Congress Of Opposition Forces May Be Postponed
Combined Report
Anatoly Lebedko, chairman of the United Civic Party, and Sergey Kaliakin, leader of the Belarusian Party of Communists, told reporters in Minsk that the Second Congress of Pro-democratic Forces might be postponed to a later date. According to Anatoly Lebedko, it is technically possible to hold the Congress later than March 17 and 18, but no decision so far has been made on another date.
Anatoly Lebedko and Sergey Kaliakin changed their approach to the dates the Congress of Pro-democratic Forces to be held after they came back from the United States. Before the politicians went to the US on 25 February, they insisted that the Congress is to be held some time this March. Kaliakin and Lebedko didn’t agree to the idea put forward by BHF Party leader Vintsuk Viachorka (who also visited the US with the Belarusian oppositional delegation) about rescheduling the Congress for May. The European coalition’s proposition to reschedule the Congress for May 2008 was not even taken seriously.
However during the Party’s press conference on 5 March, Anatoly Lebedko did not rule out a possibility that the Congress earlier scheduled for 17-18 March, will be held some time later. He did not mention any particular dates however. The congress is not a boulder that cannot be shifted,” he said. “Its date depends on many factors, including the preparedness of the documents that are to be adopted. Not everything depends on us. The change of the congress’ date is possible if authorities throughout Belarus refuse to provide a suitable hall,” quoted BelaPAN the UCP leader.
Lebedko and Kaliakin said they like the fact that Alexander Milinkevich has welcomed the “Compromise for Unity” proposed by Vintsuk Viachorka, leader of the Belarusian Popular Front. The Political Council of United Pro-democratic Forces has decided that a conference commission should be formed and this decision should be implemented, Anatoly Lebedko said. “If Milinkevich has applied for joining the commission, we welcome this,” he noted. “The only thing that we would like to avoid are new claims and new conditions, which would impede the activities of the Political Council.” If there is a political will to find a compromise, it will be achieved. Milinkevich’s proposition will be discussed at the Political Board to take place next Wednesday. The Board will also look into the technical side of things related to the Congress,” stated Sergey Kaliakin at the press conference.
A controversy about the congress among the Belarusian opposition has erupted after former opposition presidential candidate Alexander Milinkevich announced last month that he will not participate. Milinkevich said he objects to the idea of a rotating chairmanship in the coalition of opposition forces.
Anyway, such change of mind among the politicians after their visit to the US was to be expected. While overseas, Belarusian opposition leaders simply received a confirmation of what they had heard at the top political gathering in Belarus in the end of January. Then, members of the international community cooperating with Belarus, came to Vilnius to speak up as one against holding a Congress if it was to be as soon as in March. The US and Europe are not going to fund the final split among Belarusian democrats – Lebedko and Kaliakin were just refused money for the Democratic Congress. Now they realise that they don’t have sufficient own funds to run it. The situation was even more aggravated by the fact that the ‘Authority Change Program’ the politicians presented was not much different from that used for the 2006 presidential election. The fact that Lebedko was not able to announce the final date for the Democratic Congress means that the US and Europe will be willing to fund this event only with one condition – the participation of all Belarusian oppositional forces, including Alexander Milinkevich. Even though his reputation has been severely spoilt because of the letter addressed to Alexander Lukashenko, the United States only confirmed their agreement with Europe – communication with the Belarusian opposition is to be channelled via its representative Alexander Milinkevich only.