Brussels, 13/01/2011 (Agence Europe) - Quizzed by reporters after his meeting with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton on Wednesday 12 January, the foreign minister of Belarus, Sergey Martynov, warned of a “point of no return” in relations between Minsk and the EU. “We would hope that, in taking their decision, the EU would think of not making a decision of no return … in the relationship between Belarus and the European Union”, Martynov said. He denied that government action towards the opposition had been disproportionate. All those who simply took part in the protests after the ballot on 19 December have now been released and only about twenty are still detained, he explained. Their fate will be decided in court, President Lukashenko's foreign minister said. That same day, diplomatic sources cited by Reuters pointed out that the EU27 had unanimously agreed on the matter of sanctions, adoption of which had been hitherto blocked by Italy. According to the press, the deadlock was broken during Wednesday's meeting between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her Italian counterpart, Silvio Berlusconi.
The Belarusian opposition, backed by some of the MEPs, has for its part called for an investigation to be set up into the violent crackdown on demonstrations in Minsk on 19 and 20 December (see EUROPE 10291). In a joint statement presented on Wednesday, opposition leaders in Belarus say the events were the result of “large-scale provocation” by the authorities to turn attention away from the rigged elections. During a public hearing organised the same day at the European Parliament (see EUROPE 10292), Aleksandr Milinkievitc, himself a presidential candidate in 2006, said President Lukashenko had not even won 50% of the votes. “There should at least be a second round”, he said, at the same time pointing out the pro-West aspirations of most people in Belarus. “There are 9.9 million Belarusians who are not part of the authorities and who are in favour of the EU”, he said, going on to add that only “10% of society”, i.e. three times less than in Ukraine, wanted a return to the Soviet era. As things stand at present, mechanisms should be set in place to take democracy within society forward, he insisted. Representing the independent media, Andrei Aliakandrau had also called for suspension of Belarusian participation in the Eastern Partnership until prisoners are released. Some MEPs, like Kristina Ojuland (ALDE, Estonia), Günnar Hökmark (EPP, Sweden) and Ana Gomes (S&D, Portugal) backed him on this. (A.By./transl.jl)