Belarus opposition appeal to EU fails to unblock sanctions

European Union foreign ministers failed to agree sanctions against Belarusian officials on Monday, despite an appeal by the country’s main opposition leader.

After a sixth straight weekend of huge protests against President Alexander Lukashenko, opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya travelled to Brussels to try to convince the EU to follow through on a sanctions threat it announced last month.

So far the bloc has yet to approve a list of some 40 Belarusian officials to be hit with travel bans and asset freezes. Cyprus has been seen as blocking approval by tying the Belarus measures to unrelated sanctions it wants on Turkey in a gas exploration dispute.

“Although there is a clear will to adopt the sanctions, the required unanimity was not reached,” the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell, who chaired the meeting of foreign ministers, told reporters, referring to EU rules that all 27 states must agree.

Approval is still possible by EU leaders at a summit on Thursday and Borrell said that by the next time foreign ministers meet on Oct. 12, the sanctions would be agreed. But he also acknowledged the paralysis was damaging for the EU’s image.