BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

14/12/2007

Russian President Visits Belarus

Russian President Putin on December 13 began a two-day visit to Belarus, and met with his Belarusian counterpart, President Lukashenka, RFE/RL's Belarusian Service reported. The two presidents did not issue any statements following the meeting. Pavel Lyohki, a spokesman for Lukashenka, told RFE/RL's Belarusian Service that the two leaders will "consider a broad range of Belarusian-Russian issues and current questions." Lyohki said that the agenda on December 14 includes the budget of the proposed Belarusian-Russian Union State, mutual trade relations, plans for joint activities in foreign policy, and questions related to the functioning of the union state's secretariat. Putin's arrival in Minsk was met with another demonstration by opposition activists on the evening of December 13, during which police detained 15 youth activists who displayed a banner reading "Putin go home." The activists were taken to a police station and released an hour later. AM

Source:

http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2007/12/3-cee/cee-141207.asp