Brussels, 10/05/2002 (Agence Europe) - On 8 May, the Spanish Presidency published the following declaration on behalf of the EU in which it again calls on the leaders of Belarus to co-operate with the Organisation for Co-operation and Security in Europe. Here is the text:
"The EU regrets the decision of the Belarus authorities not to extend the Visa of the acting head of the OSCE Advisory and Monitoring Group (AMG) in Minsk, and urges the government of Belarus to remove every obstacle to the proper functioning of the AMG, reiterating its statement made in the OSCE Special Permanent Council in Vienna on 16 April. In this context early acceptance of a new head of mission would be an important signal for the willingness of the government of Belarus to resume a constructive co-operation with the OSCE. The EU continues to closely monitor developments in the relationship between the OSCE and Belarus and believes that the OSCE has a crucial contribution to make to the strengthening of the democratic institutions in Belarus. The EU reiterates the importance it gives to a full resumption of co-operation between the authorities of Belarus and the OSCE. Indeed, the EU considers the said resumption as a token of genuine commitment of those authorities to the improvement of their relationship with international organisations, in particular the EU."