by Harry Papachristou
ATHENS, Aug 6 (AFP) - Greece announced Friday it was barring the Belarus sports minister from the Olympic Games after the European Union raised his alleged links with human rights abuses, triggering outrage in Minsk.
"He (Yuri Sivakov) won`t be allowed to enter the country. Greece is in perfect solidarity with its European partners," Greek government spokesman Evangelos Antonaros told AFP.
The Dutch presidency of the 25-member European Union -- which includes Greece -- said Sivakov`s attendance at the Games would be "completely inappropriate".
It said Sivakov, then interior minister, had been implicated in the disappearance of four opponents to Alexander Lukashenko, the autocratic president of the former Soviet republic.
Belarus reacted angrily to the decision.
"We are outraged at attempts to use the games in Athens -- the cradle of the Olympics -- as an arena for political games," the foreign ministry said.
It said the decision was "counterproductive and will not help restore our relations with the European Union.
Lukashenko, who is also president of the national Olympic committee in Belarus, appointed Sivakov as sports minister in January with orders to bring back at least 25 gold medals from Athens.
Olympic organisers ATHOC said it will respect the ban. "ATHOC is aware of the position and the decisions of Greece and the European Union and will respect them," spokesman Serapheim Kotrotsos told AFP.
Belarussian officials, including Lukashenko, have already been briefly barred from visiting Europe over their rights record and allegations of illegal arms smuggling to Iraq.
In April the Council of Europe`s Parliamentary Assembly urged the Belarus government to lay criminal charges against Sivakov and two other officials and to investigate their role in the disappearances.
Sivakov was interior minister in 1999 and 2000, when the four men -- a former interior minister, a former vice-president of the parliament, a businessman and a television cameraman -- disappeared.
"Against this background, the European Union considers the presence of Mr Sivakov at the upcoming Olympic Games in Athens to be completely inappropriate," the EU said.
Olga Zakharova, wife of the missing deputy Yury Zakharov, welcomed the move.
"This decision means that European Union resolution actually have teeth and are not mere words," she said through her lawyer in Germany. "I think Greek authorities realized that it would not look good to invite a man who stands accused of kidnappings."