Belarus may restore special-guest status at PACE in June

The special-guest status of Belarus at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe might be restored in the first half of 2009, Russia's Interfax news agency reports quoting Leonid Slutsky, the first deputy chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee at Duma, the Russian lower house of the parliament.  The Russian lawmaker said that the issue of restoring Belarus's special-guest status was high on agenda of PACE's Political Commission session on March 17. The commission heard a report by the Italian representative and recognized a need to restore Belarus' status. The issue is likely to be considered at the June 2009 session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

The Council of Europe has virtually had no official contacts with Belarus for the past 12 years. Belarus is the only country in Europe which is not a member of the Council of Europe.