BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

Tuesday, 26 July, 2005, 17:28 GMT 18:28 UK

Belarus expels Polish diplomat

Belarus has expelled a Polish diplomat as tension between the neighbouring countries continues.

Andrzej Olborski is the third Polish diplomat to be expelled from Minsk in the last two months.

The charge d'affaires has ten days to leave the country, said the Belarussian foreign office.

The move highlights increasing tension between the two countries over the role and treatment of Belarus's sizeable Polish minority.

President Alexander Lukashenko has accused Poland of interfering in Belarussian affairs and seeking to provoke mass protests against his government.

Poland has accused the government of Mr Lukashenko of persecuting the large Polish community in Belarus.

Around 400,000 ethnic Poles live in Belarus, in areas that formed part of Poland until World War II.

Source:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4719135.stm

Google