Opposition Insists on Negotiation with Natalya Piatkevich
On September 19th negotiation group for organizing the European March addressed Natalya Piatkevich, head of the President’s Office, with a request about a meeting.
“We understand we put you in a difficult situation with our appeal. State officials cannot make decisions on their own in any country. However, we hope you will see a chance for the whole Belarus, and for all of us, in our proposal. At a personal meeting we would be able to discuss the mentioned issues and the plans of the European March in detail”, -- with that the march organizers end the letter to the head of the President’s Office. (The full text of the appeal is published on the web-site www.europeanmarch.org)
The negotiation group created by the organizing committee for holding a European March “For Freedom” on October 14th, wrote an open letter to Natalya Piatkevich to demonstrate constructive attitude and ability to negotiate.
Until now the representatives of the organizing committee did not manage to meet with any top officials, that is why the letter to Natalya Piatkevich, is “the letter not so much for the authorities, as for ordinary people”, -- one of the authors, deputy head of BPF Party Viktar Ivashkevich confessed at the press conference on September 19th. – “We directly address the people through that news conference and hope we will manage to find common ground between the Belarusian elites and the opposition forces. ”
Professor Yury Khadyka, who also signed the letter to Piatkevich, explained why the organizing committee chose Natalya Piatkevich as the addressee of the letter: “We have only one reason. Some time ago Piatkevich met with David Kramer, representative of the US State Department. She promised that there would be no repression during the nearest action, and there was no repression. We can draw a conclusion that she has certain influence. There are no other reasons. This person demonstrated that she can keep some promises”.
The appeal to the head of the President’s Office was also signed by the former head of the National Bank Stanislau Bahdankevich, former minister of external economic links Mikhail Marynich, and former deputy minister of foreign affairs Andrei Sannikau.
According to the law about appeals of citizens they have the right to receive a response to their letter "no later than 30 days from the day it was registered in the state bodies". “We hope we will get am answer earlier”, -- Yury Khadyka stressed.
Application for permission to hold the European March was filed to Minsk executive Committee on August 14th. The participants of the action are to gather at 2 p.m. at Kastrychnitskaya Square. Minsk municipality has never given permission to hold actions on Kastrychnitskaya Square in Minsk.
