Brussels, 01/03/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 29 February, the French, German and Polish foreign ministers justified the fact that they had recalled their ambassadors from Belarus by their commitment to the Belarusian people. “We are determined to pursue and step up our commitment towards the citizens and civil society of Belarus”, Alain Juppé, Guido Westerwelle and Radoslav Sikorski stated after a meeting of the Weimar Triangle.
Westerwelle said that President Alexander Lukashenko was the “Europe's last dictator. (…) and we have therefore answered with sanctions before our door”. Juppé added that the three Weimar Triangle countries “cannot accept the violations of basic principles” and that it is a matter of “making Lukashenko's dictatorship face up to its responsibilities”. “Belarus is well aware of what it has to do. It must release the political prisoners”, Sikorski put in.
No date has been discussed at European level for the ambassadors' return to Minsk for consultation, a European diplomat explained on Thursday. “They are in the process of leaving Belarus”, he explained, underlining that their return was “a true question, as we need to have contact with the opposition and civil society”. (CG/transl.jl)