§ Mr. HowardTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he is making to the Government of Belarus regarding the treatment of diplomatic missions in Minsk. [50423]
§ Mr. Doug HendersonI refer the right hon. and learned Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs. Gillan) on 1 July 1998,Official Report, column 202. Since the recall for consultations to the British Ambassador in Minsk and the return to Minsk of the Belarusian Ambassador in London, the British Charge d'Affaires in Minsk, and the representatives of the missions directly affected by Belarusian action, have continued to make frequent representations to the Belarusian authorities, so far without success. In response to the continued failure of the Belarusian authorities to comply with international law, on 9 July the EU introduced visa restrictions on Belarusian Ministers, Deputy Ministers and senior officials in the Presidential Administration.