2002 press releases

USOSCE Statement on Belarus (November 14, 2002)

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to address three issues today in connection with Belarus. First, in response to the Representative of Belarus' comments on opening a dialogue, the United States would like to recall that it has been urging dialogue for a number of months. It appears to us as nothing but a dialogue of the deaf. It is a bit late to link issues that ought not to be linked.

Second, The U.S. would like to take note of the Belarusian delegate's comment that Belarus intends to comply with all its OSCE commitments and to state that the United States deplores the action of his government to further restrict religious freedom, which seems to be in direct contradiction of Belarus' pledge to fulfill OSCE commitments.

The new Belarusian law on religion, which President Lukashenko signed on October 31, contradicts international principles of religious freedom and human rights.

We join the EU and members of many faiths in our opposition to this law, which appears intended primarily to hinder and prevent the activities of religious groups that the Belarusian government considers "non-traditional" faiths.

The law, however, also places unacceptable restrictions on all faiths in some measure, in as much as it requires permission from government authorities for religious processions and other activities such as masses, weddings, funerals, and religious meetings.

We therefore call upon the Belarusian government to take the necessary measures to ensure that Belarusian citizens, regardless of religious faith, have the same opportunities to conduct worship without hindrance and in keeping with international norms on the freedom of religion.

We also call upon the Chair to task the AMG to monitor implementation of this law as well as concerns over media freedom and harassment of civil society and the opposition and to report to the Permanent Council on a priority basis.

Mr. Chairman, last week Secretary General Kubis reported on his trip to Minsk, and Ambassador Gaisenak assured this Permanent Council of Belarus' determination to resolve rapidly the crisis surrounding the OSCE field presence. We would welcome information from the delegation of Belarus that it has received instructions that will enable it to resolve this matter before the Oporto Ministerial.

We would note, once again, it is not acceptable for this subject to be merely studied, particularly as Oporto draws nearer. As the delegate of Belarus has pointed out, without any further progress, we are prepared to take, along with others, both on a bilateral and multilateral basis, measures that reflect our concern over the continued abuse by Belarus of OSCE principles and commitments.

Third, and that connection, we would add that Belarus has a long-outstanding obligation to resolve the crisis over an OSCE field presence in Minsk. We consider it highly inappropriate for Belarus to link a resolution of this matter with the Prague NATO Summit. We further consider it the prerogative of each sovereign state to decide to whom it will issue permission to enter its country. This is a right which Belarus has often claimed over the past year. I think it is only fair to apply it to others. Finally, we further note that, as demonstrated by the worsening human rights situation and the effective closure of the OSCE Advisory and Monitoring Group in Minsk, Belarus has failed to live up to the principles of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council. In light of these developments the United States believes it would be inappropriate to invite President Lukashenko of Belarus to the summit in Prague.