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United States welcomes European Parliament's resolution on Belarus

The United States welcomes the European Parliament’s Thursday resolution on the Belarusian government’s post-election crackdown on opponents, Assistant Secretary Philip J. Crowley told reporters in Washington on January 21.

“This is something that we are consulting closely with our counterparts in the European Union,” Mr. Crowley said. “We are very much aware and supportive of steps that the EU is taking. And we are also, in light of our concerns, prepared to take additional steps to restore sanctions that had previously been lifted.”

In the resolution, the European Parliament called on the European Union to impose tough sanctions against the Lukashenka regime in the wake of the government’s post-election crackdown on opponents, and demanded a re-run of the December 14-19 presidential election in accordance with international standards.

The EU must impose a travel ban and asset freeze on Belarusian government officials, members of the judiciary and security officers involved in the government’s “violent” post-election crackdown, the MEPs said. Lifting these measures should be conditional upon the release of the government`s political opponents, they added. //BelaPAN