Brussels, 20/03/2006 (Agence Europe) - In their first reactions to the Belarus elections (see other article on Council debates), MEPs expressed their concern and called for the release of opponents. In a press release German Green Elisabeth Schroedter deplored the fact that, “the ad hoc delegation that I chair has not been authorised to observe these elections”. In an interview she called on western countries to not recognise the victory of Loukachenko. The president of the EPP-ED group, Hans-Gert Pöttering described it as a “farce, while Elmar Brok (CDU), president of the Foreign Affairs Committee said it reminded him of the former East Germany, and described Loukachenko as “the last dictator in Europe”.
The European Commission is waiting for an OSCE report before it make any official reaction but Günter Verheugen said in an interview on German radio quoted by AFP that Belarus “is the last real dictatorship in Europe” and as long as it remained, “it could not be a partner of the European Union”.