Belarus wants U.S. embassy staff cut to seven
MINSK (Reuters) - Ex-Soviet Belarus, at odds with the United States over sanctions and human rights, said on Wednesday it had asked Washington for a new staffing cut of more than 50 percent at its Minsk embassy.
The U.S. ambassador left Belarus last month at the urging of authorities and the reduction is the second demanded by Minsk, which wants sanctions against Belarus dropped -- mainly measures against national oil products firm Belneftekhim.
Deputy Foreign Minister Viktor Gaisyonok said Belarus had told Washington it wanted each side to have a diplomatic staff of seven. The earlier cut left staff at the Minsk embassy at 17.
"We would like to reduce the number of our diplomats, on a parity basis, according to the formula one plus six -- an ambassador and six diplomatic representatives," Gaisyonok told reporters outside parliament.
"We have so far received no reply from the embassy."
Belarus, he said, was waiting for a "full and unconditional lifting of sanctions against Belneftekhim. This is the sole basis for further discussion."
The U.S. embassy offered no immediate comment.
The United States and European Union have long imposed sanctions on Belarus, including an entry ban on President Alexander Lukashenko over human rights concerns.
The U.S. stand has been more forthright, describing Belarus as "the last dictatorship in Europe".
Washington last year froze the U.S. accounts of Belneftekhim, which earns about a third of foreign currency revenues in Belarus, and barred Americans from dealings with it.
Belarus accuses Washington of expanding the sanctions last month, allegations denied by U.S. diplomats.
The country has in recent months sought better ties with the EU after quarrelling with Russia over energy prices. But security forces last week broke up an opposition rally and courts jailed or fined dozens of activists.
Lukashenko's policy of big state subsidies and benefits have kept him broadly popular in the country of 10 million bordering Russia and three EU members.
Ambassador Karen Stewart had described her departure as temporary and diplomats say a resumption of dialogue would be helped by the release of Belarus's most prominent detainee, Alexander Kozulin. The EU has issued a similar demand.
Belarussian officials last week also said local employees of the U.S. embassy had been engaging in espionage. Washington said it had no spies in Belarus.
(Writing by Ron Popeski)
