The main newspaper, Europhile, urged Brussels to “take control” of the situation as EU member states have failed to agree on sanctions against Belarusian officials. Belarus has seen six weeks of widespread protests against President Alexander Lukashenko amid allegations that his election victory has been rigged.
The European Union has pledged to impose sanctions on Minsk for alleged election fraud and human rights violations – a charge that Belarus denies.
Despite opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanoskaya’s travel to Brussels, the European Union was unable to reach a unanimous decision on what action to take.
In an apt post on World Peace Day, Mr. Verhoftsdt, who describes the European Union as “the greatest peace project of our time”, condemned Brussels for failing to find a solution.
In a post on Twitter, a Belgian member of the European Parliament wrote since 2009: “International Day of Peace today … and the greatest peace project of our time must roll up its sleeves and end internal divisions over Belarus. Get a fist, Europe!”
In another scathing letter 24 hours ago, Verhofstadt described the behavior of European foreign ministers as “scandalous”.
He said, “Anger against the Belarusians continues.
“When do we impose sanctions on perpetrators? Where are European foreign ministers? Their inability to act and impose sanctions is scandalous.”
Brussels has yet to approve a list of 40 Belarusian officials set to be subject to a travel ban and an asset freeze.
The chief diplomat of the European Union, Josep Borrell, who chaired the meeting of foreign ministers, confirmed that there was no agreement among the 27 member states.
He said, “Although there is a clear will to adopt the sanctions, the required consensus has not been reached.”
Borrell expressed confidence that a consensus would be reached before the next meeting on October 12th and warned that there would be consequences for the bloc if it was not there.
“If we cannot, our credibility is at stake,” he added at a press conference.
Read more: Coronavirus LIVE Map: Act or we’ll see 50,000 cases daily in one month
On Sunday, more than 100,000 people demonstrated in Minsk for the sixth consecutive weekend of anti-government demonstrations.
In an effort to quell the unrest, security forces in the capital pulled many protesters away from the crowds.
The Interior Ministry said police arrested 442 people across the country – including 266 in Minsk.
“Food practitioner. Music junkie. Avid troublemaker. Hipster-friendly creator. Social media lover. Wannabe pop culture fanatic.”
