Brussels, 09/05/2001 (Agence Europe) - On 7 May, the Swedish Presidency made the following declaration on behalf of the EU:
"The former Belarusian interior minister Jury Zakharenko disappeared without trace in Minsk on May 7 two years ago. Zakharenko was the minister of interior between 1994 and 1996. He then turned to the opposition and became a well-known opponent to the current regime. The EU would on this day like to draw attention to the tragic event, and also to the fates of other Belarusian citizens who have disappeared during the last years. Official investigations have not yet led to visible results. The EU therefore urges the Belarusian government to shed light on the fates of Zakharenko, former head of the election committee Viktor Gonchar, the businessman Anatoly Krasovsky and the photographer Dmitry Zavadsky.
The Central and Eastern European countries associated with the EU, the associated countries Cyprus, Malta and Turkey, and the EFTA countries, members of the EEA align themselves with this declaration."