The Hague doesn’t see serious reforms in Belarus

It is first of all the Netherlands, who opposes the relaxation of sanctions against the regime of Lukashenka the EU, Suddeutschen Zeitung writes.

In spite of international criticism of the “parliamentary elections” in Belarus, the European Union gives signals for rapprochement. Belarusian foreign minister Syarhei Martynau was invited to a prestigious meeting to Brussels on next Monday. Among the participants of the meeting are Javier Solana, High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy; Benita Ferrero-Waldner, EU’s Commissioner responsible for External Relations; and French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner. The meeting be organised in the frames of the session of EU’s foreign ministers.

“We don’t want to give Belarus to Russia,” a French diplomat said to euobserver.com Internet resource. “We need to see what can be done in order not to lift all sanctions, from one hand, but suggest something to Belarus, from the other hand.” In 1997, the EU froze contacts with representatives of the Belarusian regime at the level of ministries, and Brussels banned entry to the EU for more than 40 officials, including Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

The EU is apparently thinking of lifting some entry restrictions, and besides, reducing visa fees for the Belarusians from 60 to 35 euro. This is supposed to make trips, for instance to Vilnius, more available for people in order they “can see what democracy is like and what we have got from it,” a Lithuanian diplomat said.

It is first of all the Netherlands, who opposes the relaxation of sanctions in the EU. The Hague doesn’t see serous reforms in Belarus, which would allow the latter to build new relations with the West. None of the democratic opposition candidates won a seat in the Belarusian “parliament”, though it was the first time when the regime allowed about 70 people to run in the elections.

In any case, now, after Minsk and Moscow have distanced themselves, the European Union is trying to increase its impact on Belarus. For its part, Russia wants to avoid too close ties between Lukashenka and the EU. That is why, on Monday in Minks, prime minister Vladimir Putin appraised the elections demonstratively and offered a billion loan for paying for Russian gas supplies.