§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Belarus concerning the treatment of the diplomatic corps based in Minsk. [48209]
§ Mr. Doug Henderson[holding answer 30 June 1998]: The British Ambassador in Minsk, on behalf of the EU, made frequent representations to the Belarusian authorities since they announced on 23 April their intention to exclude a number of Ambassadors from their residences at Drozdy. In addition, the Belarusian Ambassador was summoned to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 4 June and 12 June to be told that the EU found the actions of the Belarusian authorities unacceptable. He was again summoned on 22 June and was asked to return to Minsk in order to convey to his Government the seriousness of the situation with which the EU viewed the actions taken by the Belarusian authorities. He left London on 24 June.