OSCE official ordered out of Belarus

The Organisation for Security and Co-Operation in Europe, the OSCE, says the acting head of its mission in Belarus has been ordered to leave the country.

The group's chairman, Antonio Martins da Cruz, said the inappropriate refusal of the Belarussian Foreign Ministry to extend the visa and diplomatic accreditation for the acting head, Michel Rivollier, had had a negative impact on its consultation in the country.

The Belarussian Foreign Ministry has declined to comment.

The OSCE condemned a presidential election in Belarus last year as fraudulent; before the poll, Belarus authorities accused the OSCE of training spies.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service