Strasbourg, 26/03/2009 (Agence Europe) - The half-yearly assessment carried out by the Council and Commission on relations with Belarus has delivered a mixed report, according to Council President Alexandr Vondra. Since November of last year, a number of positive developments have encouraged modest optimism (registration of some NGOs and parties, a number of newspapers have been allowed to publish, meetings of consultative councils). On the other hand, however, one large NGO is still banned, people are arrested and other freedoms are severely restricted.
Before the end of the year, relations with Belarus and the sanctions in place will be re-assessed according to a whole series of criteria established by the Council in October 2008: since that date high level meetings have taken place with Belarusian leaders and the Council president believes that Belarusian civil society feels encouraged by these contacts.
The Commission shares this view: the decision taken six months ago to suspend sanctions was correct, said External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, since it had got things moving in Belarus, and sanctions could be reinstated at any time if the EU felt it necessary. In ten days' time, a delegation from the EP will travel to Minsk: “The Director with responsibility for this region will accompany the delegation,” the Commissioner said. Ferrero-Waldner, herself, supports economic aid for Belarus and, therefore, welcomed the $2 billion loan granted to it by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), with the active support of EU countries.
In the course of the debate, a majority of MEPs agreed that the involvement of Belarus in the Eastern Partnership would benefit the democratisation process, something that would ease the position of neighbouring countries, argued Lithuanian Socialist Justas Paleckis. The policy of boycotting the country had been a failure in any event, said UK Conservative Charles Tannock. He wanted to see Belarus back in the European democratic family. It is not possible, however, to become democratic from one day to the next, argued a number of MEPs, who were happy for there to be dialogue but were against President Lukashenko's being invited to attend the Eastern Partnership summit in Prague. There had to be no let up in the pressure on the Belarusian regime, argued Dutch Socialist Jan Marinus Wiersma.
The vote on the Parliament resolution will take place during the mini-session in Brussels next week. (L.G./transl.rt)