Uta Zapf: Stick and carrot policy doesn’t have any effect on Belarus

Retiring chairperson of the special working group on Belarus under the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in the interview to Deutsche Welle said that she found the situation in Belarus very depressing.

Ute Zapf expressed deep regret in connection with the political oppression of the civil society of Belarus, reports BelaPAN. She described the situation in Belarus as depressing and admitted her pessimistic moods about it. She stated that neither NGOs, which help each other as well as political prisoners, nor international organizations have made any progress in Belarus.

She said that the European Union's sanctions and attempts at dialogue had both failed. Germany and the EU have devised a number of very appealing projects for Belarus, offering their know-hows and help with developing the country's infrastructure and rule-of-law system, but the offers have all been rejected because Aliaksandr Lukashenka's only goal is to stay in power, Uta Zapf said.

The member of Germany's Bundestag suggested that the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly should "forget about politics" and focus on social and educational projects if it wanted to engage with Belarus.   The Assembly should not abandon its dialogue with Belarus, but it should not waste time looking for contacts with Belarusan officials or expect talks to succeed, she said.

Germans should also create opportunities for the largest possible number of people from Belarus to spend a couple of months in their country studying, working or resting, Ute Zapf said. This would help Belarusans overcome any remaining prejudices, she said.

Uta Zapf, who has repeatedly been accused by Minsk of bias, will no longer be able to be on the special working group on Belarus under OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, as she has decided not to run in Bundestag elections scheduled for this fall. A new chairperson for the Group may be elected during the Assembly's session to be held in Istanbul, Turkey, in June.

Let us recall that the special working group on Belarus under OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Ad Hoc was set up in October 1998 in order to assist in the development of democracy in Belarus and facilitate dialogue between the government and opposition forces in the country.