Solana: We don't expect that Minsk will meet all of 12 EU conditions at once

«We are realists and we don't expect that the Belarusian authorities will meet all of 12 EU conditions at once", Javier Solana, EU's Commissioner for Foreign Policy and Security, told Belapan news agency. Nevertheless, he noted that the European Union would like to see "the beginning of a concrete and convincing democratization process which would gradually lead to the fulfillment of all of 12 proposals".

Solana named the release of political prisoners and the halt to repressions against civil society and opposition activists as the priority conditions for the beginning of the dialogue between EU and Minsk.

In his view, parliamentary elections in 2008 could give the authorities "a great opportunity to demonstrate positive changes" in Belarus.