LITHUANIA TO HOST MARCH EU MEETING ON BELARUS

C O N F I D E N T I A L VILNIUS 000175 SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/NB AND EUR/UMB E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/23/2014 TAGS: PREL PGOV LH SUBJECT: LITHUANIA TO HOST MARCH EU MEETING ON BELARUS Classified By: POL/ECON OFFICER TREVOR BOYD FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (U) Mindaugas Kacerauskas, head of MFA's Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova Division told us February 22 that Lithuania will host the March 17-18 EU Commission meeting on Belarus. The event sponsors, Lithuania's MFA and the EU Commission's Directorate of External Relations, plan to bring together governmental and non-governmental representatives from the EU, Canada, and the United States to discuss developing democracy and coordinating assistance in Belarus. ¶2. (C) Comment: MFA officials criticize what they characterize as the EU's preference for humanitarian and social assistance projects. Lithuania will use the meeting to focus international efforts on its preferred path to change in Belarus -- the unabashed promotion of democracy. Mull