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U.S. Department of State Office of the Spokesman Press Statement

Press Statement by James P. Rubin, Spokesman
April 21, 1999

Belarus: Deputy Secretary Talbott
Meeting with Andrei Sannikov

Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott met yesterday with Andrei Sannikov, former Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus and international coordinator of Charter 97, a broad-based Belarusian organization promoting human rights, to demonstrate our strong support for those in Belarus struggling to restore democracy, which was derailed by President Lukashenko's illegal 1996 referendum.

They discussed the Russian-Belarusian Union. The Deputy Secretary reiterated the U.S. position that integration among the New Independent States must reflect the voluntary will of the people expressed through the democratic process, must be mutually beneficial, and must not erect barriers to integration with the wider community of nations. A democratic process does not now exist in Belarus, and that calls into question the legitimacy of efforts there to realize a genuine Russian-Belarusian Union.

They also discussed the upcoming May 16 presidential election called by the 13th Supreme Soviet, a legislature recognized by OSCE member countries and illegally disbanded by President Lukashenko in 1996. The election highlights the constitutional and political impasse that exists in the country and the need for dialogue with the opposition and with the public generally to resolve the impasse.

We call upon the Belarusian government to initiate a dialogue, to establish conditions for free and fair elections, to release presidential candidate former Prime Minister Mikhail Chigir, and to release other political prisoners. Belarus has an opportunity to join the democratic mainstream of Europe, but can do so only on the basis of democracy and respect for fundamental human rights.

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