Chernobyl children - Uplifting scheme is worth saving

IN A world where bad news prevails too often, the summer visits to Ireland by children from Chernobyl represented something uplifting, something that we could all take a degree of pride in.

But, if a Belarussian government plan to veto the visits is put in place, we will all be so much the poorer.

Irish officials in Moscow have already discussed the matter with their counterparts in the Belarussian embassy. They hoped to convince the Belarussians to allow the more than 1,000 Irish host families, who bring children here for rest and recuperation breaks, to continue the practice. Two issues are in contention.

The veto applies across Europe and to the United States because Belarus took issue with authorities in the US after a girl in her last year of eligibility for an overseas visit did not return to Belarussia on schedule.

Separately, Belarus wants the Government to explain how the children are recuperated during their stay. These do not seem to be insurmountable difficulties and every effort should be made to resolve them.