Lukashenka sent Yakubovich to Israel 15

Aliaksandr Lukashenka is sending his spokesman to Israel to resolve a conflict with his remarks that have been regarded as anti-Semitic, Israeli news-paper Jerusalem Post running today. As Ambassador of Belarus to Israel Ihar Liashchenia said to the edition on Friday, Paval Yakubovich, editor in chief of semiofficial newspaper “Sovetskaya Belorussia” is meeting today with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel representatives and journalists.

Paval Yakubovich, who is Jewish, is considered close to the president, Jerusalem Post running. The news-paper reminds the Lukashenka’s remarks said on the press conference for Russian mass media:

“If you visited Babruisk, you saw in what condition the town was. It was frightfully to enter! It was a pigsty! It was largely a Jewish town. You know what the attitude the Jews have towards the place they are living. Look at Israel…”.

Radio Svaboda reminds that Foreign Minister of Israel Tzipi Livni harshly criticized Lukashenka’s remarks. She said that “The role of leadership is to fight anti-Semitism, which rears its ugly head in various places around the world, not encourage it. Anti-Semitism is primarily an indicator of the society in which it appears and of its leaders”.

The spokesman of the Belarusian Embassy in Israel Siarhei Rychenka said parts of Lukashenka's comments were mistranslated, Jerusalem Post running.

Ambassador Ihar Liashchenia who worked earlier as aide to the president, said that Aliaksandr Lukashenka “has kind attitude toward the Jewish people”. The news-paper quotes the Belarusian ambassador who assured that during the personal meetings with Aliaksandr Lukashenka he has never demonstrated anti-Semitic sentiments.

The Belarusian ambassador hopes the visit of Lukashenka’s envoy will set a start to new phase of Belarus-Israel relations. The edition also informs about the meeting of ambassador Liashchenia with Pini Avivi the Foreign Ministry’s new deputy director-general for Central Europe and Eurasia, where the visit of Paval Yakubovich to Israel was discussed. Pini Avivi said Israel would receive the president's envoy and his message, Jerusalem Post tells.

The editor in chief of the president’s administration news-paper “Sovetskaya Belorussia” refused to answer the questions of Radio Svoboda concerning his visit to Israel.

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