BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

19/12/2006

U.S. won't recognize any referendum on uniting Belarus and Russia: ambassador

The Associated Press

MINSK, Belarus: A proposed referendum that would move Belarus and Russia closer to uniting would be undemocratic, given Belarus' authoritarian government, the U.S. ambassador to this tightly controlled ex-Soviet republic said Tuesday.

Karen Stewart said that the United States would not recognize any such vote.

"Given today's situation in Belarus, no referendum can be held that would convince us that this was the free will of the Belarusian people," she told reporters.

Despite years of pronouncements and on-again, off-again talks, the proposed Russia-Belarus Union remains largely on paper. Belarus' authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko, has rejected a Kremlin-proposed merger plan and negotiations on creating a single currency have stalled.

Earlier Tuesday, Pavel Borodin, the head of the proposed union, called for holding a referendum on uniting the two countries, saying 2007 would be "decisive for the building of the unified state."

Lukashenko has become a pariah in the West for cracking down on dissent and extending his rule through flawed votes, and Moscow has been Belarus' main sponsor and ally. But the Kremlin has lately been keeping more of a distance from Minsk and tensions have built up in recent years.

Lukashenko's government has been rattled by Moscow's recent proposals to hike oil and natural gas prices for Belarus, which has long benefited from substantial Kremlin subsidies. The move echoes similar increases sought by Moscow in other ex-Soviet republics, like Georgia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan.

Stewart repeated the position shared in Washington and other Western capitals that accused Russia of using its vast energy resources as a weapon.

"In our dialogue with Russia, we continue to push our point of view that a democratic Belarus would be a better neighbor and a better friend both for Russia and for us," she said.

Source:

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/12/19/europe/EU_GEN_Belarus_US_Referendum.php