Ambassador's Looking Forward to His Visiting Minsk MAZ + MAN. (September 15, 1997)

The ceremony of making an oath by Daniel Steckhard, the USA new Ambassador in the Republic of Belarus, took place in Washington. The Ambassador declared at the ceremony that the USA "are anises about the future of democracy and human's right in Belarus as well as the fact that building its economic future, Belarus is rather relying upon the state governing of its economy". Nevertheless, Speckhard is putting great hopes on our country as "perfectly situated in Europe and possesses talented and experienced labor forces.

In the end of his speech the Ambassador noted that he has the best feelings about Belarus and that he's looking forward to his coming to Minsk.

At the same ceremony the Deputy Staff secretary of the USA, Strob Talbott, made a speech. Literally he said the following: "Even today, when there are deep dessensions between our Government and the Government in Minsk, we keep being devoted to Consolidation the connection between the peoples of Belarus and the United states. We aspire to keep up a constructive, open and ... frank dialogue with the political leadership of this country based on further collaboration in those spheres, in which we have agreement, and setting those questions, about which we have divergence of opinion."

The Deputy State secretary also mentioned that one of the best "our people" was setting off for Minsk. The strong side of the new Ambassador is "understanding and ability for precise formulating the basic principle which determined the time when we live - the importance of global meeting dependence against the background of growing democracy."

This is how Talbott characterized the main task of the American Ambassador in Minsk: to explain to the citizens and Belarusian Government that they won't entirely realize the opportunity given to them by history, if they don't return to the way of reforms. The Deputy State Secretary spoke of the present state of things in our country in the only following way: "During the last years the principles of democracy and observance of human's rights in Belarus have been broken and the economic reforms have been restrained". However, he also said another thing: "We'll be ready to keep Belarus in the future if it it takes the path of reforms and responsible participation in the life of the International Association".

By Boris Zalessky

Translated by Irina Kaverzneva. Please send mail about the quality of translation.