had just received the preliminary conclusions of the OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission and agreed
with its assessment that the presidential elections in Belarus were severely flawed due to arbitrary use of state power, ob
viously designed to protect the incumbent President, which went far beyond acceptable practice, and other shortcomings. had, over the last few months, repeatedly called on the Belarusian authorities to abide by international standards and Belarus' commitments in the OSCE and the UN to assure a free and fair elec
...[+++]toral process, and firmly condemned the serious violations of candidates' campaigning rights, including acts of harassment, detention and violence against candidates and campaign workers. wished to stress clearly once again that the EU's intention is not to target the Belarusian population, with which it wishes to stay engaged, and that it regrets the policy of self-isolation of the Belarus authorities. will start discussion on restrictive measures against those responsible for these acts, in line with the Council Conclusions of 7 November 2005 and 30 January 2006. had also witnessed, in the course of this election campaign, the emergence of pluralistic forces and the consolidation of a genuine Belarusian opposition as well as a politically active civil society.