BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

05/04/2006

Belarus president makes public appearance

YURAS KARMANAU

Associated Press

MINSK, Belarus - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko appeared on state television for the first time in a week Tuesday, but he looked tired and the footage did little to dispel persistent rumors that he is in ill health following protests over his disputed re-election.

The authoritarian leader faced further pressure with the news that Russian gas giant OAO Gazprom said it would demand that Belarus triple its payments for gas deliveries. Such a move could cripple the country's Soviet-style command economy.

Lukashenko, who was shown on state television at a meeting with his foreign minister, rejected Western criticism of the March 19 poll. "We won't yield to anyone. We have our own policy," he said in a measured voice.

The tone was in sharp contrast to the usual fiercely energetic demeanor of Lukashenko, who is noted for making hours-long speeches.

The opposition in this tightly controlled former Soviet republic claims Lukashenko disappeared from public view because of health problems.

Lukashenko's inauguration, initially scheduled for March 31, was postponed until Saturday due to unspecified reasons.

Lukashenko, branded Europe's last dictator by Washington, has faced international condemnation of the election, which he won with 83 percent of the vote according to official results. The main opposition candidate Alexander Milinkevich, who received only around 6 percent, has alleged widespread fraud.

The European Union and the United States have said they would impose sanctions on Lukashenko including a visa ban and a freeze on his overseas assets.

But the Belarusian leader is facing more serious pressure from his traditional ally Russia over the threat to make Belarus pay European rates for Russian gas. Many interpret the price hike demand as a ploy by Moscow to acquire control of Belarus' national pipeline network, which carries Russian gas to Western markets.

Belarus is the only ex-Soviet republic that did not get a gas price hike from Moscow last year and it currently pays the rock-bottom price of roughly $47 per 1,000 cubic meters of natural gas.

Belarus should pay at least three times that rate, Gazprom deputy chairman Alexander Ryazanov said Tuesday.

Source:

http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/14264111.htm