Russia's SPS urges Putin to deny Lukashenko recognition

2006-04-07 11:40

Minsk, 6 April. Russia's Union of Right Forces (SPS) party has urged President Vladimir Putin not to recognize Aleksandr Lukashenko as Belarus' legitimate leader.
In a statement released on April 6 the SPS criticizes Mr. Putin for his backing of the Lukashenko regime. "Over the last few years our country has been subsidizing the Belarusian economy, helping the Lukashenko regime to survive," the statement says. "After the election, which has not been recognized by a single democratic country, you congratulated Lukashenko, having recognized him as actual and legitimate leader of the Republic of Belarus."
The party calls on the Russian president to revise his policies toward "dictators."
SPS activists plan to demonstrate outside the Belarusian embassy in Moscow on April 8 to protest Mr. Lukashenko's inauguration and what the party calls fraudulent presidential election in Belarus.
SPS demonstrators intend to express their support for Russian journalists Oleg Kozlovsky, an SPS member, and Eduard Glezin who were arrested during an opposition protest in Minsk and jailed for 15 days.