Ferrero-Waldner: no decision taken yet on Lukashenko invitation

The European Commission has revealed it has not yet decided whether or not to invite Belarussian President Alexandr Lukashenko to an “Eastern Partnership” summit set for May. EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, taking part in a two-day meeting of EU foreign ministers in southern Bohemia, said on Friday that it was too early to take a decision on the leader. Some have dubbed Mr Lukashenko the “last dictator in Europe”. Mrs Ferrero-Waldner said the informal meeting, hosted by Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, was a good opportunity to debate the issue. Some have already expressed opposition to the idea: Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen suggested that an invitation to the Prague summit would trivialise Mr Lukashenko’s dismal record on human rights.

Author: Jan Velinger