The European Union agreed today to suspend a travel ban on Belarus's President Alexander Lukashenko and other officials in recognition of the freeing of political prisoners in the ex-Soviet state.
But EU foreign ministers maintained asset freezes on top Belarussians and kept the head of the election commission on the travel ban list to show disappointment over the staging of a September election won overwhelmingly by Mr Lukashenko's allies.
"He is free to travel," said one EU envoy of a six-month suspension on visa restrictions for Mr Lukashenko, whose government was branded "the last dictatorship in Europe" by the United States in 2005.
It was not immediately clear how many of the 41 officials currently covered by the restrictions would see their travel bans suspended.
However a second EU diplomat said travel bans would remain effective for officials accused of involvement in the "disappearances" of political prisoners and for Lidia Yermoshina, head of the country's Central Election Commission.
The EU slapped sanctions on Belarus after Mr Lukashenko was accused of rigging his 2006 re-election.
Relations with the ex-Soviet republic and Brussels have warmed since August, when Belarus freed the last three detainees considered political prisoners and declined to follow Russia in recognising breakaway regions of Georgia as independent.
But the West was disappointed with the way Minsk staged an election won hands down by Lukashenko allies last month, and several EU states were reluctant to give Mr Lukashenko a completely clean bill of health.
The French EU presidency invited Foreign Minister Sergei Martynov to talks in Luxembourg and proposed the 27-nation bloc's sanctions against Minsk be cut back to isolate just six officials deemed to be involved in repression, diplomats said.
Reuters