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Poland 'paid' for Belarusian election riots?

PR dla Zagranicy
Peter Gentle 13.02.2012 13:55
Poland's Foreign Ministry has dismissed as “ridiculous” claims by Belarusian state TV that Warsaw funded riots in Minsk in December 2010.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Marcin Bosacki told the PAP news agency, Monday, that the accusations made in a documentary programme aired on Belarusian state TV are “fake” and “ridiculous”.

"We regret that the Belarusian authorities have persistently engaged in attacking their neighbour, a friendly country, instead of improving conditions for their nationals," he said.

A 30 minute programme, Lessons from Poland, broadcast on Sunday evening on state Belarus - 1 TV, claims that it has seen a telegram in which “riots in independent Square [on 19 December in Minsk following disputed presidential elections] was paid for by Warsaw”.

The cable is allegedly from Poland's Interior Ministry to the Polish Embassy in Minsk ordering an 80,000 euro payment to presidential candidate Uladzimir Niaklajeu “to prepare and carry out protests on 19 December, 2010,” claims a Belarusian TV journalist.

Hundreds were arrested in Minsk after it was announced that President Aleksander Lukashenko had been re-elected by 80 percent of voters to a fourth term of office.

Opposition candidates were charged with taking part in an illegal demonstration, with some receiving prison terms which have been heavily criticised by Poland, the OSCE, EU and US after accusations that the elections themselves were “rigged”.

The Belarusian programme broadcast yesterday adds that: “This document allows a sensational look at what happened on the evening of December 19 and who was behind the riots at the government building.”

The programme also shows an alleged cable sent from the Polish Embassy in Minsk by Polish ambassador to Belarus Leszek Szerepa after a meeting with Uladzimir Niaklajeu, mentioning another payment of 28,000 euros.

“The film is a fake,” the oppsotion activist also told the TVN24 news channel this morning, however.

Belarus TV also accuses Poland of turning a blind eye to corruption in the allocation of visas to Belarusians.

Poland has yet to comment on the accusations. (pg)

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