BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS
DATE:
14/12/2010
Belarus' authoritarian leader calls on US to 'normalize' ties ahead of Sunday vote
MINSK, Belarus - The authoritarian leader of Belarus has called on the U.S. to normalize ties ahead of the Sunday presidential vote.
Alexander Lukashenko said Tuesday that Washington should treat Belarus as a partner that can not be "pressured, bent or trampled upon."
Washington has imposed economic sanctions against Belarus aimed at pressuring democratic change.
Analysts say Lukashenko is looking to improve ties with the West after his relations with Russia worsened in recent years.
Lukashenko has ruled the nation of 10 million with an iron fist since 1994, stifling dissent and independent media, and he is widely expected to win the weekend poll.
International monitors have called previous elections fraudulent.
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