IRELAND: EU POLICY ON BELARUS

C O N F I D E N T I A L DUBLIN 000168 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/03/2018 TAGS: PHUM PREL EU EI SUBJECT: IRELAND: EU POLICY ON BELARUS REF: SECSTATE 30007 Classified By: POL/Econ Section Chief Ted Pierce; Reasons 1.4 (B) and ( D) ¶1. (C) Ireland agrees that strong U.S. - EU unity is needed in order to keep the pressure on Belarus, and supported a recent EU demarche to the Belarussian MFA highlighting the EU's concerns over the demands made on the US mission in Minsk, according to Deputy Director Ruaidhri Dowling, Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia Desk, Department of Foreign Affairs, to whom POLOFF delivered reftel demarche on March ¶31. Despite some policies that deal with practical matters such as shared borders, Dowling emphasized that the EU has the same goals as the US: Belarus must free its political prisoners and become a more democratic state. ¶2. (C) Until the violent crackdown of the demonstrators in Minsk on March 25, Dowling said, the EU had believed that Belarus was beginning to make good on its promise to release political prisoners. However, he added, the new arrests of demonstrators has only given the Belarussian government new political prisoners to replace the old. In light of this lack of progress, the EU intends to continue, and perhaps expand, its visa ban on Belarussian officials, Dowling stated. In addition, Ireland agrees that Belarus is in no position to be considered for entry into the World Trade Organization at this time, he concluded. FOLEY