07 August 2004	Saturday	20 Jamadi-us-Saani 1425

ATHENS, Aug 6: Greece announced on Friday it was barring the Belarus sports minister from the Olympic Games after the European Union raised his alleged links with human rights abuses, triggering outrage in Minsk.

"He (Yuri Sivakov) won't be allowed to enter the country. Greece is in perfect solidarity with its European partners," Greek government spokesman Evangelos Antonaros told AFP.

The Dutch presidency of the 25-member European Union - which includes Greece - said Sivakov's attendance at the Games would be "completely inappropriate". It said Sivakov, then interior minister, had been implicated in the disappearance of four opponents to Alexander Lukashenko, the autocratic president of the former Soviet republic.

Belarus reacted angrily to the decision. "We are outraged at attempts to use the games in Athens - the cradle of the Olympics - as an arena for political games," the foreign ministry said.

It said the decision was "counterproductive and will not help restore our relations with the European Union. Lukashenko, who is also president of the national Olympic committee in Belarus, appointed Sivakov as sports minister in January with orders to bring back at least 25 gold medals from Athens.

Olympic organisers ATHOC said it will respect the ban. "ATHOC is aware of the position and the decisions of Greece and the European Union and will respect them," spokesman Serapheim Kotrotsos told AFP.

Belarussian officials, including Lukashenko, have already been briefly barred from visiting Europe over their rights record and allegations of illegal arms smuggling to Iraq.

In April the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly urged the Belarus government to lay criminal charges against Sivakov and two other officials and to investigate their role in the disappearances. -AFP