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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| EU to let Belarus leader travel | EU to let Belarus leader travel |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| The European Union has agreed to lift its travel ban on President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, in an attempt to encourage democratic reform. | The European Union has agreed to lift its travel ban on President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, in an attempt to encourage democratic reform. |
| "We have suspended the travel bans for six months," said a European diplomat quoted by Reuters news agency. | "We have suspended the travel bans for six months," said a European diplomat quoted by Reuters news agency. |
| Belarus has been labelled "Europe's last dictatorship" by the US, and serious concerns have been raised over last month's election. | Belarus has been labelled "Europe's last dictatorship" by the US, and serious concerns have been raised over last month's election. |
| However, the West has been encouraged by the release of political prisoners. | However, the West has been encouraged by the release of political prisoners. |
| The EU's decision was announced after EU foreign ministers held talks with their Belarussian counterpart Sergei Martynov. | |
| It was the EU's first high-level contact with the country in four years. | |
| The European Commission had urged foreign ministers to ease sanctions on Belarus, with External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner saying the EU should not "forego a possibility to have political leverage". | |
| "We want to show that progress is being rewarded," she said. |