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Officer of US State Department meets with pro-democratic presidential contenders

Daniel Russell, US deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs who arrived in Minsk on Wednesday, met with pro-democratic presidential contenders to discuss Belarus’ ongoing presidential campaign, BelaPAN said.

Taking part in the meeting were Ales Mikhalevich, a former deputy chairman of the Belarusian Popular Front; Yaraslaw Ramanchuk, the presidential nominee of the United Civic Party; and Mikalay Statkevich, chairman of the Narodnaya Hramada Belarusian Social Democratic Party, as well as representatives of three more opposition presidential hopefuls -- Andrey Sannikaw, leader of an opposition group called European Belarus; the Belarusian Christian Democracy party`s nominee Vital Rymashewski; and Uladzimir Nyaklyayew, leader of the "Tell the Truth!" campaign.

Pavel Sevyarynets, who represented Mr. Rymashewski at the meeting, told BelaPAN that the observation of the ongoing campaign and “the problem regarding political prisoners in Belarus” topped the agenda.

“I also raised the denial of registration for the Belarusian Christian Democracy party and the woes of Minsk-based New Life Church,” Mr. Sevyarynets said. “Overall, I had an impression that the United States believes that something can be done during the presidential campaign for the cause of democracy in Belarus.”

Mr. Ramanchuk described the conversation as a bull session. “We exchanged our opinions in a habitual way, with us focusing on the situation in Belarus and Daniel Russell saying in a habitual way that the US is concerned about the existence of political prisoners and undemocratic electoral procedures in Belarus.”

The meeting also focused on the early voting stage in Belarus’ elections, a lack of transparent ballot boxes and restricted access to the media for Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s rivals, Mr. Ramanchuk said. “Russell is to meet with Belarusian government officials,” he said. “He promised that he would inform them about our opinion. But whether the authorities will listen to it is a question.”