Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-04-05-Speech-3-184"
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"en.20060405.18.3-184"2
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".
Mr President, it is indeed the case that today’s debate is in effect a continuation of the one held two weeks ago. I would remind the House that on that occasion we passed our test of solidarity with the Belarusians with flying colours. We reacted as was right and proper, condemning the repression and calling for those arrested and sentenced to be released. Most importantly, we supported the demonstrators who were exercising their rights as citizens in October Square. It is also significant that a fortnight ago the Commission, the Council and this House all spoke with one voice. We should continue to do so with regard to Belarus.
The time for political statements is past, however, and it is now time for action. Our diagnosis is complete and the treatment must now begin. This means that the Council and the Commission must take a series of courageous decisions. I am delighted that both Mr Winkler and Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner have already mentioned some of these, but I would like to raise a few other issues.
Firstly, if we consider that the elections were undemocratic, it follows that Mr Lukashenko does not have a mandate to hold on to power for a third term. This in turn implies that we must send out a clear call for the Presidential elections to be repeated, as the Belarusian opposition has long been demanding.
Secondly, the list of individuals banned from entering European Union territory should be extended considerably to include various categories of people responsible for violating human rights and freedoms. Consequently, the list must include not only representatives of the local, regional and national administrations but also university Vice-Chancellors responsible for expelling students who demonstrated, and editors responsible for propaganda in favour of the regime.
Thirdly, visa policy on Belarusian citizens should be relaxed as soon as possible. This would enable us to implement our principle of not isolating Belarusian society whilst isolating the leadership. Belarusians need to be able to travel more easily and it is therefore essential for us to facilitate the visa process for them.
Fourthly, we must make our voice heard at international organisations such as the UN and the OSCE, and call for the release of political prisoners. A Polish diplomat, Mr Maszkiewicz, is currently being held as a political prisoner in Minsk and I was glad the Commissioner mentioned him today. I trust the Council will act quickly to ensure he is released at the earliest opportunity.
Fifthly, it is essential to put Belarus on the agenda for the next EU-Russia summit, because Russia is in a position to bring political and economic pressure to bear on Belarus and this could serve to relax the regime in that country. For its part, the Union can put pressure on Russia to encourage it to exert its influence on Belarus in such a way. The Council must ensure that the instruments at its disposal are used appropriately to this end.
Lastly, if the monopoly on information is to be broken, we certainly need to support radio stations and future television stations broadcasting to Belarus. It is also important to act sensibly in this regard, however, and I therefore appeal for no more funds to be wasted supporting initiatives that do not reach the people of Belarus."@en1
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