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Lithuanian president «strongly» opposes economic sanctions against Belarus

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite has expressed strong opposition to proposals for introducing economic sanctions against Belarus.

“I strongly object to such sanctions against the country or companies on which the treasury of the Belarusian state directly depends,” Lithuania`s news site Delfi quoted the president as saying on Monday.

The sanctions will deal a heavy blow to the population, while Lithuania is interested to see stability in the neighboring country, said Ms. Grybauskaite. “In the difficult economic situation that Belarus is experiencing, the sanctions would hit the country below the belt,” she said.

On May 23, the Council of the European Union added 13 new people to a list of designated Belarusians subject to the bloc’s restrictive measures for their role in “the violations of international electoral standards” in the December 14-19, 2010 presidential election and a post-election crackdown on civil society and pro-democratic supporters.

The list was widened following recent prison sentences passed on former presidential candidate Andrey Sannikaw in connection with a post-election demonstration that took place in Minsk on December 19, 2010 and other post-election protesters.

Speculation had been high that the Council of the EU would consider economic sanctions against Belarus at its May 23 meeting.

Earlier this month, the Brussels-based online newspaper EUobserver reported that the EU might soon introduce economic sanctions against state petrochemical conglomerate Belnaftakhim, petroleum product exporter Triple, potash giant Belaruskali and Beltechexport, an exporter of weapons and military equipment.

“The latest round of sanctions – the third since the post-election crackdown on 19 December – are designed to hurt President Lukashenko`s state budget without precipitating a crisis in the country`s fragile economy,” EUobserver said. “But they are unlikely to damage the president`s private fortune, said to be salted away in Russian and Ukrainian banks, fish and real estate companies as well as offshore accounts in Russia and in at least one EU country.”

"To track down these funds would take a serious intelligence operation and there is no EU member state right now willing to commit resources to such a task," an EU diplomat told the newspaper. //BelaPAN