Sopot, 05/09/2011 (Agence Europe) - EU foreign ministers, at their informal meeting in Sopot (Poland) on Saturday 3 September, showed themselves somewhat worried by the political situation in two of the European Union's eastern neighbours, Ukraine and Belarus, only a few weeks before the Eastern Partnership summit (see related article).
The release and rehabilitation of all political prisoners in Belarus is a precondition for any resumption of dialogue with the Belarusian authorities, stated Polish Foreign Minister Rados³aw Sikorski. What is clear is that the EU will not engage in any negotiations or bargaining over prisoners, Sikorski said. The release of political prisoners which Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has just begun is seen by European foreign ministers as a prerequisite for any rapprochement with the EU, stated Austrian minister Michael Spindelegger. Thus far, 13 prisoners have been released by the authorities in Minsk. It is unacceptable, however, that there are still political prisoners in jail in Belarus, that they have not be released and that no political opposition can be put in place, Spindelegger went on to say. Sikorski confirmed that this was the consensus view in the EU. French minister Alain Juppé stated that the situation in Belrus “is unacceptable”. “This is a regime which fails to respect the basic tenets of democracy”, he said. Numerous opponents of the regime have been arrested in Belarus since the 2010 presidential election and many opposition leaders have been thrown in jail.
In Ukraine, proceedings against former Prime Minister Iulia Timoshenko are causing considerable disquiet in the EU, said EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton. According to a diplomatic source, Poland would like to “send a clear signal to put pressure” on Kiev. “Ukraine is an important partner, a major market. The fear today is that, because of this situation, we will not be able to ratify the free-trade agreement.” Poland is hoping to finalise negotiations on the free-trade agreement and find a solution by December, when a summit is due to be held in Kiev. “The free-trade agreement cannot be finalised if the Timoshenko affair is not settled”, French minister Juppé made clear. “This partnership has to give us some leverage: Europe is ready to cooperate and to help so long as the same democratic values that we hold are shared”, he went on.
Elsewhere, France stated its opposition to the rapid accession to the EU of the countries of the Eastern Partnership (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus). “France takes the view that one has to be fair with one's partners and not allow them to think that accession could come to pass in the near or relatively near future. The crisis in Europe means that we cannot carry on with an enlargement policy”¸ he argued. (V.W./transl.rt)