US diplomats leave Belarus amid escalating diplomatic spat

MINSK, Belarus — Eleven U.S. diplomats left Belarus on Saturday after being declared persona non grata amid escalating diplomatic tensions between Washington and the ex-Soviet nation, an embassy official said.

Belarus on Wednesday had ordered 10 of the embassy's 11 diplomats to leave the country, giving them 72 hours to comply.

All 11 left Saturday, a U.S. Embassy official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

The departures leave the embassy with just four U.S. staffers, down from 35 at the start of the year. The U.S. ambassador left in March after Belarus pulled its ambassador from Washington.

The State Department has warned Belarus it may order the Belarusian embassy in Washington and the country's consulate in New York closed, and shut down the U.S. Embassy in Minsk.

Washington is one of the fiercest critics of Belarus' authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko and is pressuring Belarus to release political prisoners or face punitive sanctions.

Relations have worsened in recent months, mainly because of U.S. sanctions imposed on a state-controlled oil-processing and chemicals company, Belneftekhim, as well as travel restrictions on Lukashenko and top government officials.

The sanctions are designed to punish Lukashenko, routinely described as "Europe's last dictator," and his government for its heavy-handed treatment of critics.

Comments

[ThePodiumIsMine]

The huffkids have no problem with people suffering if it helps make Bush look bad in their eyes. Bush wants people out of prison? Keep 'em locked up scream the huffkids!
Talk about your selfish egos, huffkids love suffering and appropriate any and all if it feeds their BDS.

[Boobaloo]

Gitmo
26 000 in secret American prisons around the globe
spying on our own citizens
rendition
illegally invading Iraq

** We're in no position to be criticizing anyone about anything.

[MissingAmerica]

One thing to add. How can we pressure another nation to release political prisoners. This is either hypocrisy, in that we have Gitmo and a few other places, or, if the administration claims ours are not political, they would have to say they are religious prisoners, which makes us even worse. We can't have it both ways. We are all sick of this hypocrisy!

[MissingAmerica]

This administration antagonizes everyone! We are persona non grata on a global basis. Why does Congress tolerate this? It would make their job a whole lot easier.

[Lilybart]

Some countries SHOULD be antagonized and Belarus sounds like one, along with Myranmar, the Sudan, China , the list goes on.

America should stand up for freedom of speech around the world. Obama will bring back our standing in the world as the so-called Beacon of Freedom.

[JiminNC]

Yep, they have oil so they are either with us or against us. No oil? You don't exist. The Dubya Doctrine.

[RevJeff]

So when is Bush going to invade, I wonder?

[MildenHall]

So does that make Belarus part of the Axis of Evil now? DARN! We could have used them in the "COALITION OF THE WILLLLLLLLLLLING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

[JaneaneTheAcerbicGoblin]

I should have figured that this had something to do with oil.

[KimberlyKay]

Our Country used to have soft power that carried weight without need of a single gun.
Those days have been gone now for at least what 4 years? 5 years? Certainly since the war in Iraq began and our President threatened the entire world with "You're either with us or against us!" --then promptly decided to invade Iraq against the advice of most of the world (who must have thought, does that mean we are against you?) I hope some day our Country will gain back some of our moral integrity lost with the admissions that our highest leaders discussed and authorized cruel and unusual "interrogation" -- because we heard one of our Supreme Court Justices recently say that "interrogation" is o.k. and not prohibited by our Constitution because our Constitution says "punishment." Oh, for the days when words meant what they are defined to mean in the dictionary -- when a conservative sought to "conserve" institutions and not tear them down as the conservatives currently in office do. When our Constitution mattered and our President didn't simply draw red lines signs bills into law -- while x'ing out the parts he has no intention of executing despite his oath to obey our Constitution.

Meanwhile in Belarus, we have no soft power with which to negotiate. We have antagonized the Russian bear with "missile shields" to go right on their borders. It will get better soon-- I will not give up hope our innate American ability to see through "bull#$%^".

[Horst]

Funny, what about World War 1 and 2? America has never had that kind of soft power...certainly not in former Soviet ststates.

[cdnnewsjunky]

"Washington is one of the fiercest critics of Belarus' authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko and is pressuring Belarus to release political prisoners or face punitive sanctions."

Why? Is he torturing them?

[2NoahVail]

It would seem that they have a pipeline, and Russia has the oil.

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5371.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/11/world/europe/11belarus.html

[landmine]

It is enough to know that we have the right to impose our will on anyone who disagrees with us.
Our brand of democracy and our brand of christianity is what the world needs and it is our god given mission to shove it down the throats of anyone we wish...or slit those throats if they resist.
Of course whatever we do, it will be under the cover of some high-minded ideal.

[gcallaghan]

The US' cutting relations with Belarus either means they have lots of oil or that they don't have enough to be bothered with. Which is it?

[elpollo]

Neither. Russia has the oil - the Eurozone wants it. MIC wants to control the Russian oil. Connect the dots. Time for a color revolution. Let's see - orange has been taken. How about mauve?