Will European Union simultaneously prolong and suspend sanctions imposed on Belarusian officials?

The European Union is going to prolong the sanctions imposed on Belarusian officials for one more year and suspend them for the same term in October. BelaPAN reminds that the sanctions are imposed on 41 high-ranking officials.
According to a Brussels Internet Portal EUobserver, the EU’s decision will demonstrate that “not many things have changed since the last presidential elections won by Alyaksandr Lukashenka in 2006””. The portal refers to preliminary negotiations in diplomatic circles as a source.

Former Ministers of Internal Affairs Uladzimir Navumau and Yury Sivakou, the state secretary of the Security Council Victar Sheiman, the head of the special police troops team of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Dzmitry Paulichenka, the head of the Central Election Commission Lidziya Yarmoshyna and the head of the special police regiment Yury Podobed were included on the European list of personas non grata.

The sanctions were suspended for the majority of people on the list in October 2008. Only five people were an exception: Yarmoshyna, Paulichenka, Navumau, Sheiman and Sivakou.