BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

23/10/2007

PACE Head Seeks Apology For Belarusian President's Anti-Semitic Comments

Rene van der Linden, the president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), said on October 22 that President Alyaksandr Lukashenka should apologize for his remarks about Jews earlier this month, Belapan reported. Speaking to a group of Russian journalists on October 12, Lukashenka said Jewish residents turned the city of Babruysk in Mahilyou Oblast into a "pigsty" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 18, 2007). "President Lukashenka should reflect on this and apologize for his disgraceful words, if he is serious in his desire to move closer to the rest of Europe," van der Linden said. "The Council of Europe, as a value community, was created as the first step in a process of European integration intended to prevent the re-emergence of intolerance and extremism in Europe. The fight against anti-Semitism has been a priority of the Council of Europe since 1949 and will continue to be so for as long as the threat remains. Rejection of anti-Semitism is a universal principle," he added. JM

Source:

http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2007/10/3-cee/cee-231007.asp