Bush reports on Lukashenko's incomes to U.S. Congress

Under the law, the U.S. president is also to inform Congress regularly about alleged weapons supplies from Belarus to countries sponsoring international terrorism.

WASHINGTON, March 17 (RIA Novosti) - The U.S. president filed a report with Congress on the personal fortune and incomes of the Belarusian president and government members ahead of presidential elections in the former Soviet republic, the White House said Friday.

The White House press service said George W. Bush filed the report under the Belarus Democracy Act, which Congress passed in October 2004. The law approved measures to promote democracy in Belarus, including economic sanctions against the country's government.

Under the law, the U.S. president is also to inform Congress regularly about alleged weapons supplies from Belarus to countries sponsoring international terrorism.

Meanwhile, senior Belarusian officials said Thursday they had evidence of an American-backed plot to overthrow the country's current regime during Sunday's presidential elections, and said any attempts at disruption would be classified as terrorism.

The U.S. and Europe have accused Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and his government of stifling democratic freedoms and violating human rights.

Lukashenko, dubbed "Europe's last dictator" by the U.S. State Department, has been routinely harassing opposition leaders and Western NGOs, which are believed to have played a crucial role in orchestrating the color revolutions in the three post-Soviet states.

The Bush Administration warned Belarus Monday of possible restrictions if the presidential polls on March 19 failed to comply with international legal norms.

The U.S. also said it shared concerns of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the world's largest security organization, over pressure on opposition candidates.