2 minute read
President Iadarola active in Belarus peace talks
by Vince DeFruscio staff writer
The carpet on the floor of the airplane was frayed and pulling up. A petite hand reached down and lifted back the tapestry. Once removed, the fuselage of the plane showed clearly to the occupants above. This was not an ordinary flight to an ordinary country. This was a flight to the ailing country of Belarus.
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In many ways, that plane would represent the country itself, and the people within.
The helping hand on board that day was President Antoinette Iadarola. Iadarola was asked by the U.S. State Department to submit proposals for a conference of Non Government Organizations in three different areas of the coun~ try. The trip, as well as the conferences was funded by the United States, which gives the project bipartisan support. The State Department has an invested interest in turning Belarus into a market economy. Iadarola was to give three seminars on the topics of "strategic planning" and "negotiating skills."
Belarus is a flat piece of land wedged between Poland and Russia. It was once part of the U.S.S.R., but declared its independence in July of 1990. The country and its people have suffered greatly since both world wars.
The Ukrainian Chernobyl power plant meltdown of 1986 sent most of its fallout into Belarus. The result is a country of more than 10 million people whose children have enormous occurrences of •throat and larynx cancer.
When Iadarola's plane landed in the Belarusian capital of Minsk, a translator, Igor Samavich and a driver, simply known as Sergi, greeted her. These three would become great friends before the trip was over. Iadarola would be one of the last volunteers allowed into the country.
The KGB is still an ever-present factor in Belarus, a country that claims to be democratic. It is still very much an authoritarian-style country. Iadarola was told to bring American money, not to convert it into Rubles.
Iadarola said her experience upon arrival was "moving." The Belarusian women have a "great spirit of concern," and seemed to be cautious towards Iadarola's Westernized thinking. The women of these NGOs were mostly lawyers, doctors, and PhD's. They were at an even playing field with Iadarola professionally. Their skepticism was short lived, as they began to ask questions about America. One group of women wanted to know if Iadarola had a car. These women were interested in the modem world of America. Of these women, Iadarola said they "had a tremendous respect for our country."
Iadarola was representing a school of thought that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko didn't approve. Consequently, all Americans have been asked to leave the country. Lukashenko is a corrupt President who is believed to have murdered his opposition in a recent election. Iadarola said, "I haven't met anyone who likes this man."
Some of the issues that face these NGOs are spousal abuse and prostitution. Many Belarusian girls are lured into prostitution under the promise of a better life.
Iadarola thought that many of the women brought up common issues that are relatable as members of the human race. Many of these seminars would end with crying or hugging.
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