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Belarusian Independence Bloc comes out with proposals for composition of delegation to EURONEST PA

The Belarusian Independence Bloc, one of Belarus’ three major opposition coalitions, has come out with its proposals for the composition of the country’s delegation to the EU-Neighborhood East Parliamentary Assembly (EURONEST PA).

The issue was discussed at a meeting of the bloc’s council on Wednesday.

The council decided that the delegation should include representatives of the United Civic Party, the Belarusian Popular Front, the Just World Belarusian Party of the Left, the Movement for Freedom, the Belarusian Association of Journalists, the Assembly of Pro-democratic Non-governmental Organizations, Malady Front, Belarusian Christian Democracy and the Party of Freedom and Progress.

The European Parliament reportedly suggests two possibilities for the composition of Belarus’ delegation to the EURONEST PA.

As Jacek Protasiewicz, chairman of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Belarus, said in a recent interview with the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita, the delegation could consist of five members of the National Assembly and five representatives of opposition forces or all 10 members of the delegation would be representatives of opposition forces.

As the newspaper said, the Belarusian authorities would not mind the five-plus-five format if they had influence on the selection of opposition representatives, but the European Parliament has not yet agreed to this.

The EURONEST PA was expected to consist of 60 members of the European Parliament and a 10-member delegation from each of the six post-Soviet states participating in the European Union’s Eastern Partnership program, namely Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

Five of the six delegations would consist of members of Parliament, but no decision so far has been made as to who will be on the Belarusian delegation, as the Belarusian legislature is widely believed to have been formed in a way that was far from democratic standards.

The inaugural conference for the EURONEST PA has been scheduled for March 24.

The Belarusian Independence Bloc (Belaruski Nezalezhnitski Blok) was formed in late 2009 by the Movement for Freedom, the Belarusian Popular Front, Belarusian Christian Democracy, Malady Front (Czech-registered youth group), a group called Razam, and youth groups Maladaya Belarus, Pravy Alyans and Maladyya Demakraty. //BelaPAN