First official meeting between Belarus and the WEU Assembly

Paris, 21st January 1994.- Mr. Alexander Sytchev, Deputy Minister
for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, was received today
by Mr. Jacques Baumel, Chairman of the Defence Committee of the WEU
Assembly.  This was the first meeting between an official representative
of the Republic of Belarus and an organ of WEU.

In the course of the discussion Mr. Sytchev, spoke of his country's
interest in tightening links between his country and WEU, more
particularly after the NATO summit meeting which accorded a special
role to co-operation between countries throughout Europe for establishing
a collective security system.

Mr. Baumel, for his part, recalled the wish of members of the Assembly
for a satisfactory solution to be found to the problem of controlling or
eliminating the 154 long-range Russian nuclear missiles still stationed
in Belarus.  The Belarus Deputy Minister said that all short and
medium-range nuclear missiles and thirty-four ballistic missiles had
already been sent back to Russia for destruction and his country hoped
to accelerate this process so that by the end of 1996 there would no
longer be any nuclear arms on Belarus territory.

Mr. Sytchev also recalled his country's preoccupation regarding its
ability to destroy the conventional weapons included in the CFE treaty
time-table if the countries of Western Europe failed to afford sufficient
assistance to this end.

It was agreed that the WEU Assembly would maintain, in so far as possible,
regular contacts with the parliament and government of Belarus.

For information, Please contact:

Yves Robins, Press Counsellor
Assembly of Western European Union
43, avenue du President Wilson
F-75775 Paris cedex 16 - France
Tel: 331-40709627 / 47235432
Fax: 331-47204543

                 Premiere rencontre officielle entre
                 la Belarus et l'Assemblee de l'UEO
                 ===================================


Paris, le 21 janvier 1994. - M. Alexandre Sytchev, Vice-Ministre des
affaires etrangeres de la Republique de Belarus, a ete recu aujourd'hui
par M. Jacques Baumel, President de la Commission de defense de
l'Assemblee de l'UEO. Il s'agit de la premiere rencontre entre un
representant officiel de la Republique de Belarus et un organe de l'UEO.

Au cours de cet entretien, M. Sytchev a fait part de  l'interet de son
pays pour un resserRement des contacts entre son pays et l'UEO, plus
specialement au lendemain du Sommet de l'OTAN qui a accorde un role
special a la cooperation des pays de toute l'Europe en vue d'etablir
un systeme de securite collective.

M. Baumel a, pour sa part, rappele le souhait des membres de
l'Assemblee de voir apporter une solution satisfaisante au probleme
du controle ou de l'elimination des 154 missiles nucleaires a longue
portee russes qui se trouvent encore en Belarus. Le Vice-Ministre de
Belarus a indique que la totalite des missiles nucleaires a courte
et moyenne portee, ainsi que 34 missiles balistiques, ont deja ete
rapatries en Russie en vue de leur destruction, et que son pays
esperait accelerer ce processus, de facon telle qu'a la fin de 1996,
plus aucun armement nucleaire ne se trouverait sur le sol de la Belarus.

M. Sytchev s'est egalement fait l'echo des preoccupations de son pays
quant a sa capacite a detruire les armements conventionnels prevus dans
le calendrier du traite CFE, si les pays d'Europe Occidentale n'apportent
pas une aide suffisante a ce processus.

Il a ete convenu que l'Assemblee de l'UEO entretiendrait, autant que
possible, des contacts reguliers avec le Parlement et le gouvernement
de la Belarus.

Pour information, contacter:

Yves ROBINS, Conseiller de Presse
ASSEMBLEE de l' UNION DE L'EUROPE OCCIDENTALE
43, avenue du President Wilson
F-75775 Paris cedex 16      France
Tel 331-40709627 ou 47235432
Fax 331-47204543