MINSK. Sept 24 (Interfax) - Pavel Latushko and Olga Kovalkova, members of the board of the Belarusian opposition's Coordination Council, have urged the Western countries, China, and Russia "to assume an unambiguous position" of not recognizing Alexander Lukashenko as a legitimate president.
"We are calling on the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, China, and Russia to assume an unambiguous position of recognizing Lukashenko's illegitimacy and think of recalling their ambassadors for consultations," Latushko and Kovalkova said in a statement concerning Lukashenko's inauguration.
They also proposed setting up an international group of mediators including high representatives from Austria, the United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, the U.S., and France with the support of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
"We ask for making a decision at the next meeting of the Council of the EU on imposing sanctions on Lukashenko and persons responsible for falsifying the elections, violence, and financing the regime," Kovalkova and Latushko said.
They said they "support the open-ended peaceful action of civil disobedience, the ignoring of any instructions from the illegitimate administration, and peaceful street demonstrations in cities."
Kovalkova and Latushko said also they stand "ready to immediately start negotiations with the prime minister of Belarus and the chairpersons of the commissions of the House of Representatives on setting a date for new elections and on provisional governance of the country during a transmission period."