Belarus Said To Reject Russia's Choice For CIS Chief

Aleksandr Veshnyakov (file photo) (ITAR-TASS) June 13, 2007 -- Russian media report that Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has rejected Moscow's choice of Aleksandr Veshnyakov as Executive Secretary of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

Citing unidentified sources, the Russian daily newspapers "Kommersant" and "Vedomosti" reported today that Russia did not put forth Veshnyakov's candidacy at a CIS summit in St. Petersburg on June 9-10 due to objections from Belarus.

A spokesman for Lukashenka, Pavel Lyohki, would neither confirm nor deny the reports.

(Belapan, kommersant.ru, vedomosti.ru)

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