BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

11/10/2007

Langer offers scholarships for Belarusian students

By CTK

Prague, Oct 10 (CTK) - Czech Interior Minister Ivan Langer (senior governing Civic Democrats, ODS) told Belarussian opposition leader Alyaksandr Milinkevich Belarussian students might get scholarships to study in the Czech Republic, the Interior Ministry press department told CTK Wednesday.

Thanks to these scholarships, Belarussian young people would be able to study at the Liberal-Conservative Academy (CEVRO) close to the ODS, the ministry said.

Langer, who is the head of CEVRO, made his offer to Milinkevich during their meeting on Tuesday, the ministry said.

"I perceive this also as the repayment of our debt to the people who in the past helped us gain the opportunity to live in a free country," Langer said.

Langer also discussed with Milinkevich the possibilities of cooperation with democratic Belarussian forces.

In 2006, Milinkevich unsuccessfully ran for Belarussian president but he was defeated by Belarussian President Alexandr Lukashenko in the elections that the opposition believes were rigged by the state power.

The regime of Lukashenko brutally dispersed the subsequent demonstrations against the election results organised by the opposition.

Source:

http://www.praguemonitor.com/en/188/czech_national_news/13182/