BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

Friday, 04 November 2005

Ukraine Says PM's Comments On Lukashenka Twisted

4 November 2005 -- Ukraine's Foreign Minister Borys Tarasyuk apologized today for recent remarks by Prime Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov suggesting a comparison between Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka and Adolf Hitler.

In comments during a visit to the United States earlier this week, Yekhanurov was quoted as saying that Lukashenka is a "talented propagandist," and unexpectedly adding: "Now I understand why German women in the 1930s shouted, 'I want a baby with the Fuehrer!'"

The comments were met with anger in Minsk, and Belarus's Foreign Ministry asked Ukraine for clarification.

Tarasyuk was cited today as saying Yekhanurov's remarks had been twisted by foreign media, and in no way implied a criticism of Belarus or its leader.

Source:

http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/11/2BA66706-0FA0-4793-9F09-B67F514ACCBF.html