BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

02/05/2008

US, Belarus to close embassies

Belarus is to receive State Department orders obliging the country to close its Washington embassy while US closes its own in Minsk.

Having stopped short of completely giving up on diplomatic relations, the department is to, as well, necessitate Minsk to shut down its consulate in New York, AP reported.

The move comes while Washington has already called on the six remaining Belarusian diplomats to leave.

Bilateral ties became tense after last November, over alleged human rights abuses, US froze the Belarusian oil firm Belneftekhim's foreign assets; a move that Minsk denounced as a "crude violation" of international law.

The US has also named the Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko "Europe's last dictator'' and accused him of authoritarianism.

The agency quoted US officials as saying that Belarus had been given until 16 May to effect the closure and the American embassy in Minsk would cease operations as early as Friday.

Source:

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=53964§ionid=3510203

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