Quotable notes

"Tragic as the [September 11] events in our own country were and as serious an undertaking as the war against terrorism will continue to be, we must not overlook the brutality and injustice of a regime such as the one led by Lukashenka - especially in the heart of Europe. Because of Lukashenka, Belarus has emerged as a dark island of repression, censorship and command economy in a region of consolidating democracies. Belarus has tragically become the Cuba of Europe. ... If Lukashenka continues to surrender Belarusian sovereignty, this bill will strip his government of the diplomatic properties it currently enjoys in the United States. Indeed, if he is successful in his warped effort to recreate the Soviet Union, the government of Belarus will sadly have no need for these properties."

- U.S. Senator Jesse Helms on November 7, introducing a bill, "Belarus Democracy Act of 2001," that calls for U.S. sanctions on the Lukashenka regime and $30 million in assistance to the Belarusian opposition.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, November 18, 2001, No. 46, Vol. LXIX

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