Belarus President: 'Better a dictator than gay'

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has hit out again at new European Union sanctions imposed last week against his government officials, saying it “was better to be a dictator than gay,” in an apparent reference to Germany’s foreign minister Guido Westerwelle. “It’s absolute hysteria, and as you see, there are two types of politicians in the avant guard,” he said. “One lives in Warsaw, the second in Berlin…as for the second, either lesbians, or gays shouting about dictatorship there…when I heard that, I thought it's better to be a dictator than gay,” said Lukashenko. The Belarusian president also slammed the European Parliament’s statement last week calling for Belarus’ hosting of the Ice Hockey World Championship in 2014 to be revoked because of the government’s holding of political prisoners and other repression. “I get less worked up than anyone over talk about moving the ice hockey championship,” he said. “These discussions are a disgusting fact on the part of the bureaucrats of our planet, most of all the Americans and Europeans. Belarusians deserve to host the World Championship in 2014 in Belarus. We will take this very seriously,” he said.