Belarusian opposition hands over to European Parliament its proposals for Minsk's next steps

Belarusian opposition leaders have handed over to members of the European Parliament their "roadmap" specifying steps that Minsk should make in response to the suspension of the European Union's travel sanctions against top Belarusian officials.

They met with the head and members of the EP's Delegations for Relations with Belarus in Vilnius on Tuesday.

The paper contains four major proposals, calling on the Belarusian authorities to amend electoral regulations, ensure equal conditions for the state and private media and access to the state media for the opposition, give more freedoms to political parties and scrap penalties under criminal laws for people found guilty of being affiliated with an unregistered organization.

"Amendments to electoral regulations are a key issue for us," Anatol Lyabedzka, leader of the United Civic Party, told BelaPAN. "We are raising the issue now because whether we will have elections or just another election campaigns without rules in three years depends on it."

The politician said that the EP delegation accepted the proposals "positively." "Our proposals are based to a great extend on provisions featured in the most recent resolution of the European Parliament. We only made them more specific," he said.

Jacek Protasiewicz, chief of the EP Delegation for Relations with Belarus, will meet with Helga Schmid, director of Policy Unit of the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union, to hand over the proposals, according to Mr. Lyabedzka.

"It is very important that there will be our proposals in the brief cases of those who will arrive in Minsk for talks," Mr. Lyabedzka said.

A source at the French embassy told BelaPAN that the possibility of Ms. Schmid's visit to Minsk was under consideration.