BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

26/03/2007

Protesters rally in Belarus

MINSK, Belarus, March 26. KAZINFORM - Thousands of opposition protesters gathered this weekend in Minsk, Belarus, to mark the anniversary of the short-lived Belarussian republic in 1918.

The BBC reported on the protest in which activists rallied against President Alexander Lukashenko.

Washington calls Lukashenko "Europe's last dictator" and the rally leaders emphasized the opposition's backing from the European Union and the democratic world, the report said, Kazinform refers to UPI.

No injuries were reported in the protests, although several arrests were made as protesters tried to push through police cordons.

Between 10,000 and 15,000 people are believed to have taken part in the rally.

Meanwhile, the EU made a new appeal for democratic reform in Belarus, the BBC reported.

Source:

http://www.inform.kz/showarticle.php?lang=eng&id=149626