BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

09/11/2006

Denial of visas for German lawmakers was reciprocal - Belarus

MINSK, November 9 (RIA Novosti) - Belarus's refusal to issue visas to certain German lawmakers and journalists is a reciprocal measure against the European Union's blacklisting of Belarusian officials, the country's Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

The members of the lower house of Germany's parliament and journalists had planned to attend a bilateral forum on November 9-11 in the Belarusian capital, Minsk.

"The Belarusian side has been forced to adopt reciprocal measures as a reaction against restrictions imposed on our country by the EU, the U.S., and some other countries," ministry press secretary Andrei Popov said.

He added the visa refusal should come as no surprise, as the possibility had been announced in June.

The foreign minister said that the list of Belarusians banned from entering the EU includes parliamentarians and journalists.

In April, the European Union Council approved a proposal to ban 31 Belarusian officials from entering the EU, after the March presidential elections in the country were declared fraudulent by international observers and opposition leaders.

The EU also decided in May to freeze the accounts of the country's authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko.

In October, the list of banned individuals was expanded by the EU to 35.

Source:

http://en.rian.ru/world/20061109/55494809.html