BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

20/03/2006

Lukashenko vows continuation of "peace, pluralism" diplomacy

MINSK, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Re-elected Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has just been elected for his third term, said Monday his country would stick to a foreign policy that embraced "peace and pluralism."

Speaking at a press conference after he was declared winner of Sunday's election, Lukashenko said Belarus would continue its peaceful and pluralistic foreign policy.

"Belarus does not constitute a threat to any other country but will defend its national sovereignty and interests in every civilized way," Lukashenko said.

"Promoting the development of the (Belarus-Russian) union is a strategic task," Lukashenko said, calling Russia "a key partner" of Belarus.

At the same time, he said, Belarus was ready for "equal political dialogue with all states, including the United States and the European Union."

"Belarus respects the United States and the European Union, but that does not mean Belarus will change according to Washington or Brussels' standards," Lukashenko said.

Although observers from the Commonwealth of Independent States have declared the Belarus election as being open and transparent, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) did not view the vote positively, saying it "failed to meet OSCE commitments for democratic elections."

According to the final results from the Central Election Commission in Minsk, Lukashenko has won a third term in office with 82.6 percent of all votes in the March 19 election. His main opponent, Alexander Milinkevich, gained only 6 percent of the votes.

Editor: Yang Li

Source:

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-03/21/content_4325700.htm