BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

09/10/2008

EU Parliament supports easing Belarus sanctions

(BRUSSELS) - EU 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 MEPs 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 EU'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 EU foreign ministers will discuss such a partial lifting of sanctions despite legislative elections in Belarus last month which Western observers slammed as non-democratic.

On the margins of the Luxembourg meeting, the EU foreign ministers have also invited Belarussian Foreign Minister Serge Martynov for the first such talks since 2006.

Of all the 27 EU nations, Poland and Lithuania, neighbours of Belarus and particularly anti-Moscow, have been pushing the hardest to get the sanctions lifted.

Head of the EU parliament's foreign affairs committee, Polish conservative Jacek Saryusz-Wolski on Wednesday spoke in favour of lifting the visa ban against Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko -- dubbed "Europe's last dictator" by the United States -- who has led the country since 1994.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has made the comparison with Cuba, noting that the EU has lifted its sanctions there despite the fact that Havana is still holding political prisoners.

The Lithuanian foreign ministry argues that the flawed elections do not change the fact that dialogue with Belarus is "indispensable".

Last month the EU's French presidency voiced concern that elections in Belarus were undemocratic, putting a damper on hopes for an easing of the sanctions.

However the EU presidency also spoke of positive developments which preceded the vote, in particular the freeing of the remaining political prisoners and the invitation to the OSCE to observe the legislative elections.

Loyalists of the autocratic Lukashenko won every seat in September's parliamentary polls which were also widely condemned by the US government and Western observers.

All 110 lower house seats went to allies of the president.

Forty Belarussian figures, including Lukashenko, have been banned from entering the EU since the 2006 presidential election which was judged not to comply with international norms.

In its non-binding resolution Thursday, the EU parliament also called for the costs of visas for ordinary Belarussians travelling to Europe to be reduced to the same price as for Russian citizens, from 60 euros to 35 euros.

More generally the assembled MEPs urged the European Commission "to continue the dialogue" with Belarus via a step-by-step approach with conditions attached.

Source:

http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1223566328.57

Google
 


Partners:
Face.by Social Network
Face.by