30/05/2006 (Agence Europe) - The international trade union movement is calling on the EU to suspend the preferential trade preferences granted to Belarus. The European Trade Union Confederation, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions and the World Confederation of Labour have written to EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson to suspend the general system of preferences (GSP) because of flagrant trade union rights violations by Lukashenko's regime. Guy Ryder, ICFTU General Secretary, says the international community can no longer continue to close its eyes to such violations and the European Commission should now take the opportunity provided under the agreement on GSP to get Belarus to understand the importance the EU attaches to the connection between respect of trade union rights and trade. The trade unions say that Belarus exports to the EU under the GSP system totalled EUR 388 mil in 2005.