Monday, October 12, 2015

EU Could Ease, Lift Sanctions Against Belarus After Elections - (German FM)

Sanctions against Belarus may be changed or lifted after the results of the country’s presidential elections Sunday, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said.
 
“Today we plan to discuss…in what conditions and for what period the sanctions against Belarus may be changed or lifted. This will be an important topic during the discussion by the European foreign ministers,” Steinmeier said on the European Commission site.

According to preliminary results from Sunday’s presidential elections, President Alexander Lukashenko garnered 83.5 percent of the popular vote, giving him a landslide win for his fifth term in office.

“Belarus has held elections, the results of which are not surprising with the support given to Lukashenko, and were held with overall order, but were different. Political prisoners were released on the eve of elections, and as we saw from Berlin, there was no repression during the elections as is usual,” Steinmeier added.

Belarusians voted in a presidential election on Sunday that was won by the country’s incumbent leader, Alexander Lukashenko. The longtime president commanded 83.5 percent of the vote, according to Monday’s preliminary results, securing a landslide victory and a mandate for a fifth term in office.

Observers from neighboring states registered no irregularities during the vote. The final results are due on Friday when the election commission will have received all the returns from overseas constituencies.

Belarus, a former Soviet republic, has been under US and EU sanctions for about a decade, including visa bans and financial restrictions on Belarusian individuals and entities.

The West accuses the Belarusian authorities of persecuting the political opposition and denying citizens’ basic rights and freedoms, in particular, freedom of expression. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko insists that the accusations are groundless and that putting pressure on Minsk is pointless.

  (Sputnik) 
12/10/15
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2 comments:

  1. Belarus's presidential election fell short of democratic standards, international monitors said Monday after President Alexander Lukashenko won a fifth term in a vote that was hoped could lead to an easing of relations with the West...

    "It is clear that Belarus still has a long way to go towards fulfilling its democratic commitments," said Kent Hasted, head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's observer mission for the Belarusian election.

    "The recent release of political prisoners and a welcoming approach to observers were positive developments. However, the hope that this gave us for broader electoral progress was largely unfulfilled.
    REUTERS

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  2. L'Allemagne pourrait lever les sanctions antibiélorusses...

    Les sanctions antibiélorusses pourraient être levées ou modifiées à la suite de la tenue des élections dans le pays dimanche dernier, a déclaré le ministre allemand des Affaires étrangères Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

    Le chef de la diplomatie fédérale s'est rendu lundi à la réunion du conseil de la politique extérieure de l'Union européenne où il veut aborder la question de la levée des sanctions antibiélorusses.

    "Aujourd'hui, nous avons l'intention de délibérer (…) sur les conditions et les délais dans lesquels les sanctions à l'encontre de la Biélorussie peuvent être levées ou modifiées. Ce sera un sujet important de la réunion des ministres européens des Affaires étrangères", a annoncé M.Steinmeier.

    Frank-Walter Steinmeier a également souligné que les élections en Biélorussie se sont déroulées en bonne et due forme. Le vote a été surveillé par des observateurs de l'Organisation pour la sécurité et la coopération en Europe (0SCE)..............http://sptnkne.ws/Txy

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