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Article: Minsk maverick backs away from showdown
- Article from:
- The Independent (London, England)
- Article date:
- November 20, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1996 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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A small ray of hope last night shone through the political
storm that has engulfed Belarus amid reports that its hard-line
president, Alexander Lukashenko, has said he is willing to
compromise over plans for a referendum which would turn his 10
million-strong nation into a near dictatorship.
Sources in the republic's capital, Minsk, told Reuters that Mr
Lukashenko, who has been under a barrage of international
criticism, had offered to withdraw his bitterly contested new draft
of the constitution, only five days before the nation was due to
hold its official voting day.
If the deal is confirmed and survives, then MPs seem certain to
drop their plans to move to impeach the maverick president, ...