BERLIN — Alexander Lukashenko should be part of talks over a political settlement in Belarus, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters in Berlin after taking part in a videoconference with fellow EU leaders, Merkel said Lukashenko had so far refused her request to speak by telephone to discuss the fallout of the August 9 presidential election. Official results claimed the longtime authoritarian leader won reelection with 80 percent of the vote, triggering nationwide protests that were violently suppressed by security forces.
“The elections were not fair, they were not free,” said Merkel. “But despite that, Mr Lukashenko is still there. If I’m calling for a national dialogue that should naturally include the people in power there … It’s a complicated situation.”
Merkel described Lukashenko’s refusal to speak with her by telephone as a “real shame.” But she said she does not see Berlin taking “a mediating role” in the conflict between Lukashenko and opposition figures.
Merkel spoke by telephone Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the crisis. But she insisted a resolution must come from within Belarus.
“Belarus must find its own way … and there cannot be external intervention,” said Merkel. “The people of Belarus know what they want.”