Speaking after the end of the emergency summit, which was held by video conference, Poland’s Mateusz Morawiecki said he supported sanctions against those who took part in a violent crackdown by the authorities on demonstrators.
"However, we do not want Belarusian society to suffer as a result of these sanctions measures,” Morawiecki added.
The Polish prime minister had earlier this month called for a special summit of EU leaders to focus on Belarus, where protests are mounting against the country’s strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko.
Tens of thousands have taken to the streets of Minsk and other cities in Belarus, claiming that Lukashenko rigged recent elections and protesting at brutality by security forces against protestors.
The official results of the August 9 election handed Lukashenko, in power for more than a quarter of a century, an 80 percent share of the vote, while Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, his main electoral opponent, took around 10 percent.
On the same day that EU leaders held their video meeting, Lukashenko ordered his police to put down protests in the capital Minsk, signalling an escalation after a week and a half of mass demonstrations against his rule, the Reuters news agency reported.
'The time when it was possible not to listen to the public's voice… must end'
Morawiecki said after Wednesday’s summit: “We want to make it clear to the regime of Alexander Lukashenko that the time when it was possible not to listen to the public's voice … must end, as quickly as possible.”
He added: “There should be talks, a negotiation and dialogue process is needed that will lead to a gradual democratization of the situation in Belarus, hopefully as soon as possible."
Warning to Russia
Morawiecki also said EU leaders had stressed there should be no “external intervention” in Belarus.
He added: "This, of course, is addressed to Russia, because we know that President Lukashenko is in talks with President Putin, and we want the process of the democratization of Belarus to be in the hands of the Belarusian people.”
Sanctions
Meanwhile, the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, said after the summit: “The EU will impose shortly sanctions on a substantial number of individuals responsible for violence, repression and election fraud.”
He added that violence against peaceful protesters in Belarus was “shocking and unacceptable.”
The Polish prime minister promised at the end of last week that his country would seek to support its neighbour Belarus by opening its borders and labour market while providing financial support to civil society after a violent crackdown on post-election protests.
Earlier on Wednesday, the presidents of Poland and three regional partners called on the Belarus authorities to respect human rights and refrain from using violence against peaceful demonstrators.
(pk/gs)
Source: PAP
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