MINSK PROTESTS DIPLOMAT’S TREATMENT.

Belarus has joined with Russia in protesting the alleged mishandling by New York police of an incident involving the arrest of two diplomats from the former Soviet republics. On January 3 a Belarusan first deputy foreign minister summoned the U.S. charge d’affaires in Minsk and demanded a U.S. apology for allegedly roughing up the diplomats. A day earlier New York’s mayor had said the city would not apologize for the incident and wrote letters to the ambassadors of Belarus and Russia demanding that the diplomats be recalled from their posts. (Reuter, January 2; Belapan, January 3. See Monitor, January 3)

Inter-Tajik Talks Delayed.