Catherine Ashton: Economic sanctions will be imposed if there’s no release of people

• 1.02.2011, 10:47

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs said the conclusions adopted on Belarus were not the severest variant of all the options.

It is clearly stated in the conclusions that the EU will continue watching the situation and probably review all the aspects [of EU-Belarus relations]. It is important to have a well-balanced approach. However, the EU clearly notes that it wants the situation to improve, Catherine Ashton says. “We will revisit and come back to this issue if we don't see the release of these people,” the EU foreign policy chief noted in response to a question why the foreign ministers hadn’t dared to impose economic sanctions on Belarus, Euroradio reports.

We remind that the European Union reinstated the travel restrictions, suspended in 2008, on 158 representatives of the regime, including Lukashenka and his sons.

The decision was taken by 27 EU foreign ministers in Brussels on January 31 in response to repressions and arrests in Belarus in the aftermath of the elections.

The travel ban covers Alyaksandr Lukashenka and his elder sons, head of the Central Election Commission Lidziya Yarmoshyna, Minister of Defence Yury Zhadobin, head of the Security Council Leanid Maltsau, head of the KGB Vadzim Zaitsau, head of the President’s Administration Uladzimir Makei, Prosecutor General Ryhor Vasilevich, speaker of the lower house of the Belarusian “parliament” Uladzimir Andreichanka, 24 heads of territorial election commissions, 30 judges, and 10 propagandists on the Belarusian TV.

Bank assets of these persons have been frozen.