Hon. Matteo Mecacci, rapporteur on human rights, democracy and humanitarian questions to the OSCE Parliamentarian Assebly, released the following comment:

“I hope that Berlusconi’s statements on the legitimacy of the elections in Belarus will soon be retracted. Not only do they damage the credibility of a Prime Minister, but also of a whole Country, now holding the G8 Presidency.
By defining legitimate and “proof of the Belarusian people’s love for Lukashenko” elections that do not meet the international standards of organizations financed by Italy such as OSCE, the European Parliament and the European Council, Berlusconi leaves our Country aside from the caucus of the influential democracies, as clearly known by experts of foreign affairs.
I believe, much to my regret, that the Democratic Party’s silence on Berlusconi’s visit to Belarus, as well as on Gheddafi and Putin, confirms the bipartisanship of Italy’s foreign policy in the world!

Mecacci participates to the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) summit in Athens, where Italy will be represented tomorrow by the Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Craxi.