Belarus May Reconsider Partnership Program With NATO
April 04, 2006
April 4, 2006 -- Belarus says it might reconsider its partnership policy with NATO following the alliance's criticism of last month's presidential election.
NATO officials said last week that the organization would refuse to deal with any Belarusian official who had been involved in the repression of peaceful demonstrations against the reelection of President Alyaksandr Lykashenka in the March 19 election.
The alliance also said it is reassessing its relations with Belarus.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrey Papou accused NATO of "intentionally politicizing" its relations with Belarus, which signed a Partnership for Peace agreement with the alliance in 1995.
Hundreds of people were detained and many remain in prison following the election. The Belarusian opposition, Western governments, and international observers say the vote was neither free nor fair.
(Belapan, AP)