The Czech foreign minister, Cyril Svoboda, has called for the main
opposition leader in Belarus, Alexander Milinkevich, to be invited to a
European Union summit later this week. Mr Milinkevich received around 6
percent of the vote in Sunday's presidential election in Belarus, which
was won by the autocratic incumbent Alexander Lukashenko.
The EU has described the election as neither free nor fair, and is
considering stepping up sanctions against Belarus. However Minister
Svoboda said he was opposed to tough sanctions: he called for more
dialogue and support for the country's universities, NGOs and
opposition.
The Czech president, Vaclav Klaus, said Mr Lukashenko's landslide
victory confirmed his fears for democracy in Belarus.