CHISINAU, - A regional economic grouping of West-leaning ex-Soviet states opened a summit here on Friday where democratic rights in Belarus, and future EU entry topped the agenda.
"We feel the people of Belarus have the right to a freedom of choice, a freedom of expression and political activity," said Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili in his GUUAM summit opening speech.
GUUAM, an organisation of political, economic and strategic alliance was established in 1997 with Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova while Uzbekistan joined in 1999. It is aimed at strengthening members' independence and sovereignty.
"We, the member states of GUUAM are ready to study this problem and adopt an official document in support of democracy in Belarus," Saakashvili added.
"There is no alternative to democracy and liberty," he said pointing to the so called Velvet Revolutions in Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan.
Romanian President Traian Basescu and his Lithuanian counterpart Valdas Adamkus were both present as observers and potential future members.
GUUAM's growth toward the West represents futher ruptures in ties with Moscow, which dominated the Soviet Union. Russia was not invited to the summit.
"The new pro-Western leaders (of the former Soviet republics) want to see more eastern European members in their ranks," said Russian daily Kommersant on Friday.
GUUAM wanted to adopt a declaration of intent to join the European Union at the summit, but members failed to agree to a text because of a regional dispute over Transdniestr, a breakaway Moldovan territory populated by ethnic Russians.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Thursday called the government of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko "the last dictatorship" in central Europe and said elections next year in the former Soviet republic must be free and fair. She also defended protestors' right to take to the streets.
04/22/2005 15:58 GMT