BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

28/04/2009

Belarus President Defends Reforms Record In Italy

The European Union imposed a travel ban on Lukashenko for alleged vote-rigging in 2006, but froze the sanction last year.

Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko defended his record on democratic reforms on Tuesday as he ended his first visit to Western Europe in 14 years on what he called a "very positive" note.

Long accused by the West of squashing basic rights, Lukashenko emerged from the diplomatic cold in his trip to Rome to meet the Pope, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and the Knights of Malta, a former military order turned charity.

"No leader of any European country has asked me for any reforms. We know quite well what direction to take our country in and how to reform our political and social system," he told reporters at the Order of Malta, his last stop on the tour.

"What are we doing? Well, if you really want to know what is going on in Belarus, you're welcome to come to Belarus, we'll let you see everything."

The European Union imposed a travel ban on Lukashenko for alleged vote-rigging in 2006, but froze the sanction last year as a reward for freeing political prisoners.

He has also secured an invitation to the EU's May 7 "Eastern Partnership" summit in Prague, but kept observers guessing on Tuesday on whether he would attend in person and admonished reporters for dwelling over his potential appearance there.

"If someone doesn't want to see Lukashenko there, it means Lukashenko won't come there," he said, in comments translated into Italian. "Who will go -- Lukashenko or the foreign minister -- we'll decide closer to the date."

REFUSED HAND SHAKE

Czech President Vaclav Klaus has threatened to refuse to shake hands with the veteran Belarussian leader and analysts say an appearance in Prague could embarrass other leaders, but Lukashenko said Berlusconi was hoping to see him there.

Berlusconi, who held a three-hour meeting with Lukashenko on Monday and gave him a personal tour of his office after midnight, came in for special praise as a "patriarch of Italian and international politics" from the Belarussian leader.

The Italian leader may visit Belarus in the autumn, Lukashenko said.

In his meeting with Pope Benedict on Monday, Lukashenko said he had also proposed thawing tense relations between the Vatican and the Russian Orthodox Church by offering to host the Pope and Orthodox Patriarch Kirill for a meeting in Belarus.

Belarus is about 60 percent Orthodox Christian and about 14 percent Catholic and in the past Lukashenko has described himself as an "Orthodox atheist".

Smiling and joking with reporters under a steady downpour, Lukashenko left for Belarus promising to return. His last official visit to Western Europe was in 1995 to France.

"I leave Italy with a very positive attitude and hope to come back many times," he said.

Source:

http://www.javno.com/en-world/belarus-president-defends-reforms-record-in-italy_254322

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