Russia's security chief said Thursday that foreign intelligence services were plotting a so- called "velvet revolution" in Belarus to topple the government by financing the opposition through non-governmental organizations ( NGO).

The International Republican Institute, a non-profit US organization which played a key role in Ukraine's "orange revolution" last year, met officials of the Commonwealth of Independent States last April in Bratislava and "earmarked a budget of 5 million US dollars to finance the Belarus opposition in 2005," Federal Security Service head Nikolai Patrushev told the State Duma, lower house of parliament.

Foreign intelligence services were planning uprisings on the lines of Ukraine's "Orange Revolution" to force a change of government in Belarus, which will hold presidential election in 2006, Patrushev was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying.

"Our opponents are purposefully and step-by-step trying to weaken Russian influence in the former Soviet Union and the international arena as a whole," Patrushev said, citing Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan as examples.

In Georgia, a "Rose Revolution" helped install a Western- leaning leader in 2003. Pro-Western candidate Viktor Yushchenko defeated a Moscow-backed rival in Ukraine. And Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev was overthrown in March.

Viktor Veger, deputy chief of Belarus' security service, confirmed Patrushev's account. The Belarus security service had received information confirming that "certain forces want to implement a so-called velvet revolution through NGOs for 50 million dollars." he told the media.

The government has held these actions in check and stopped concrete actions, he said, blaming foreign forces for interfering in Belarus' internal affairs.

Last month, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko ruled out the possibility of a so-called "color revolution" in his country.

The fast growing economy and improved living standard have constituted a solid base for the political stability of Belarus, he said.

Source: Xinhua