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he U.S. has imposed targeted sanctions against Belarusian officials implicated in human rights abuses and election fraud
'''Belarus''' is a country in Eastern [[Europe]] and former member of the [[USSR]]. The capital of Belarus is [[Minsk]].
'''Belarus''' is a country in Eastern [[Europe]] and former member of the [[USSR]]. The capital of Belarus is [[Minsk]].
==Politics==
Relations with the U.S. have been strained, after the air force shot down a hot-air balloon which strayed into Belarus airspace, killing two Americans. The government also confiscated the U.S. Ambassador's residence, leading to the U.S. withdrawal of its embassy personnel.
In October 2004, the U.S. Congress passed, and the President signed, the Belarus Democracy Act, designed to promote democratization. In signing the act, President Bush noted that the authorities were turning Belarus into "a regime of repression in the heart of Europe," and set out the U.S. policy of working "with our allies and partners to assist those seeking to return Belarus to its rightful place among the Euro-Atlantic community of democracies." Together with the EU, the U.S. has imposed targeted sanctions against Belarusian officials implicated in human rights abuses and election fraud, including travel restrictions and targeted financial sanctions imposed in 2006 after the deeply flawed presidential election. [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5371.htm]
==Environment==
The massive April 26, 1986 nuclear accident at the [[Chernobyl]] power plant, across the border in [[Ukraine]], had a devastating effect on Belarus; as a result of the radiation release, agriculture in a large part of the country was destroyed, and many villages were abandoned. Resettlement and medical costs were substantial and long-term. As a matter of policy, the government is now resettling this land and promoting agricultural production in the contaminated areas. [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5371.htm]
The massive April 26, 1986 nuclear accident at the [[Chernobyl]] power plant, across the border in [[Ukraine]], had a devastating effect on Belarus; as a result of the radiation release, agriculture in a large part of the country was destroyed, and many villages were abandoned. Resettlement and medical costs were substantial and long-term. As a matter of policy, the government is now resettling this land and promoting agricultural production in the contaminated areas. [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5371.htm]
==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5371.htm Background Note: Belarus] - U.S. State Department
*[http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=17970 U.N. Revises Chernobyl Assessment]
*[http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=17970 U.N. Revises Chernobyl Assessment]
[[Category:European Countries]]
[[Category:European Countries]]
[[Category:Former Soviet Countries]]
[[Category:Former Soviet Countries]]