BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

03/04/2006

Lukashenko sets swearing-in date

Belarus's President Alexander Lukashenko will be sworn in for a third term on Saturday following his disputed re-election.

Described as Europe's last dictator, Mr Lukashenko trounced opposition leader Alexander Milinkevich in elections on March 19 which were deemed unfair by Western observers.

Thousands of people protested in the tightly controlled ex-Soviet state following the result. Police took no action for several days, but dispersed a march on a detention centre, arresting hundreds.

Demonstrators claimed they had been beaten by police when they were arrested. Officials denied using excessive force.

And in a stinging rebuke for Mr Lukashenko, Mr Milinkevich has been invited to talks in Vienna and will go to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on April 5-6 to cite his case.

He will also attend a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg on April 10.

Mr Milinkevich has been threatened with a spell in prison for violating public order, similar to sentences passed on hundreds of other protesters.

Lukashenko postponed his inauguration ceremony this week, saying he had no space in his diary. His opponents say he is rattled by the scale of the protests.

Belarus's neighbour Poland has joined other EU nations and Washington in demanding the release of opposition activists jailed after police broke up their protests over the vote.

Source:

http://www.itv.com/news/world_1813604.html