Lukashenka doesn’t allow European parliament deputies enter Belarus

• 17.10.2008, 18:17

On October 16 the chairman of the European parliament and factions leaders called upon the Belarusian regime to lift ban for entering Belarus against EU countries’ politicians.

As the BelaPAN informs with the reference to the press-service of the European Parliament, deputies have called upon the official Minsk to make such a move in response to the decision of the heads of the EU countries’ Foreign Ministers about suspension of the entry ban on Belarusian officials.

The president of the European Parliament Hans-Gert Pöttering said that constant refusals of the Belarusian authorities to issue visas to Western politicians causes special dissatisfaction in the light of the recent decision of the Council of the EU ministers.

On October 28 the meeting of the deputies from the delegation of the European parliament on relations with Belarus is to take place n Vilnius, as they have been denied a possibility to visit the country. In Vilnius they are to meet with former candidates for presidency Alyaksandr Milinkevich and Alyaksandr Kazulin, and students of the European Humanities University.

MEPs who wanted to monitor the elections in Belarus were not granted Belarusian visas either.

On October 9 the European Parliament adopted a resolution on Belarus, urging the EU countries to reconsider sanctions against the official Minsk, and to make the EHU return into Minsk as one of the conditions for normalization of relations.