Rytis Kėvelaitis | The Lithuania Tribune
Specially convened EU ambassadors meeting in the Political and Security Committee on Belarus on Friday, August 10, ended up with a moderate position not to pull out all of 27 EU member states envoys from Minsk in solidarity with Sweden.
Before the meeting, there were rumours that the EU’s members could recall their ambassadors to Minsk, as they had earlier this year when Belarus expelled some of the EU diplomats in February.
Nevertheless, the statement of committee meeting expresses “full support” for Catherine Ashton, Higher Representative of European External Action Service (EEAS) and stated official position in August 3rd by voicing “grave concern over the decision by Belarus”. In addition, the EU member states jointly “will tell Belarus’ own envoys to EU capitals that the Union is not happy”.
According to diplomatic sources, outcome of the meeting lacks rigidity due to the forthcoming parliamentary elections in September and to limit contacts before it would not be the best option for the EU. However, restrictive measures against Belarus will be reviewed again by the EU in October.
Despite the President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko verbal threatening to Lithuania by previously stating that “if there is anyone who won’t find it funny, it is Lithuania”, the EU did not mention any kind of support to Lithuania in the published statement.
Lithuania’s politicians from almost all political parties declared sober-minded positions towards Lukashenko statement: Gediminas Kirkilas, former national defence minister of Republic of Lithuania, said that “Lithuania should react reservedly. It is still only a rhetoric which is most likely going to be used for local politics”. Another former national defence minister, Juozas Olekas, stated that “It was a public relations campaign which was done by persons, respectful to human rights. In my opinion, our response should be reserved, moderate and without getting into any turmoil.”
Saulius Pečeliūnas, MP of the Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats party, agrees with previously mentioned opinions: “Everything is still on the rumours level and if there will be any actions taken, then we have to react officially”.
After the Belarus parliamentary election in September, EU might commonly decide to add more Belarusian officials and businessmen to the EU sanctions list.
I agree Michael, I’ve said in one of my last comments that ofcourse we hear all about what the governments – mainly western- “think” or choose to say,I bet they choose their words very carefully to make sure something sounds right -or should I say, so it sounds wrong- but, ohhh no they wouldn’t that, who would do such a thing, what is this word you use, propaganda, I’ve never heard of that before. But that’s the world today and I’ll have to accept it. Like I said before, I do not live in Belarus so for all I know they could be -and probably are – happier than ever. I think that people need to realize that these issues can sometimes be in your back yard, and that what’s in the media is NOT always true. Hell for all I know they’re thriving.
The point being avoided by those with an anti-Lukashenko agenda is that the publicity stunt was a serious violation of international law and an illegal incursion into a country’s sovereignty. It could have ignited an international incident. As it is it has bolstered further Russian and Belarus fears of their being Iranised; ringed by a hostile West.
The Belarus security apparatus had no way of knowing that the aircraft carried a cargo of teddy bears; it could have been something far more lethal. Had they ‘popped it’ we would all have received a teddy bear in our laps, wherever we lived.
There is nothing that we could have done about it other than praise the Belarus for enjoying better security than that of the porous West. Has anyone a clue about the numbers of radicalized anti-Western zealots coming and going in the UK and elsewhere unchallenged.
As a publicity stunt it was an abject failure. Thanks to the Western media, for whom a repressive dictator is anyone resistant to Western pressures, there can’t be one of us who aren’t aware of the situation in Belarus. We hardly need a couple of Swedish publicity seekers to remind us. What next? Teddy bears dropped on London to remind us that the bank-financed Cameron regime is the most unpopular in British electoral history?
The Western Alliance is internationally notorious for propping up dodgy regimes and is highly selective about those it labels repressive. The NATO imposed regime in Libya comes to mind. We don’t see much posturing about the blood-soaked chaos and anarchy they let loose there. I invite these two pranksters to try their stunt there or in Georgia. (the Georgia in the U.S. included).
Finally, any Westerner who believes they live in a genuine democracy surely must believe in the tooth fairy. Taking Britain as an example that government persistently dips its gory hands, stuffed with bankers’ lucre, into the affairs of other countries. In Britain there is hardly a hand raised in support of government’s policies.
I would welcome a challenge to pit Cameron’s (or Blair’s) popularity (after they have lied their way into Downing Street) against that of Lukashenko’s. It isn’t done because they know as well as do you that the results would be far from palatable.
The truth is, we do not have much more democracy n the West than they do in Belarus. A nightstick in the fist of an anti-‘riot’ (protest) cop in London hurts as much as one in the hands of a Belarus cop’s. Can we please have a little less sanctimonious duplicity on this issue, but do feel free to avoid the points I make.