BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

EU toughens stance on Belarus

BRUSSELS, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- The European Union Monday said it was ready to punish responsible Minsk officials if they rig the 2006 presidential election in Belarus.

EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels expressed their "deep concern at the deteriorating situation of human rights and political freedoms in Belarus." European Commission foreign policy chief Benito Ferrero Waldner told reporters the government of President Alexander Lukashenko, dubbed "Europe's last dictator," risked "further isolating itself from the international community" if it continued to deny its citizens basic human rights.

Foreign ministers called for further funding for independent free media in the former Soviet republic, which has been ruled with an iron fist by Lukashenko since 1994. They also welcomed moves to unite the country's opposition parties and present a single candidate in next year's presidential poll.

Brussels has already applied visa restrictions to top officials in Minsk, who have allegedly been involved in election fraud and the disappearance of opposition politicians and journalists. On Monday, the EU warned Belarus it would tighten visa restrictions on senior officials if international election standards are not adhered to.

Source:

http://www.upi.com/InternationalIntelligence/view.php?StoryID=20051107-125549-2605r