Скачать или смотреть BELARUS: RUSSIA HELPS RESOLVE A TENSE POLITICAL STANDOFF

(22 Nov 1996) Russian/Eng/Nat

Russia has helped resolve a tense political standoff in neighbouring Belarus, persuading its president Alexander Lukashenko to compromise with politicians who were threatening to oust him.

After overnight meetings with Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, parliament said it would drop impeachment proceedings against Lukashenko.

Lukashenko, in turn, agreed that a controversial referendum to expand his already considerable powers will be nonbinding.

But pro and anti-Lukashenko demonstrators continued to surround the Belarus parliament building Friday, despite the compromise reached during the night.

Russia, after flexing its diplomatic muscle to defuse an ugly political crisis across the border in Belarus, took credit for a successful compromise on Friday.

Moscow's intervention came before a referendum on Sunday in which President Alexander Lukashenko intended to seek much wider powers.

But Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin and his mediators were able to convince the Belarus President to soften his stance and defuse the political tension.

After overnight meetings with high-level mediators from Moscow - including Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin - parliament said it would drop impeachment proceedings against President Alexander Lukashenko.

And Lukashenko was persuaded to accept that a referendum on expanding his powers, planned for Sunday, would not be legally binding.

The resulting agreements were signed by all parties.

SOUNDBITE: (Russian)
"The constitutional court of Belarus on 22 November 1996 is halting the procedure of impeachment of the President."
SUPERCAPTION: President Alexander Lukashenko

Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin welcomed the positive progress that was made and said he believed it signified the end of the political stand-off.

Demonstrators continued to surround the Belarus parliament building Friday despite the compromise reached between Belarus President Lukashenko and the parliament.

Several hundred pro and anti-Lukashenko refused to leave.

Pro-parliament supporters believe Lukashenko is a dangerous man with too much power, a view also held by the leader of the Belarus Popular Front Party.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"I have no illusions according to this parliament which has a communist majority, but we see that Mr Lukashenko tries to liquidate any parliament, tries to liquidate the constitutional card, tries, he is striving to a dictatorship of Hitler style."
SUPER CAPTION: Lyavon Borshevsky, Leader of the Belarus Popular Front

But others were of a different opinion.

SOUNDBITE: (Russian)
I'm for disbanding parliament, what is this, I don't understand, see what happens in Moscow. Yeltsin did exactly what he should have done (by disbanding the Russian parliament) so then why can't Lukashenko do the same."
SUPER CAPTION: Maria Tereshuk, Communist Supporter

Under the agreement signed Friday, a Constitutional Assembly of representatives from both sides will be formed to work out an acceptable draft constitution, taking into account the referendum results.

Lukashenko will head the assembly, and has agreed not to disband parliament during the three months the commission has to come up with a draft.

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