EU Leaders to Meet Over Belarus, Support Protesters

European Council President Charles Michel revealed that he will call an emergency European summit next Wednesday to discuss the situation in Belarus.

French President Emmanuel Macron called on the European Union to support the protesters in that state supported plainly by the Russian government.

"The people of Belarus have the right to decide their future and freely elect their leader," Michel tweeted in a tweet on Monday.

He stressed that "violence against demonstrators is unacceptable and cannot be allowed."

On other hand, the demonstrations continue to oppose a sixth term of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

Official and popular European support for the protesters continues.

French President Emmanuel Macron called on the European Union to "continue to act" in support of the demonstrators, while German Vice Chancellor described Lukashenko as a "dictator."

Hundreds of Czechs and Belarusians gathered in the center of the Czech capital, Prague, on Sunday in support of the protesters.

The demonstrators chanted "Long live Belarus" while holding signs reading "Free Belarus", "Stop violence" and "Flowers are better than bullets", and urged the Belarusian police to stop dealing violently with the demonstrators.

In a tweet Sunday, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis called on the European Union to take action on Belarus.

He said that "Belarusians should be encouraged to carry out a velvet revolution similar to 1989 revolution."

He referred to the peaceful coup that toppled the totalitarian communist rule in the former Czechoslovakia.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova suggested that French President Emmanuel Macron call for supporting protesters in the European Union, and not for peaceful demonstrations in Belarus.

In a comment posted on her Facebook page, Zakharova said: When will he (Macron) ask the European Union (EU) to continue mobilizing and stand alongside hundreds of thousands of yellow jackets who seek in peaceful demonstrations to respect their rights, freedoms and sovereignty in France ?

The EU should stop waiting for the requests of the heads of member states and starting to move proactively to support the protests in his fields.

She added, "This is hypocrisy!

On August 16, French President Macron said that the European Union must continue its effective support for those involved in peace work in Minsk and other Belarusian cities.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko called for the redistribution of power in the country through the constitutional process, and not through activities on the street.

"This constitution cannot be given to mysterious entities that we do not know, because that will create problems," Lukashenko said, in a meeting with workers of the Minsk Tractor Plant, on Monday.

According to the state news agency "Belta", Lukashenko indicated at the same time, that at the present time, work is underway to define options for changing the country's constitution, which will provide for the redistribution of powers.

He said he was prepared to share his presidential powers in the process.

He stressed, "But not under pressure or through demonstrations in the street."

Lukashenko said today that there will be no re-elections in the republic that borders Russia in the west.

He added, on Monday, that the repetition of the presidential elections, as some demand, means the disappearance of the giant factories and productive institutions in the country, pledging that his government will eliminate everything within half a year."

"Never wait for me to do something like this under pressure. There will be no re-election. Because it will not be after that, neither the Minsk Tractor Plant nor the Minsk Automobile Plant nor the Belarus Giant Truck Factory," Belta news agency quoted him as saying.

He demanded the implementation of the redistribution of power through the constitutional process, and not through street demonstrations.