Frictions Emerge Between Belarus and Russia

de Nesnera report - Download (MP3) de Nesnera report - Listen (MP3) Russia has praised recent parliamentary elections in Belarus while international observers criticized the balloting. In this report from Washington, Senior Correspondent André de Nesnera looks at the relationship between Moscow and Minsk. President Alexander Lukashenko speaks to media after voting at a polling station in the capital Minsk, 28 Sep 2008 Belarus' authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko said the September 28 parliamentary elections were conducted in line with his country's laws and were an important step towards democracy. But observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said they fell significantly short of international standards. One-hundred-ten seats were at stake with 78 opposition candidates appearing on the... [read full story]