Arizona Republic- 08.22.2004

Arizona Republic

Touring McCain lambastes Belarus election, president

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

RIGA, Latvia (AP) -- Arizona Sen. John McCain called Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko a dictator Saturday and dismissed Belarus' planned October elections as "bogus" during a visit to Latvia on Saturday.

Lukashenko, elected in 1994, has garnered Western criticism for ruling his former Soviet republic of 10 million people with an iron hand. The West accuses him of stifling dissent and the independent media.

"President Alexander Lukashenko has manipulated the constitution to solidify his control," McCain said. "He has ordered the disappearances of opposition activists and journalists. He runs Belarus as if it was the Soviet Union, instilling a climate of fear, repression and arbitrary rule."

McCain was joined in Riga, the Latvian capital, by several Belarusian opposition leaders in condemning Lukashenko's government, including Valery Frolov, head of the Respublika opposition faction in parliament, who predicted Lukashenko's days as president were numbered.

The U.S. Senate delegation, which also included Republicans Susan Collins of Maine, John Sununu of New Hampshire and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, visited Ukraine earlier this week and urged its leaders to conduct a fair presidential election.