EU slaps visa ban on Lukashenko, Belarus aides

LUXEMBOURG, Apr 10 (Reuters) The European Union today banned Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko and 30 ministers, prosecutors and regional election officials from entering the 25-nation bloc.

EU foreign ministers, meeting in Luxembourg, said they had sanctioned them for allegedly rigging Belarus's March 19 presidential polls and for a crackdown on opposition activists.

The EU did not freeze the assets of the banned individuals for now but warned it may do so later, possibly as early as next month, and asked the executive European Commission to propose further targeted measures.

''We should impose that kind of measure in the future,'' Czech Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda told reporters about asset freezes, stressing the importance of exerting permanent pressure on what critics call the ''last dictatorship in Europe''.

The foreign ministers vowed to help Belarussian civil society, including by enabling students to come and study in the EU and by enhancing access to independent media.

Lukashenko, sworn in on Saturday, was number one on the visa-ban list, followed by his head of presidential administration, Gennady Nevyglas, the ministers of education, information and justice, as well as the chairman of the lower house of parliament and the head of the KGB security service.

Others named include the prosecutor-general, several judges and prosecutors, the country's seven regional election officials and the head of the state television and radio company.

Belarus dismissed the visa ban.

''Short-sighted actions of this sort are clearly ineffective and serve only to complicate problems in our relations rather than trying to solve them,'' Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Popov said in a statement.

EXTENDING THE LIST Alexander Milinkevich, the nearest rival to Lukashenko in the election, who led days of unprecedented protests, argues against economic sanctions as harmful to the national interest.

But he restated his backing for a broad extension on visa bans.

Milinkevich said the list should extend to local election officials who colluded in vote-rigging, judges who sentenced hundreds of demonstrators in the aftermath of the election and factory bosses who sacked employees for taking part in protests.

''This is one of the effective measures available to the European Union,'' he told a news conference in Minsk.

''We believe there should be hundreds of names on the list.

We propose that the EU work not with Belarussian authorities, but with civil society. Everything should be done to open Europe for ordinary Belarussian citizens.'' Svoboda also urged his European partners to extend the ban to top officials in state broadcasting as they ''are deforming democracy in Belarus''.

The list is open, names may be added or could be withdrawn if jailed activists are freed and human rights and media freedoms improve, the ministers said in a statement.

Many ministers said the EU should intercede with Russia to apply pressure for the freeing of jailed Belarussian activists.

''The EU cannot avoid debating this issue with Russia,'' Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn told reporters.

''It is hard for public opinion to understand how (Russia) can...protect a dictatorial regime,'' he added.

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