BELARUS: President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, the man dubbed "Europe's last dictator", has vowed to use any means necessary to prevent a repeat of the popular protests that have swept pro-Western reformists to power in other ex-Soviet states, reports Daniel McLaughlin.
Referring to the "orange revolution" that has carried Mr Viktor Yushchenko to the presidency in neighbouring Ukraine, and the "rose revolution" that did the same a year earlier for Mr Mikhail Saakashvili in Georgia, Mr Lukashenko said he would do whatever it took to "preserve peace, calm and stability in Belarus". "There will be no rose, orange or banana revolutions here," he vowed, after a weekend meeting with senior Belarussian Orthodox Church clerics.
"They drew my attention to the recent events in Ukraine. I want to assure you that this country has used up its quota of wars and revolutions," he said.