Belarus authorities round up activists-opposition

MINSK, Mar 15 (Reuters) Authorities have intensified a round-up of opposition activists in Belarus to prevent street protests after President Alexander Lukashenko's bid for re-election, his main opposition challenger said today.

Lukashenko, accused in the West of crushing basic rights, is heavily favoured to win a new term on Sunday against three challengers, two from the liberal and nationalist opposition.

Lukashenko is genuinely popular in Belarus, especially among older and rural voters. But the opposition says his score will be inflated on election night and has called on supporters to hold peaceful gatherings outside polling stations.

Alexander Milinkevich, an independent backed by most opposition groups, said the authorities were planning to stir up trouble on election day.

''The authorities have launched a wave of arrests of our activists from our campaign headquarters. They are trying to isolate our people ahead of peaceful protests on March 19,'' Milinkevich told a news conference.

''This is the final agony of the authorities. They cannot even speak to their people. Their sole approach is to snarl and to act from a position of force.'' One of Milinkevich's top lieutenants was detained by police on Wednesday while driving in Minsk.

''The reasons are not yet clear. My car was stopped by a group of young people and I was taken to a police station,'' Anatoly Lebedko said by telephone. ''The officer who detained me said I would be charged with affray and resisting arrest.'' Lebedko was fined the equivalent of 700 dollars by a court last week on illegal assembly charges. Another top Milinkevich aide was jailed for 15 days, keeping him behind bars for the vote.

Milinkevich said more than 60 activists had been jailed for up to 15 days over the last two weeks on public order charges.

UPHOLD STABILITY Lukashenko, in power since 1994, tells voters he will uphold stability and prevent upheavals like those which helped topple authorities in ex-Soviet Georgia and Ukraine.

On a tour of eastern Belarus, Lukashenko repeated that he would tolerate no attempts at destabilisation from outside.

''You will forgive me for such language, but there are thugs from Georgia, Ukraine and Russia whose intention is to come here and restore order as they see it,'' Interfax news agency quoted him as saying.

''Let me tell you, it won't work. We are masters in our own country and we will defend our people.'' Nearly 1,000 observers are due to oversee Sunday's election, including more than 400 from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe -- Europe's biggest rights body.

The United States and European Union pledge new sanctions if, as is expected, the poll is judged unfair.

But European Parliament members have criticised Belarus for barring them from the poll. Belarus says it denied them visas as the assembly refuses to recognise Belarus's parliament.

In his comments to supporters, Milinkevich said the opposition was heartened by growing numbers at rallies -- 3,000 massed yesterday in the eastern city of Gomel.

''Our mood is better and better. The authorities' mood is worse and worse,'' he said ''They have proved completely unable to function. Their only weapon is force. Ours is truth.'' REUTERS SHR RN2246