Belarus President says TV report on opposition coup plot is true

The President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, says he has confirmed a report by state-controlled television that an opposition party has been plotting a coup against him.

Mr Lukashenko said he had obtained the names of the plotters from what he called the relevant authorities, but he did not disclose them.

He described the information as amazing.

The party named in the television report, the Popular Front, has denied the allegations.

Mr Lukashenko was elected president of Belarus in 1994, and in 1996 held a controversial referendum which endorsed the extension of his executive powers.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service