Poland and some other EU states have called for the EU to adopt a more positive attitude towards Belarus. The Polish Foreign Minister, Radek Sikorski, has said that he wants to give “democratic forces” a chance there. He was supported in this by Carl Bildt, the Swedish Foreign Minister. Both men are known for their strongly pro-American politics. The EU commissar for foreign affairs, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, said that the Belarusian Foreign Minister should be invited to the next meeting of the European Council in Brussels in order to discuss reforms. Following the presidential elections in March 2006, the EU froze the foreign assets of the Belarusian President and 35 other senior officials. Radio and TV stations were given for the support of the opposition. The President, Alexander Lukashenko, has been in power since 1994 and is widely decried in the West as a dictator. But even his worst enemies in Belarus admit that he enjoys huge support in the population and that the pro-Western opposition is regarded with suspicion. [Handelsblatt, 6 September 2008]
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