BRUSSELS: Opposition by Cyprus has delayed planned EU sanctions against individuals held responsible for their role in electoral fraud and a crackdown on protesters in Belarus, European sources said on Wednesday.

Cyprus is demanding that the EU first decide on tighter sanctions against Turkey because of a dispute over natural gas drilling in the eastern Mediterranean.

The sources said it was unclear whether the row could be resolved soon and that a solution might not be found before the next meeting of EU foreign ministers on September 21. That will be followed by an EU leaders' summit, where increasingly fraught relations with Turkey will be discussed.

EU foreign ministers decided in principle on August 14 to impose sanctions because of the disputed presidential elections in Belarus and the crackdown on demonstrators by Alexander Lukashenko's regime.

Officials have since worked on a list of potential targets who face potential EU entry bans and asset freezes, which diplomats said runs up to 40 people. But EU sanctions require unanimity and Cyprus demands that existing measures against Ankara be extended.

The EU considers the Turkish drilling to be illegal and has already imposed sanctions on Turkey. In July last year, European foreign ministers cut EU funds for Turkey, put high-level contacts on ice and suspended negotiations on an air transport agreement.