really shocked me. He said Makei had admitted that there were of political prisoners, but continued to insist on Makei's participation in the EaP Summit. Asked if it would be more logical to return to that issue after the release of all political prisoners, he said: 'If the political prisoners are not freed by that time, summit participants will be able to ask why it has not happened'. The Eastern Partnership Summit takes place in November. The official doesn't feel uncomfortable that innocent people will have to suffer from enormous pressure and ill-treatment in jails for six more months.

I was also surprised by sudden activity in this direction shown by an official from the French MFA. It's difficult for me to imagine that diplomats in Paris really worry about a visa ban on Makei,” Aliaksandr Atroshchankau said.

Uladzimir Makei was added to the list of people banned from entering the EU, the US and other countries for his role in frauds in the elections of December 19, 2010, dispersal of an opposition rally and arrests of opposition presidential candidates. People standing for the “dialogue” with the regime are trying to persuade the EU to lift visa restrictions from Belarusian officials.