Invite Belarus opposition head to EU summit, says Svoboda

The Czech foreign minister, Cyril Svoboda, has called for the main opposition leader in Belarus, Alexander Milinkevich, to be invited to a European Union summit later this week. Mr Milinkevich received around 6 percent of the vote in Sunday's presidential election in Belarus, which was won by the autocratic incumbent Alexander Lukashenko.

The EU has described the election as neither free nor fair, and is considering stepping up sanctions against Belarus. However Minister Svoboda said he was opposed to tough sanctions: he called for more dialogue and support for the country's universities, NGOs and opposition.

The Czech president, Vaclav Klaus, said Mr Lukashenko's landslide victory confirmed his fears for democracy in Belarus.