BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

27/03/2006

Belarus Dissident Invited To Norway

by UPI wire

OSLO, Norway - March 26, 2006 (UPI) -- Norway has invited Alexander Milinkevich, leader of the opposition in Belarus, to Oslo for talks.

The Norwegian Foreign Ministry is also involved and plans arrange talks between Milinkevich and Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store.

The Norwegian government has denounced the results of last Sunday's vote. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was declared the official winner with almost 83 percent of the vote, while Milinkevich's official tally was 6 percent.

Opponents of Lukashenko and many foreign governments, including the European Union and United States, have denounced the vote as rigged.

Bjorn Engesland of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee said there are unconfirmed reports that Milinkevich's son is among those arrested this week in roundups of dissidents and police raids on demonstrations.

Source:

http://www.postchronicle.com/news/breakingnews/article_21211904.shtml