BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

Published July 29, 2005

Poland, Belarus spat worsens

By UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL

BRUSSELS -- A diplomatic row between Poland and Belarus escalated after Warsaw withdrew its ambassador in protest at the treatment of Polish minorities.

Following a raid on a Polish community center in the west of Belarus, Polish Foreign Minister Adam Rotfeld asked the European Commission for help. However, the commission said the dispute was a bilateral matter.

The EU executive said it would monitor the situation but that any action before September was highly unlikely.

With an election due next year, President Alexander Lukashenko -- dubbed the last dictator in Europe -- is apparently beginning to worry about his position. Earlier this week Lukashenko accused Poland and the United States of plotting to take over the country, which he has ruled since 1993.

Source:

http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20050729-114546-5286r

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