International Agreement progress

From: Joe and Cec Calhoun

To: Tink, et al

Date: Thursday, August 27, 2009, 3:32 AM

Greetings,

Throughout the summer, I have been checking in with both the Department of State and Belarus Embassy officials regarding the status of the international agreement on health recuperation abroad.  There has been no movement until just recently.  I would like to share with you what dialogue has transpired at this point.

When I read a couple weeks ago that the Assistant Secretary of State was going to Belarus, I immediately contacted the D of S office to see if I could provide Mr. Gordon with additional information about this international agreement issue so he would be prepared if it came up in his meetings.   I did send him a description of the issue from our perspective as well as a copy of our annual data report that you provide statistics for.  I was told that he read it and had it with him.  I was not privy to know what, if any, discussions took place.  In fairness to Joe W in the D of S office, he, too, had briefed him on the issue.

Throughout the summer, I have had a few individuals tell me that they have been told by Belarusians that it is looking good that we will have a resolution from the Belarus side by end of the year.  I was greatly encouraged by that news.  I contacted D of S and was told they had not heard that; however, on a diplomatic level, I could understand.  We all hope that this comes to fruition!  J

I have had multiple conversations recently with both the D of S and Belarus Embassy officials to prod them on the stalemate of the agreement.  Both entities understand why we need a resolution here in the very near future so organizations can start planning for their Summer 2010 program.  D of S said they had to have an official response to their June submission to Belarus .  Belarus Embassy told me their government officials may take a month or more to get to it.  When were asked about the ‘possibilities of a resolution,’ the officials would only say that ‘we are neither optimistic nor pessimistic!’  I asked for clarification on that statement, but no response. 

Now…………this week, D of S informs me they have received an official response to what they submitted earlier this summer.  Hooray!!  They are not able to tell me what specifically has changed within the agreement, other than they “reversed a lot of our changes.”  I want to think positively about this, but I do know that earlier the D of S had taken out occurrences of the words ‘guarantee and enforce.’  I was also told that: “The agreement is something we take very seriously and we can’t agree to things that aren’t in our responsibility.  Our [D of S] lawyers will want to be very careful about a next step on our part…”  It is hard to not speculate on what the next step will be.

Some of you may have seen a news article this week that Germany has now had Decree 555 restrictions lifted for their summer programs.  The reason mentioned in the article was because it affected 20% of the total number of kids that they brought.  Interestingly, another news article this week, too, had this headline:  “German Development Bank has provided more than 260 thousand Euros for completion in Belarus, UNDP-GEF project on the restoration of peat bogs. “ Hmmmmm???   

Early on, we have requested the restrictions be lifted as part of the D of S negotiations.  Our percentage of youth not being able to come once the suspension is lifted, is a lot higher than the German one!!   

I have stressed with the D of S that there is an urgency on getting this year-old issue resolved; organizations feel that they are losing their host families and continued interest in their program is languishing.  D of S always tell me when I press them to get it done, that it is about the language in the agreement, as mentioned above, and that it is the D of S lawyers who control what gets signed, and in their time I would add.  Oh sigh………..

We’ll keep you informed when we know more!!  The good news is that there has been some movement again.

Cec