Brussels, 21/12/2010 (Agence Europe) - EU27 foreign ministers are to look at the situation in Belarus as it stands after the presidential elections of Sunday 19 December at their first meeting in January 2011. No other ministerial consultation is foreseen for the time-being, Community sources say. On Monday 20 December, there was firm condemnation of the violence that followed the elections notably by Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and Jerzy Buzek, President of the European Parliament. On Tuesday 21 December, Thorbjoern Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, reacted to the situation in Belarus, saying: “President Lukashenko should accept the fact that elections are an occasion for the people to choose its leaders, not the other way round. Flaws in Sunday's presidential vote, as reported by the OSCE, and the crackdown on protesters which we have witnessed since, are a regrettable sign that another opportunity to end Belarus' self-imposed isolation in Europe may be lost”. The Council of Europe states its disappointment but continues to support any genuine initiative which could help to bring Belarus closer to Council of Europe values and Council of Europe membership. (Gp/transl.jl)