MINSK (AFP) - Belarus warned the United States it was heading toward a Cold War-style confrontation after President George W. Bush signed a law threatening sanctions against the former Soviet republic for its poor rights record.
Russia also rose to its Slavic neighbor's defense and denounced Washington's move, leaving Moscow the sole patron of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko's regime in the face of fury from both Europe and Washington.
On Thursday, the 46-member pan-European rights watchdog Council of Europe also branded Lukashenko's regime as "undemocratic" and called on its member states to slap "targeted sanctions" on his government.
The West has rounded on a weekend constitutional referendum in Belarus that scrapped the country's two-term presidential limit, clearing the way for Lukashenko to extend his stay in power indefinitely.
Lukashenko has brushed aside similar attacks as relations between the West and one of Europe's most hermetic states -- which still wields an imposing Soviet-era military and now borders new European Union members -- steadily deteriorate.
Having already served a decade at the helm, Lukashenko had been due to step down in 2006 after introducing a Soviet-style command system that centralized state control over the economy and the media and frowned on dissent.
Lukashenko also created an "us against them" atmosphere that appeared to play well with his struggling state's voters, saying he was keeping Belarus safe from corrupt Western influences.
Sunday's vote, which foreign observers said was dominated by slanted coverage in Belarus state media, also stripped the opposition of all representation in parliament. It previously had four seats in the 110-member chamber.
It saw a reported turnout figure of 90.28 percent, with 79.42 percent favoring extending Lukashenko's stay in power for a possible lifetime.
Venting its fury at Washington, Lukashenko's government called Bush's decision a hostile act that interfered with Belarus' right to sovereignty.
"This openly hostile act leaves us with nothing but great sorrow," the Belarus foreign ministry said in a statement. "Now, the United States will be solely responsible for repairing relations with Belarus."
It said Washington was "heading toward a confrontation reminiscent of the Cold War era."
Aimed at encouraging the democratization of institutions in Belarus, the law stipulates that sanctions such as a cutoff to direct government aide should be imposed if the Belarus government fails to improve its rights record, and demands regular US checks of Minsk's progress.
It also provides for US financial aid to non-governmental organizations working on pro-democracy projects in Belarus -- organizations which have had frequent altercations with Lukashenko's team.
Washington's decision was cheered by the Belarus opposition, though its actual impact was uncertain as Belarus already receives virtually no financial assistance from the United States.
"This is an act we have been waiting for for a long time. This is a serious sign for Lukashenko. I doubt he will sleep well tonight," said Irina Krasovskaya, wife of Lukashenko's opponent Anatoly Krasovsky who has vanished without trace.
Russia, which has been negotiating terms for a loose union with Belarus for years and which sent its own observers for the weekend poll, said the US action was too stiff and could hurt the Belarus people rather than Lukashenko himself.
"We think that sanctions do not resolve these problems. We do not support the use of such measures against any other government," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said while on a visit to the Kazakh capital Almaty.
But Russia has issued only lukewarm support for Lukashenko's victory. Russian President Vladimir Putin has not yet sent his open congratulations to Minsk, and Moscow observers said only that they found nothing wrong with how the vote was staged.

10-21-2004, 18h39