UN special envoy for Korea may help avert heavy consequences.

.

THE UNITED NATIONS, December 20 (Itar-Tass) -- U.N Secretary General
Ban Ki-moon's possible appointment of his special envoy for Korean
settlement "could give an impetus to diplomatic efforts that is absolutely
necessary for averting heavy consequences on the Korean Peninsula,"
Russian Permanent Representative in the U.N. Vitaly Churkin said after
more than 8-hour consultations in the U.N. Security Council on Sunday
evening.
"This part of our draft statement (a statement by the U.N. Security
Council chairman) gained a quite broad support among the U.N. Security
Council members and aroused no objections, therefore, we hope that if no
extremely dramatic events occur on the Korean Peninsula in the next few
hours we are concerned about the idea for the U.N. general secretary to
appoint his special envoy may yield some positive result," he said.
Speaking on another part of Russia-initiated statement appealing to
South Korea and North Korea to show restraint the Russian diplomat noted
that this provision "faced quite predictable diplomatic difficulties in
view of various positions of several U.N. Security Council members on the
causes for mounting tensions on the Korean Peninsula and various
approaches to what remedies are optimal."
Russia "is concerned that the events on the Korean Peninsula may
develop unpredictably already in the next few hours," Churkin said. "South
Korea can launch new live fire drills in the Yellow Sea already in the
next few hours, as far as we are informed," the diplomat added.
"Certainly, at the current U.N. Security Council session we repeated
an appeal to South Korea to refrain from these live fire drills and urged
North Korea to do nothing that could result in a dramatically aggravated
situation, but the time and the events will show how the conflicting
countries took into account our appeals and those from other U.N. Security
Council members," Churkin underlined.

.Minsk protest action masterminds to be charged with mass disorders.

MINSK, December 20 (Itar-Tass) -- The masterminds of an opposition
rally in Minsk will be charged with instigating mass disorders and
participating in them, a source in the Belarusian Interior Ministry said
on Monday.
"The masterminds of mass disorders in Minsk were detained. They are
charged under Article 293 of the Belarusian Criminal Code for
masterminding mass disorders and participating in them," the source said.
Such presidential candidates as Andrei Sannikov, Nikolai Statkevich
and Grigory Kostusev were detained.

.URGENT - Lukashenko reelected as Belarus president.

MINSK, December 20 (Itar-Tass) -- Incumbent Belarusian President
Alexander Lukashenko was reelected at the presidential elections on
Sunday. Lukashenko gained 79.67% of votes after all votes were counted,
the Central Election Commission reported the preliminary results on
Monday. The turnout has made 90.66%, CEC chairwoman Lidia Yermoshina said.
At the previous presidential elections in 2006 Lukashenko gained 82.6%
of votes.

.Lukashenko reelected as Belarus president.

MINSK, December 20 (Itar-Tass) -- Incumbent Belarusian President
Alexander Lukashenko was reelected at the presidential elections on
Sunday. Lukashenko gained 79.67% of votes after 99% of votes were counted,
the Central Election Commission reported the preliminary results on
Monday. The turnout has made 90.66%, CEC chairwoman Lidia Yermoshina said.
At the previous presidential elections in 2006 Lukashenko gained 82.6%
of votes.
"In 2006 Lukashenko gained 82.6% of votes that is two percent higher
than this year," Yermoshina said. But the turnout went down from 92.6% to
90.66%.
"I would like to state that it is the preliminary results that may
change for these two percent," she noted.
"No complaints were made in the Central Election Commission,"
Yermoshina underlined.
The CEC chairwoman reiterated that "this is the preliminary results as
99% of votes were counted." "The election returns will be transmitted from
abroad on Monday evening," she added.
Andrei Sannikov and Yaroslav Romanchuk are far behind Alexander
Lukashenko. "Alexander Lukashenko gained 79.67% of votes, Grigory Kostusev
- 1.97%, Alexei Mikhalevich - 1.2%, Vladimir Neklyayev 1.77%, Yaroslav
Romanchuk - 1.97%, Vitaly Rymashevsky - 1.1%, Andrei Sannikov -2.56%,
Nikolai Statkevich - 1.04%, Viktor Tereshchenko - 1.08%, Dmitry Uss -
0.48%," Yermoshina said. Some 6.47% voted against all candidates.

.Belarus CEC to announce specified preliminary results at 11 am MSK.

MINSK, December 20 (Itar-Tass) -- The Belarusian Central Election
Commission will announce at 11 a.m. Moscow time the specified preliminary
results of the country's presidential elections, CEC representatives told
a press conference at the CEC information center on Monday.
The first preliminary election results were made public at the press
conference.
-0-baz


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