Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-10-08-Speech-3-134"
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"en.20081008.17.3-134"2
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"Mr President, the French Presidency pays close attention to all of the EU’s eastern neighbours: Georgia and Ukraine, where the summit on 9 September marked an unprecedented step forward in relations between the EU and Ukraine – Moldova – I was there two days ago to discuss the future of relations between the European Union and Moldova in the form of a new and more ambitious agreement than the current Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. So it is in this context that we are closely watching developments in Belarus.
Like you, we are sorry that the regime did not use the elections on 28 September as an opportunity to signal progress towards democratic standards. At the same time, the EU is pleased to see a few positive developments, notably the release of political prisoners. There must be a debate between foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Monday, under similar to those used by speakers during this debate. Our message is that the European Union is prepared to budge if the authorities in Minsk make an effort. We need a progressive approach – in other words, sanctions are not going to be lifted overnight – and a conditional approach, in that the EU will react to positive signals from the regime, as well as an approach geared towards the welfare of civil society, as Mr Severin said.
I would like to explain that children and students can of course obtain visas. It depends on the embassy, but it is allowed under the Schengen system. We need to put pressure on the authorities in Minsk to ensure that these visas are issued, although the EU is not responsible for this. I would also like to point out that there are specific advantages in terms of young people, children who are close to the Belarus border.
The EU will maintain its support for the opposition. I myself have just had a meeting with Messrs Milinkevich, Kozulin and Protasiewicz and Parliament can pride itself on awarding the Sakharov Prize to Mr Milinkevich. I believe that this gesture is a tribute to the European Parliament. As we have already said, it is essential that if a representative of a Member State goes to Minsk, he or she should meet with the opposition. Therefore, we have not lost hope of the regime evolving towards greater liberalisation, so that Belarus is not left in an exclusive one-to-one with Russia."@en1
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