The Foreign Minister of Belarus , Ivan Antonovich, has said western diplomats should return to the country for talks on the row that led to them being recalled in June.

The ambassadors of the European Union, United States and Japan left Belarus after they were expelled from their residences in the diplomatic compound in Minsk.

The Minister said the Turkish ambassador -- who was also recalled -- had been invited to resume his residence, after similar talks.

But reaction from diplomats of the major powers was cautious.

The Japanese ambassador said the problem could not be solved through individual talks.