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“SUPPORT FOR BELARUS” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H11852 on Oct. 23, 2007.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
SUPPORT FOR BELARUS
(Mr. MARIO DIAZ-BALART of Florida asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)
Mr. MARIO DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the pro-democracy rally that took place in Belarus on October 7. During this event, thousands of protesters flooded the streets of the capital city in support of democracy and to demand free and fair elections. The protesters shouted ``Belarus and Europe,'' and they waved European Union flags to express outrage against Alexander Lukashenko. That is the person the State Department has labeled ``the last dictator of Europe.''
It is time for this dictator, who cheated his way into office by stealing the elections last year, to step aside, step down, and let the people decide who should lead their country through legitimate and clean elections. The world must not tolerate evil dictators, and this one must step aside to allow Belarus to join the modern world rather than suffer under the oppressive and selfish rule of one man.
I applaud, Madam Speaker, the courage of the protesters who took to the streets in Belarus, and I stand with them in their quest for freedom, democracy, and the rule of law.
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