2006 press releases

U.S. Embassy Statement on January 10 Belarusian State TV Panarama Program

In its January 10 2006 "Panorama" program Belarusian TV (BTV) continued its crude and unconscionable effort to misinform Belarusians about the views and activities of the United States and American diplomats. The program purported to present the views and words of Ambassador Krol on a variety of subjects but, as usual, BTV presented instead its own deliberately distorted commentary. Ambassador Krol did not make many of the statements attributed to him in the program, including those about the Belarusian constitution and economy. The program also distorted or exaggerated comments Ambassador Krol made at a recent press briefing he gave in Washington DC. The purported quote from Secretary of State Rice is a complete fabrication. Furthermore, BTV made no effort to confirm any of its "information" with the U.S. Embassy.

In accusing Ambassador Krol of undiplomatic behavior and "sin and slander against Belarus," BTV demonstrates ignorance of a professional diplomat's function. Ambassador Krol, like any professional diplomat, presents and explains publicly and privately the policies and views of the United States government. Sometimes these views will not accord with the views of the Belarusian authorities just as the views of the Belarusian authorities may not accord with the views of United States authorities. This is commonly accepted diplomatic practice in relations among states.

The program asked "Since when have U.S. diplomats begun speaking on behalf not only of the U.S. but also the European Union?" The United States and the European Union share identical views on Belarus as has been demonstrated repeatedly in press releases, joint press conferences and the statements of senior U.S. and European Union diplomats, including Secretary of State Rice and EU High Representative Solana.

The Index of Economic Freedom report mentioned in the program is a product of the private Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal and reflects the views of experts from those respected organizations. It is not an official document of the United States Government, and Ambassador Krol never mentioned it in any commentary.

Finally, to set the record straight on how the U.S. views the upcoming presidential elections in Belarus, the United States is deeply concerned that the Belarusian authorities' monopolistic, propagandistic control of the media, its control over the makeup of the election commissions and blatant use of legal and other forms of intimidation preventing Belarusians from hearing or advocating alternative political views cast serious doubt on the freedom and fairness of the political and election processes in Belarus.

The Belarusian constitution guarantees the democratic freedoms of the Belarusian people to select their leaders in a free and fair contest and guarantees free access to information. Belarus is also committed to uphold these basic rights as a member of the OSCE. The United States has always been and will remain a staunch defender of the democratic rights of the Belarusian people and peoples everywhere. This policy reflects America's high respect for Belarus -- not slander.