MINSK, Aug 11 (AFP) - US Senator John McCain Wednesday lashed out at Belarus, claiming he had been denied a visa to the former Soviet republic and branding authoritarian Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, who he had hoped to meet, a "dictator".
In a statement released by the American embassy in Minsk, McCain said he was riled by Belarus` refusal to let him and four other US congressmen visit the former Soviet republic to meet Lukashenko.
"Because he feared that we might criticize his totalitarian rule, Mr Lukashenko refused us visas, rejected our visit, and denied us entry into the country," McCain said.
"While it is no great revelation to find a dictator so insecure that he views as a threat a mere visit by elected officials, Mr Lukashenko`s refusal marks yet one more sad day for the people of Belarus," the republican senator said.
In the same statement, McCain called the incident a provocation against "proponents of democracy" and urged the Belarus people to "take solace in the knowledge that such tyranny cannot forever endure".
Belarus authorities were quick to dismiss McCain`s allegations, claiming the visit had only been postponed until after parliamentary elections in Belarus, slated for October 17.
"The time of the visit suggested by the Americans did not suit the Belarus side...We suggested postponing the visit," said a Belarus interior ministry spokesman Andrei Savinykh.