Lukashenko and his officials extended the right to attend the EU

The Foreign Ministers of EU countries at a meeting in Brussels on Monday decided to retain sanctions against Belarus in the "Light Mode". In practice, this means that President Alexander Lukashenko and 36 senior Belarusian officials will be able to attend any of the 27 EU member states at least nine more months.

The document, adopted by the ministers stated that they had "reached a preliminary agreement to extend the regime of suspension of European sanctions against Belarus, passes BBC.

The term "preliminary" means that a decision must be approved by ministers at the EU summit, which will be held on 19-20 March.

By the end of a nine-month period, the EU will conduct a deep analysis of the restrictive measures in respect of a number of senior officials and politicians of Belarus to the situation in the republic, and if there is further positive developments will be ready to consider the abolition of restrictive measures, "adds the" Interfax ".

Earlier, the EU resumed direct contacts with Belarus. Its High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana, met in Minsk with Alexander Lukashenko, during the meeting the sides noted the warming in relations.

So the extension of a moratorium on sanctions against the official Minsk has not been a surprise. The idea was first launched at the informal meeting of foreign ministers of EU countries in the French Avignon on 6 September and implemented in October at the EU summit in Luxembourg.

This was preceded by the release from prison of a number of Belarusian opposition and the easing of restrictions on independent media.

According to some estimates, the Belarusian leader is seeking to take a unique position in the world, which was once the Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito: and the East and the West economically supported his regime, fearing that otherwise the whole of Yugoslavia will go into the opposite camp.

Sanctions in the form of travel bans and freezing of bank accounts to 42 citizens of Belarus, mainly belonging to her leadership, the EU were introduced in April 2006. The occasion gave the March presidential election in which Lukashenko for a third time to serve the highest office in the country.

In October 2004, Belarus held a referendum on the abolition of the constitutional restrictions. The EU considered the Belarusian presidential election of 2006, "the standards of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe" and accused Minsk of pressure on voters and the repression against the opposition. In the U.S., called Lukashenko the "last dictator in Europe".

However, the EU still does not cancel the authorization . Some experts attribute this to the desire to encourage Minsk to refrain from recognizing the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Observers have noted that Alexander Lukashenko on Friday canceled a planned meeting with European Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, this went on a visit to Armenia.

Chairman of the United Civil Party of Belarus Anatoly Lebedko on Wednesday told reporters in Minsk, in the case of the lifting of sanctions without any conditions, "fight for democracy in Belarus will be even harder." The opposition politician called on the EU to insist on specific dates for the country's democratic reforms.