LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Belarus: Soviet Union
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Around that time, Stanislav Shushkevich became Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Belarus, the top leadership position in Belarus, after liberals replaced Mikalay Dzyemyantsyey for siding with the coup. The white, red, white flag and the Pahonia shield were chosen as the national symbols of Belarus. Shushkevich, along with Boris Yeltsin of Russia and Leonid Kravchuk of Ukraine, met on 8 December 1991, in Belavezhskaya Pushcha to formally declare the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States, being headquartered in Minsk. In 1993, there was an agreement in the Supreme Soviet to reduce its service by one year, so that new elections could take place in 1994.
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There's more to see in Belarus than you might suspect. Minsk is a cosmopolitan centre and a shining testament to Soviet urban planning. Brest is lively and hectic, Hrodna a cocktail of historical legacies and Polatsk a sleepy dowager reclining on the chaise longue of its former glories. All this, and not a tourist in sight.
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The impact is mostly felt in the form of sanctions against the country or the leadership of Belarus. For example, the European Union adopted Council Regulation (EC) No 765/2006 on 18 May 2006. The Regulation provided for a freeze on the funds of President Lukashenko and between 30 to 35 high-level officials of Belarus. The sanctions ... provided for travel bans for the aforementioned leaders. The sanction was imposed by the EU after the nation-block declared that the 19 March 2006 elections were fraudulent and called for the crackdown on opposition groups.
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The EU and the U.S. have denounced the increasingly oppressive political atmosphere and human rights violations in Belarus under the Soviet-style authoritarianism of President Lukashenka. In 1999, the year Lukashenka was to step down, he rigged a national referendum allowing him to cancel the elections and remain president. Lukashenka's government has been accused of running a death squad that has killed dozens, including opposition party members and underworld figures. After harassing the opposition and curtailing their campaign activities, Lukashenka won reelection in the Sept. 9, 2001, presidential race. In 2004, the Council of Europe strongly criticized the Belarus government for blocking investigation into the disappearance of four dissidents in 1999 and 2000.
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Belarus inherited no major production or design facilities from the Soviet Union. However, a number of Belarusian firms continue cooperation with Russian missile/space enterprises, including the Minsk Wheeled Prime Mover Plant (MZKT), which produced transporter-erector launcher (TEL) vehicles for SS-25 and SS-27 road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).In October 2006, Moscow and Minsk agreed to sign an agreement to create a joint missile defense system.
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The European Union awarded $2.4 million to a German company to broadcast hostile radio and television programs into Belarus. The Polish regime set up Radio Racja with similar goals. Though he is an opposition figure in Belarus, Milinkevich was allowed to address the Sejm, the Polish Parliament.
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