Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06OSLO523
2006-04-26 05:14:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Oslo
Cable title:  

OSLO ROLLS OUT RED CARPET FOR BELARUS' MILINKEVICH

Tags:  PGOV PHUM PREL BO NO 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO4735
PP RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHNY #0523/01 1160514
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 260514Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY OSLO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3856
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHSK/AMEMBASSY MINSK PRIORITY 0096
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PRIORITY 3888
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 OSLO 000523 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/22/2016
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL BO NO
SUBJECT: OSLO ROLLS OUT RED CARPET FOR BELARUS' MILINKEVICH


Classified By: Acting Pol/Econ Counselor Doug Apostol, reasons 1.4 (b)
and (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 OSLO 000523

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/22/2016
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL BO NO
SUBJECT: OSLO ROLLS OUT RED CARPET FOR BELARUS' MILINKEVICH


Classified By: Acting Pol/Econ Counselor Doug Apostol, reasons 1.4 (b)
and (d)


1. (C) Summary. Belarussian presidential candidate
Alexander Milinkevich's April 19-22 visit to Oslo (sponsored
by the Norwegian Helsinki Committee) included high-level
meetings with top Norwegian officials, numerous press
activities and an afternoon coffee hosted by Ambassador and
Mrs. Whitney. Milinkevich who was accompanied by his wife,
Inna Kulei, former Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Sannikov
and political advisor Andrei Kuselchuk, secured a Norwegian
government pledge of strong political support and increased
financial assistance for the Belarussian opposition. At the
Ambassador's event, Milinkevich expressed appreciation for
U.S. support for the Belarussian opposition and confidence
that "the dictator" Lukashenko would be ousted before the end
of his latest five-year term. End summary.

Norway's A-Team Meets Milinkevich
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


2. (C) Berit Lindeman, Norwegian Helsinki Committee Adviser
(and longtime friend of Milinkevich),told us Milinkevich was
given a warm welcome by Norway's top officials. His schedule
included meetings with Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg,
Foreign Minister Stoere, and the Foreign Affairs Standing
Committee of the Norwegian Parliament. Lindeman said that
the Belarus visitors "achieved more than we hoped for,"
including pledges of full support for the Belarussian
opposition from the Norwegian government and Parliament.
Lindeman noted that the Norwegian government gave "concrete
promises" to significantly increase financial support for the
opposition. Prime Minister Stoltenberg also announced that
Norway would follow the U.S. and EU in imposing a travel ban
on 31 top Lukashenko regime officials. Stoltenberg told the
press after meeting Milinkevich, "It is unacceptable that a
country in Europe cannot have free elections . . . I have
raised this issue with several prime ministers, among them
Russia's Prime Minister Fradkov."

Ambassador's Event Sparks Lively Debate, Gets Positive Press
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -



3. (C) On April 21, Ambassador and Mrs. Whitney hosted an
afternoon coffee in Milinkevich's honor. In addition to the
Belarus visitors and members of the Helsinki Committee, the
diverse list of attendees included Norwegian
parliamentarians, political party leaders, members of
academia and NGO representatives. Stating that democracy
"requires courage and effort," the Ambassador commended
Milinkevich on his efforts to foster democracy in Belarus.
Speaking through a Russian interpreter, Milinkevich expressed
gratitude for U.S. support, noting that the American people
"were one of the first who stretched out the hand of
friendship in our fight."


4. (C) Milinkevich referred to Lukashenko throughout the
event simply as "the dictator." He was sure that Lukashenko
did not really win the March 2006 election, asserting that
the election results were "already determined two or three
years ago." Commenting on Lukashenko's claim to 79% of the
vote, Milinkevich joked that dictators do not like to receive
less than 75%. In spite of the vote-rigging, Milinkevich
professed to be "in a good and optimistic mood," as "almost
all democratic forces were now united" against Lukashenko.
He pledged that he "would not let the dictator sit for five
more years."


5. (C) The Belarus attendees fielded questions on a broad
array of topics, including youth involvement in politics,
cultural identification, and Russia's role in propping up
Lukashenko. Milinkevich and his colleagues spoke
passionately about the European Humanitarian School and its
role in preserving Belarussian language and cultural
identity. Milinkevich asserted that Lukashenko sought to
undermine such schools, and thereby retard a Belarus national
identity, because he viewed them as a threat to his
authority. Lukashenko was leading Belarus into
"self-isolation," said Milinkevich.


6. (C) Milinkevich, Sannikov and Kuselchuk all spoke at
length about Russian involvement in Belarus' affairs.
Milinkevich asserted that "Russia does not see the big
problem with Lukashenko" and has been comfortable with the
Russia-Belarus union. He said that Russia was using Belarus
as a conduit for its shady dealings with unsavory regimes.
As an example, Milinkevich cited talks between the Russians
and an Iranian delegate in Minsk recently, which may have
focused on supplying Russian S-300 missiles and nuclear
technology to Teheran. Kuselchuk thought that for the

OSLO 00000523 002 OF 002


opposition to be successful, European democracies would have
to "open a dialogue with Russia" on Belarus to persuade
Moscow to drop its support for "Europe's last dictatorship."


7. (SBU) The Ambassador and Milinkevich sat down with
Norwegian TV and print reporters following the event. Media
coverage was prominent and positive. A nearly two minute
long television news report on Milinkevich's visit led off
with footage from the coffee event and quoted the Ambassador
extensively. Print media reports were equally favorable.
Visit Oslo's Classified website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/oslo/index.cf m

WHITNEY