The European Parliament intends to adopt a resolution on the situation in Belarus at its plenary session in Strasbourg on Monday, January 17. As stated by the editor in chief of Russia's "Novaia Gazeta" Dmitri Muratov after talking with the draft document's authors, the resolution provides "unprecedented" sanctions against the Belarusian authorities.
«I know who’s prepared the draft; I’ve met with a group of MPs. It contains the EP most severe, unprecedented sanctions against Lukashenko and his officials,» RIA «Novosti» quoted a Russian journalist.
At the same time, along with a demand to release opposition prisoners and hold a new presidential election, the European Parliament intends to offer to the European Commission to weaken the visa regime for other citizens of Belarus, to simplify, or, possibly, cancel visa fees, as well as to provide seats in the European universities to the students, excluded for political reasons from the Belarusian universities, said Dmitri Muratov.
In turn, the representative of the European Parliament says that the draft resolution also calls upon the EU leadership to ban visa (for entry to the EU) and freeze assets of the Belarusian decision-makers. According to him, the need for EU sanctions against Belarusian officials is supported by all the political groups of the Assembly.
EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Catherine Ashton will take part in the MEPs’ discussing the situation in Belarus as well.
