BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

12/03/2006

Belarus Threatens To Deport Foreigners Ahead Of Election

March 12, 2006 -- The Belarus government is threatening to deport foreigners who may be planning to take part in activities the regime views as destabilizing ahead of the country's presidential election, on March 19.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Popov added that the authorities whatever measures are necessary to prevent foreign interference in Belarus's internal affairs.

He said authorities believe that some Georgian nationals are planning to enter Belarus, some through Russia and Ukraine, and may try to stage a "propaganda show" in Minsk airport if denied entry.

President Alyaksandr Lukashenka is a seeking a third term in the poll. European Union and U.S. officials have already said they do not expect the election to be judged to have complied with democratic standards due to the Lukashenka regime's crackdown on independent media and harassment of the political opposition.

(AFP, ITAR-TASS)

Source:

http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/03/8df379e8-a909-41b9-850b-2b8998c466bb.html