BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS
DATE:
09/10/2008
EU Parliament Supports Easing Belarus Sanctions
BRUSSELS (AFP)--European Union nations should ease their sanctions against the former Soviet republic of Belarus, the European Parliament urged Thursday, just days before the 27 foreign ministers meet for talks in Luxembourg.
The lawmakers voted 597 to 31 for a re-examination of the sanctions imposed on Belarus, still close to Moscow, with a view to an eventual suspension of " existing restrictive measures,"
The parliament called on the member states and the European Commission, the E.U.'s executive arm, to consider a six-month suspension of visa bans imposed on some of the Belarussian figures currently not welcome in the bloc.
At the same time it stressed there would be no easing of the visa ban for " those directly involved in violating democratic election standards and human rights."
During the six-month period Belarus' restrictive media laws should be changed, the Euro deputies agreed.
In Luxembourg on Monday the E.U. foreign ministers will discuss such a partial lifting of sanctions despite legislative elections in Belarus last month which Western observers slammed as non-democratic.
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