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Ex-chairman of upper parliamentary house throws down gauntlet to Lukashenko

Aleksandr Voitovich, a former chairman of the upper parliamentary house, has thrown down the gauntlet to Aleksandr Lukashenko, inviting him to take part in the debate show "K Baryeru" [On the Firing Line] of Russia's NTV network.

He urged the Belarusian leader to show "civil responsibility" and take up the gauntlet.

"It is high time to start working out a realistic concept of Belarus' future," Dr. Voitovich said in his statement posted on his Web site. "The country has approached a line beyond which pursuing the current course may have very grave consequences."

"It is utterly necessary to proceed from objective laws of social development, not voluntaristic decisions, in the working out of such a concept. The Belarusian people should live a wealthier and happier life. It is necessary to engage the country's intellectual potential in the working out of the development concept, irrespective of whether they are "honest" or "dishonest," "loyal to the president" or opposing the president's many decisions, the division that has been voiced repeatedly."

Dr. Voitovich, a critic of Mr. Lukashenko's regime, headed the National Academy of Sciences between 1997 and 2000 and chaired the upper parliamentary house between 2000 and 2003. //BelaPAN