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Belarus is reluctant to meet all conditions for membership in Council of Europe, top lawmaker indicates

The chairman of Belarus' lower parliamentary chamber indicated that Minsk was not ready to fulfill all conditions set by the West for its accession to the Council of Europe.

"We're not asking for membership in the Council of Europe and the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly," Uladzimir Kanaplyow, chairman of the House of Representatives, told reporters in Minsk on Monday.

The lawmaker stressed that "one should always have his own pride, own face." "We cannot obey without a grumble to all those issues set for us. This is a bit one-sided position," he said.

Mr. Kanaplyow noted that he had emphasized the need for "concessions from both sides" while arranging a visit of PACE President Rene van der Linden to Minsk earlier this year. "A letter sent by Mr. van der Linden to me after his visit contains nothing but requests that the Belarusian side should do this and do that," he said.

The lawmaker said that all Belarusian laws met international standards. "If some specific issues do not fit, we are ready to discuss them," he added.