BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

10/04/2006

Belarus To Bar EU, U.S. Officials

April 10, 2006 -- The Belarusian Foreign Ministry today responded to the European Union's visa ban on 31 Belarusian officials, saying it will impose similar restrictions on EU and U.S. officials.

Earlier, EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg imposed a visa ban in response to what Brussels says were Belarus's rigged presidential elections in March and a subsequent crackdown on opposition activists.

The ban prohibits President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who won a third term in office, and 30 other officials from traveling to any of the 25 EU states.

Lukashenka won a third term in the March election, claiming 83 percent of the vote. His nearest rival, opposition candidate Alyaksandr Milinkevich, took just 6 percent.

(compiled from agency reports)

Source:

http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/04/29b7bb11-ff06-4cdf-a09d-a6606828c3dc.html

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