Ten US diplomats ordered to leave Belarus

Ten US diplomats were ordered
to leave Belarus within 72 hours, intensifying a
row over sanctions and human rights.

US charge d'affaires Jonathan Moore, speaking to reporters
after being summoned to the foreign ministry, said the embassy
would abide by orders from the ex-Soviet state's authorities.

Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko, in power since
1994, has long been accused of crushing freedom of speech and
assembly. He has been barred from both the US and
EU on allegations he rigged his 2006 re-election.

Mr Moore said he believed new sanctions would be introduced if
Belarus did not release all detainees deemed to be political
prisoners. "Yes. I believe it will be soon," he said.

Belarussian authorities said Washington had failed to comply
with a demand to reduce its embassy's staff, the second this
year.

"The foreign ministry provided a list of 10 diplomats which
must leave the country in the course of 72 hours," Mr Moore said.
He said 15 diplomats were now in Minsk.

"We will do everything possible so that the US diplomats
leave the country within the required time limit."

Belarus's foreign ministry earlier said it had issued a list
of US diplomats it said had to leave over Washington's failure
to cut staff at its embassy.

The ministry's Internet site said a note had been issued to
Moore over the demand to reduce embassy staff from 17 to six.
The US ambassador left the country last month at the urging of
authorities and another diplomat had also gone.

US officials have said a resumption of dialogue is
possible only if Belarus releases its most prominent detainee,
academic Alexander Kozulin, jailed for five-and-a-half years for helping
stage mass protests against the president's re-election.

Mr Lukashenko ruled out any release of Mr Kozulin on Tuesday in
his annual state of the nation address to parliament.

Mr Kozulin turned down an offer last year to go to Germany for
treatment of his ailing wife on the grounds it amounted to going
into exile. His wife has since died.

The reductions in staff had had been sought in connection
with what authorities said were extensions of US sanctions.

The ex-Soviet state has been particularly unhappy about
sanctions against oil products company Belneftekhim.

It accused Washington of extending punitive measures against
the firm, which accounts for about a third of Belarus's
foreign currency earnings and asked US ambassador Karen
Stewart to leave the country last month.

Washington denied there had been any such extension.

After quarrelling with traditional ally Russia last year
over energy prices,Mr Lukashenko tried to improve ties with the
West, particularly the EU.

The US and the EU denounced the jailing last week
of two activists who took part in a January protest on the
grounds they had assaulted security forces.