On October 13 the ministers of foreign affairs of the European Union agreed in Luxembourg to relax the travel ban on members of the Belarusian government for the next six months. During that period the human rights situation in that country must improve; otherwise the sanctions will be reinstated. “We’ve seen positive developments in Belarus, such as the release of political prisoners, and we in Europe would like to respond with a positive gesture,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxime Verhagen following the meeting.
‘This is why we decided to temporarily lift the visa restrictions. The assets of the Belarusian leaders will remain frozen. This means they can come to Europe to talk, but not to shop.” The relaxation of the travel ban does not apply to individuals who were directly responsible for the disappearance of several members of the opposition in 1999 and 2000. At the urging of Verhagen, the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana will speak to the Belarusian opposition about the democratisation of the country. The opposition did not win a single seat in last September’s parliamentary elections. Observers from the Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) concluded that the elections were not fair and free.