Dutch Foreign Minister urges Ashton to insist on prisoners' release

The Netherlands Minister of Foreign Affairs Uri Rosenthal  has asked the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union Catherine Ashton  to meet not only with the Belarusian Foreign Minister Siarhej Martynau, but with the representatives of the opposition as well. This is stated in the Minister's response to the written enquiry made by the Dutch MPs, reports BelaPAN.

Catherine Ashton is to meet with Siarhej Martynau on January 12 in Brussels. The hearings on Belarus will take place on that very day in the European Parliament, the representatives of the country's democratic forces will take part in them. 

The representative of the organization "Mission for Minsk" Oliver van Lao has informed, that the Dutch Minister doubts that the meeting between Ashton and Martynau is reasonable, but cannot cancel it. Rosenthal has urged her to condemn arrests of the opposition activists in her converstaion with the Belarusian Minister, and to insist on their release.