AP INTERVIEW:
Polish FM: Belarusians want freedom

[February 03, 2011]  WARSAW, Poland (AP) -- Poland's foreign minister says the people of Belarus have similar aspirations to the protesters who have filled the streets of Tunis and Cairo, risking all in the fight for rights.

Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday, a day after Poland hosted a donor conference from 40 countries that pledged $120 million to support democratic change in Belarus.

Sikorski described Belarus as "Europe's Cuba."

He acknowledged that the fight for democracy in Belarus remains an "intractable problem." But he said: "I think Tunisia and Egypt show how explosive an apparent state of stability can be."

[Associated Press]

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