Obama said that the president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, has "a total disregard for democratic values and rule of law."Lukashenko, once called "the last dictator in Europe" by a U.S. official, was re-elected last year in a contest that triggered massive protests and led to hundreds of arrests.
More recently, press freedom groups lashed out at a Belarusian court for the two-year suspended jail sentence of a reporter accused of "organizing and preparing a public order disruption" in connection with the protests surrounding the election.Pressure must be applied to Belarus to get it to change its practices, Obama said, adding that he was familiar with the case of journalist Irina Khalip.The situation in Belarus was among the issues that Obama discussed with Tusk Saturday.
Tusk highlighted cooperation between the two countries on clean energy sources. The two countries agreed to convoke a special session of the Polish-U.S. Strategic Dialogue to promote efforts for new energy sources, including wind, clean coal, shale gas and nuclear power.Obama called Poland one of America's strongest allies, and reaffirmed the strength of their commitment through NATO.Prior to meeting with Tusk, during the last day of a six-day trip, Obama praised Polish leaders and acknowledged the sacrifices Poles have made in wars.Obama spoke after meeting with Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski.
Poland's "incredible transformation" to democracy over the past two-and-a-half decades has made it a leader in the region, Obama said.He singled out the successes of Poland's Solidarity movement, which in the 1980s led a broad opposition to the country's communist leadership.
"The solidarity leaders and others in this room launched a peaceful revolution that eventually led to a regime's collapse and the downfall of a broader system of Soviet repression," Obama said.
He added that there was an "understanding that history was being made because ordinary people were standing up and doing extraordinary things with great courage against great odds."Obama also praised Poland for assisting the reform process in the Middle East and North Africa."I very much value the contributions that Poland is making in Tunisia and I appreciate the fact that your foreign minister has now visited Benghazi," Obama said, referring to the rebel stronghold in eastern Libya.The president's visit to Poland included a stop at that country's World War II Warsaw Ghetto Memorial and a dinner with Central and Eastern European leaders hosted by Komorowski.
-CNN
