Brussels, 06/02/2006 (Agence Europe) - In a joint declaration, the European Union and the USA regretted that Robert Cooper, Director General for Foreign and Politico-Military Affairs at the EU Council and Dan Fried, Assistant to the US Secretary of State for European Affairs, were unable to make a joint visit to Minsk because the Belarus authorities did not grant them visas. In their declaration of 3 February, the EU and USA reaffirm their “determination to support democracy and civil society in Belarus” and point out that during their high level visit that they were obliged to cancel, they had wanted to express their, “concern at development surrounding forthcoming Presidential elections” in Belarus on 19 March (EUROPE 9021 on the meeting of MEPs with the Head of the opposition Aleksander Milinkievich). The EU and the US declare that “We are both disappointed by the failure of the Belarusian authorities to take this opportunity to engage in an open and frank dialogue with the international community. We both believe that it is vital that Presidential elections on 19 March be conducted in a free and fair manner in accordance with international standards and in line with Belarus' commitments in the OSCE and the UN, so as to guarantee that the general will of the electorate prevails. If currently undemocratic conditions persist, they will inevitably influence the outcome of the forthcoming presidential elections. The European Union and the United States will judge the results and respond accordingly. We reiterate that it is not the policy of the European Union or the United States to isolate Belarus. Rather we wish to see a democratic, stable and prosperous country with strong links with the international community. For this reason, the European Union has indicated that sustained movement in the right direction would make Belarus eligible to benefit from the European Neighbourhood Policy initiative. We are prepared to stretch out our hands to Belarus and its people. We urge the Belarusian authorities to act in the interests of their country and its population”.