Belarus ready to send peacekeepers to world’s hot spots

The Collective Security Treaty Organization (ODKB) is set to review in October the issue of establishing a peace-keeping force. The post-Soviet analogue to NATO has not had its “blue helmets” up to date. The planned contingent will operate both in the zone of ODKB’s responsibility and outside this zone under the auspices of the United Nations, according to the statement by ODKB Secretary General Nikolay Bodyuzha.

Belarus, an active member of this regional security grouping, has expressed readiness to support this initiative, Mikalay Chagrynets, Foreign Affairs and National Security Committee Chairman at the Council of the Republic (the upper chamber of the Belarusian parliament) said in an interview with the European Radio for Belarus.

“We are not talking about combat zones. We are talking about instability zones, which of course are risk areas. If the UN decides, Belarus is prepared to participate wherever it is necessary,” he said.

According to Chagrynets, Belarus has no laws that would ban our troops from taking part in peace-keeping operations. Lawyer Aleg Vouchak confirms this information.

“The Constitution stipulates that it is a sacred duty of each citizen to defend the interests of Belarus, not someone’s interests in foreign countries. There is also a law on universal military service. Our soldiers can be present in foreign countries only as a contingent of peace-keeping forces,” he said.

Prominent lawyer Mikhail Pastukhov notes that the Constitution stipulates the status of this country as neutral and bans participation of Belarus’s troops in military conflicts on either of the sides. As regards peace-keeping operations, Belarus laws mention no regulation for this activity.

“In our legal practice, many things are prohibited even if laws do not stipulate a ban. Everything is regulated by either laws or presidential edicts. Therefore, one should enact such a legal provision,” Pastukhov suggests.

Such a law can be passed within the range of ten days to six months. Everything depends on president’s will, in the view of Pastukhov.

On October 6, 2007 Alexander Lukashenka will join presidents of Russia, Tajikistan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan to review a draft document which envisages the establishment of peace-keeping forces. If the document is approved, our soldiers might be sent to Lebanon, Kosovo, Sudan, Ivory Cost and other instable areas as early as next spring.