BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

8 February 2006

Belarus' KGB Says Polish Embassy In Minsk Is Spy Headquarters

The Belarusian counter-intelligence service, the KGB, has accused the Polish Embassy in Minsk of spying.

In a program broadcast yesterday on Belarus state television, an unnamed KGB officer said that the Polish Embassy had become a headquarters for foreign secret services.

On the same program, a KGB spokesman said that foreign spies have stepped up their activities in Belarus ahead of the upcoming presidential elections. He said there was a concerted effort to "create scandals" that would undermine the country's stability.

Polish embassy officials in Minsk criticized the report, which they said was aimed at creating a rift between Poland and western nations.

President Alyaksandr Lukashenka is running for a third term in the 19 March election.

The Polish government has been among the most outspoken critics of Lukashenka's regime.

(Belapan, Interfax, dpa)

Source:

http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/02/504733D7-6031-433A-B826-9C5F75DDD3EA.html