BELARUS DOES NOT WANT TO BLOW UP NUCLEAR LAUNCH PADS

Minsk (Reuter) - Belarus's Defence Minister said yesterday that the former Soviet republic should not be obliged to carry out a provision of a big nuclear disarmament treaty because it would cause irreparable ecological damage.

Anatoly Kostenko told a news conference that Belarus did not want to blow up launch pads for nuclear missiles as directed under the START-1 treaty.