|
PRESS RELEASE
Washington,
D.C., November 15, 2007
Ministry
of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Summons US Ambassador to Protest Over Bush
Administration Sanctions Against Belneftekhim
On November
15, 2007, Karen Stewart, US Ambassador to Belarus, was summoned to the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs to meet with Viktor Gaisenok, Deputy Minister of
Foreign Affairs, who voiced protest against the US Administration actions
against Belneftekhim concern. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus has
handed the US Ambassador a note in connection with the actions. The
Belarusian side stressed that the US Government has violated Memorandum on
Safeguards signed in connection with the accession of the Republic of
Belarus to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, according to which the US
undertook to refrain from using economic coercive measures to subjugate
Belarus to US interests in exchange for Belarus’ refusal of possession of
nuclear weapons.
The note
also reads that the effective agreement between Belarus and the US on trade
relations, which committed the US to facilitate the access and provide
optimal commercial opportunities for Belarusian goods and services in the
American market, has also been violated.
The note
also mentions that introducing politically driven economic coercive
sanctions is inadmissible according to the international law. Several
resolutions of the United Nations condemn unilateral economic sanctions
which are used as a tool of political and economic pressure.
During the
meeting the Belarusian side resolutely demanded that the US immediately
return the assets and property to the legal owner which is the Belneftekhim
concern. The Belarusian side also demanded that all restrictions imposed on
the trade and economic operations of the concern in the US be lifted. The
Belarusian side denies any financial or other obligations which have arisen
or may arise in the US or beyond its border as a result of the decision by
the US Department of the Treasury and vest them wholly on the US Government.
It should
be also noted that Alexander Sychev, Permanent Representative of Belarus to
the OSCE, made a statement on this issue at today’s session of the OSCE
Permanent Council in Vienna. |
