EU member states have urged Brussels to “catch up” with the situation after EU member states failed to agree on sanctions against Belarusian officials. Belarus has been shocked by six weeks of mass protests against President Alexander Lukashenko, demanding victory in the election.
The European Union (EU) has promised to impose sanctions on Minsk over election fraud and human rights abuses – something Belarus has denied.
Despite a trip to Brussels by opposition leader Shiatlana Shikhnauskaya, the European Union has not been able to reach a consensus on what action to take.
In a fitting post on International Peace Day, Mr Verhofatsadt, who described the European Union as “the greatest peace project of our time”, condemned Brussels for failing to resolve it.
In a post on Twitter since 2009, the Belgian MEP wrote: “Today is the International Day of Peace … and the biggest peace project of our time is to end internal divisions over Belarus. Take Europe!
In another scathing message 24 hours ago, Mr Verhostest described the behavior of European foreign ministers as “reprehensible”.
He said: “Anger against the people of Belarus continues.
“When will we hit criminals with sanctions? Where is the foreign minister of Europe? Their inability to work and comply with sanctions is a disgrace. “
Brussels has yet to approve a list of 40 Belarusian officials who will face travel bans and assets will freeze set
Top EU diplomat Joseph Borel, who chaired the foreign ministers’ meeting, confirmed that no agreement had been reached between the two member states.
He said: “Although there is a clear desire to impose sanctions, the necessary measures have not been taken.”
Mr Borel assured that there would be a consensus before the next meeting on 12 October and warned that if it did not, the bloc would suffer.
He added at a news conference: “Our credibility is at stake if we are not capable.”
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On Sunday, more than a million people marched through Minsk in the sixth weekend of anti-government protests.
Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Friday, removing hundreds of protesters by truck.
The Interior Ministry said police had detained 442 people nationwide – including 2,266 in Minsk.
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