EU set to suspend sanctions against Belarus's Lukashenko

(BRUSSELS) - The EU is ready to suspend sanctions against Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko after he released the country's last political prisoners, European sources told AFP Friday, two days ahead of elections in Belarus.

A decision will be taken before October 31, when the measures expire and must be either renewed or scrapped, they said.

But the decision will hinge on incident-free elections on Sunday and a peaceful aftermath, one source said. The Belarussian strongman is expected to win a fifth consecutive term.

"This is a gesture in response to the gesture made by the regime when it freed the political prisoners this summer," an EU diplomat told AFP.

The sanctions entail travel bans and asset freezes against Lukashenko and around 170 other individuals and 14 groups.

A European source said the suspension would be a "political signal" to Lukashenko, who was once a close Russian ally but has since played Brussels off against Moscow in pursuit of his own interests.

Another EU diplomat said the 28-nation bloc would be looking closely to see if Sunday's elections pass off without incident and in an "acceptable climate."

"That means, if there are no new arrests of opposition figures, if there is no violence and no attacks against the press," said the diplomat who asked not to be named.

In Prague, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said that if conditions were right, there would be "a serious review of sanctions."

"Let's not forget that since sanctions (were) imposed ... one of the major conditions for lifting them has been a release of political prisoners and I think that Belarus has made significant progress there," Rinkevics told a press conference alongside Czech counterpart Lubomir Zaoralek.

He also cited "the very constructive role" Belarus had played in hosting talks on a truce in rebel-held east Ukraine and "balanced policies when it comes to some very difficult issues," such as the Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which Georgia say have effectively been occupied by Russia.

- Lukashenko expected to win polls -

Lukashenko, 61, appears increasingly confident of his position.

He attracted a blaze of publicity when he brought his 11-year-old son Kolya to the UN General Assembly late last month, reinforcing rumours he is grooming a successor.

"Lukashenko is sending a signal that he will remain in power for as long as he likes and is presenting us the next ruler," Anatoly Lebedko, the leader of the opposition United Civic Party, told AFP.

The sanctions against Lukashenko were imposed in January 2011 over human rights violations. Some of the other sanctions against his regime in the ex-Soviet state date back to 2004.

Once dubbed "Europe's last dictator" by Washington for his authoritarian rule, Lukashenko has been in power since 1994.

In a surprise move in August, he released from jail six opposition leaders considered the last political prisoners in Belarus.

Among the freed opponents was Mikola Statkevich, a former presidential candidate imprisoned in 2010.

- 'Re-engage with Belarus' -

EU foreign ministers are set to consider the sanctions at a meeting on Monday, the sources said.

Current sanctions include an embargo on arms and equipment which could be used for internal repression, as well as asset freezes and travel bans against individuals.

"We want to re-engage with Belarus," a European source said, adding that the EU was looking for a "critical engagement" based on human rights with the aim of fostering political and economic links.

Belarussian authorities had already been discreetly informed of the coming suspension of the sanctions, another European source said.

However none of the freed political prisoners has been allowed to take part in this weekend's elections and the opposition have called on Brussels to keep up the sanctions against Lukashenko and his inner circle.

Belarussian writer and dissident Svetlana Alexievich, who won the 2015 Nobel Literature Prize on Thursday, said the award would help the fight for freedom of expression in Belarus and Russia.

Lukashenko congratulated her on the prize.

Lukashenko's relations with former master Moscow have chilled over the Ukraine conflict even as the country's Russia-dependent economy grapples with a recession.

Earlier this year, Lukashenko made a return to the international scene, hosting Ukraine peace talks in Minsk between pro-Moscow rebels and the leaders of Ukraine, France, Germany and Russia.

The EU has imposed tough economic sanctions in place against Russia over the Ukraine conflict. They are due to come up for renewal in January.