BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

13/04/2006

Council of Europe's parliamentarians call for pan-European sanctions against Belarus

STRASBOURG, France (AP) - Lawmakers from the Council of Europe's 46 member states on Thursday urged non-EU countries, including Russia, to slap sanctions on Belarus in line with those taken by the European Union earlier this week.

The human rights watchdog's Parliamentary Assembly condemned the Belarusian government's crackdown on the opposition and its supporters and asked Russia to act as a mediator in Europe's efforts to democratize Belarus.

"The assembly calls on its member states which are not EU members to align themselves with the package of sanctions recently decided by the European Union," the assembly said in a resolution.

All Russian deputies in the 315-member chamber voted against the resolution.

The Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly meets four times a year to debate human rights issues and social and political trends in Europe.

It's the only pan-European political forum where lawmakers from Russia and other ex-Soviet republics can get heard.

Belarus is not a member of the Council of Europe because it does not fulfill the basic requirements, such as the rule of law.

On Monday, the 25-nation EU slapped a visa ban on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and 30 other top Belarusian officials.

The visa ban marked the first time the EU has prohibited the head of state of a neighboring nation from visiting the union. It has taken the same steps against the leaders of Zimbabwe and Myanmar.

Source:

http://www.kyivpost.com/bn/24253/