MOSCOW (RIA Novosti political commentator Andrei Fedyashin)
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has been granted visiting rights to Europe for half a year.
The European Union has lifted a ban that prohibited "Batka", or father, as they call Mr Lukashenko in Belarus, as well as 34 members of his Government and other high-ranking officials from entering "the civilized European space." But unless Lukashenko gives up his authoritarian habits within half a year, the door to the Old World will be closed to him again.
The Foreign Ministers of all 27 EU countries came to the conclusion that the person who is called "Europe's only dictator" will abandon his authoritarian habits only through reformist purging. This purging suggests reforms in electoral legislation, as well as providing freedom of expression, including in the media, and freedom of assembly and political associations.
Six high-ranking Belarusian officials haven't been that lucky and are still on the list of those denied entrance to Europe - Brussels seems to have lost any hope to change them, referring to them as incorrigible. In addition, apart form relaxing the ban on Belarusian officials' travel in Europe, the rest of the sanctions remain in force. These include freezing accounts in foreign banks, denying Belarus preferential trade tariffs, although these measures are purely symbolic, as Belarus has no such accounts or trade. All visa sanctions will be automatically restored in April, 2009 unless the 27 EU members unanimously decide that they should be lifted.
The latest wave of sanctions against the Lukashenko Administration and his Government rolled into Belarus in March, 2006 when the "black list" of those denied access to Europe was expanded to 41 people. Europe's dislike for Minsk grew after the referendum of 1996, where the presidential term in office was extended and a new countdown for the presidential term was introduced. After that, sanctions against Lukashenko were imposed, then partly lifted, eased and then toughened again. Brussels accuses him of dictatorial rule, usurping power, suppressing opposition (including by force), violating human rights, and many other sins.
What is curious is that the latest easing of visa sanctions against Lukashenko and his ministers hasn't been prompted by the slightest signs of the regime's improvement in the eyes of the European Union. "He is an autocrat. There is neither democracy nor human rights in Belarus. No one means he is not guilty," one of the EU foreign ministers stated. The EU didn't approve of the recent Belarusian election either. Nevertheless, Lukashenko's persistence in his civil barbarism has been no impediment to easing punitive measures. What a strange yardstick the EU uses to assess observation and violation of human rights!
However, taking a closer look, you will see that there is nothing strange about it. It is not by chance that the sanctions were eased the day before the International Conference on Stability and Security in Abkhazia and South Ossetia started in Geneva on October 15. You could understand it, had it been the decision of the EU only. But prior to that, the U.S. announced partly easing economic and visa sanctions, too.
At the meeting in Brussels, several delegations' representatives confessed in personal conversations with journalists that the visa decision is not a reward for Belarusian reform, but a political gambit to pull the country away from Russia's sphere of influence. The current loosening of the sanctions against Belarus had been initiated by Poland, which was supported by Lithuania and Latvia. According to an EU diplomat, these countries want to relax Belarusian sanctions in the hope of creating a friendly buffer state against Russia. So, Lukashenko is facing a loyalty test - whether to be friends with Europe with all his sins, or to be friends with Russia, with all the sanctions in place.
Uzbekistan had a bit more luck at a meeting of the same EU ministers held in Luxemburg. But the reasons were the same. Tashkent was almost completely exempted from visa sanctions, which were introduced after the Andijan tragedy in May, 2005. The sanctions concerned President Islam Karimov and eight other high-ranking officials. In the lobby of the Luxemburg forum, no one made a secret of the fact that the sanctions had no effect, they only "pushed Uzbekistan closer to Russia".
Diplomats most often referred to the fact that the visa ban was lifted from the Chief of Uzbekistan's National Security Service, Rustam Inoyatov, who is openly called Islam Karimov's successor. It would be wiser to develop friendly relations with Uzbekistan, which is rich in almost all the natural resources Europe needs.
It was Germany that insisted on lifting sanctions the most: as many as 50 large German industrial and financial companies do business in Uzbekistan. With all those sanctions, they are unable to work at full capacity. In February, a delegation of Germany's top 100 businessmen headed by Economic Minister Michael Glos will set off for Tashkent. Latvia eagerly sided with Berlin - in late October President Valdis Zatlers will take Latvia's business elite to Tashkent.
The British, who have always approached any sanctions to defend human rights with astute cynicism, explained perfectly what is happening with all these sanctions in today's Europe. "Sanctions are tactical games with individual governments rather than a simple, values-led campaign. Sanctions are tools for specific circumstances," a British diplomat, who preferred to remain anonymous, explained. "No one would say Uzbekistan is clearly on the right path. No one argues that it is better than, say, Zimbabwe. It's like comparing apples and pears. But in the end, sanctions are part of tactics as well."
Among EU member-states, Germany, France and Spain are most insistent in upholding this pragmatic, though not very morally motivated, policy.
At present, the EU keeps visa restrictions against the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Iran, Myanmar (Burma), North Korea, Serbia and Transdnestr. Arms supply sanctions are imposed on China, Iraq, Lebanon and Somalia.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.
