01/02/2011 (Agence Europe) - Jerzy Buzek welcomes Council decision. President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek (EPP, Poland) welcomed the decision by the Council to introduce new sanctions against the Belarus regime and individuals implicated in the violent repression of the opposition following the elections on 19 December. Targeted sanctions (freezing assets and visa bans) will only apply to “those that have undermined core democratic values. Today's decision is not against the Belarusian people. We stand on their side” Buzek stated in a press release published on 31 January. He called on the authorities in Belarus to “immediately and unconditionally” release all those arrested after the elections. He also criticised the conditions in which Lukashenko had released seven members of the opposition on Saturday and Sunday (EUROPE 10305). (A.By./transl.fl)