BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

30/12/2007

Belarus to respond toughly to new US economic sanctions

BOROVLYANY, Minsk District, December 30 (Itar-Tass) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that his country would toughly respond to possible imposition of new economic sanctions by the United States. "Let the American ambassador in Minsk be engaged in her own problems or leave her post ahead of time, speaking of a possibility of clamping down on Belarus economic sanctions," Lukashenko noted, visiting a children's social village on Sunday.

He emphasised that as soon as possible sanctions affect substantially the Belarusian economy, "she (ambassador) will be the first to be kicked out of Belarus". "We shall respond immediately and in the toughest possible way," Lukashenko added.

According to the president, Belarusians will survive in any case and can go along quite well without the American dollar. "We don't have much of them; we shall spurn down the dollar and shall switch over to the euro of the Russian rouble," Lukashenko continued. He added at the same time that "it won't do to push around us and make fool of us before the entire world".

Lukashenko also noted that the US does not like that Belarusians work in Venezuela. "But let them give us jobs in the US; we go where they welcome us," Lukashenko went on to say. He noted that "we suggested the US to cooperate for dozens of times. Let us settle problems - but they don't want. They want to overpower us and to trample underfoot with an iron heel our country," Lukashenko stated.

He warned again that Belarus can respond very toughly, and then the US "will lose their positions not only in Belarus".

Source:

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=12227304&PageNum=0