BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

09.02.2006

Senate Speaker on situation in Belarus

Warsaw (PAP) - The Lukashenko administration might resort to force, Senate Speaker Bogdan Borusewicz said after a meeting with the Consultative Council for Poles Abroad with Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz on Thursday.

"I think that the Lukashenko administration should receive clear signals about what will happen if it uses force," Borusewicz said. Belarus' accusations that Polish diplomats are plotting to overthrow Lukashenko's rule was a signal that force can be used in Belarus, the Senate speaker said, speaking about a TV programme aired by Belarussian TV on Tuesday.

"This film is designed to intimidate Poles in Belarus and to intimidate the Belarussian opposition," Borusewicz said.

Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz announced the strengthening of government's cooperation with Poles living abroad. "We want to make a breakthrough in this cooperation together," Marcinkiewicz said.

With regard to the situation in the east the prime minister stressed an urgent need for independent radio for Belarus.

The Council was formed in 2002 to give opinions on issues important for Polish community abroad.

Source:

http://euro.pap.net.pl/cgi-bin/europap.pl?grupa=46&dzien=0&ID=76520