Leader of Belarus rejects calls to rerun presidential vote

President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus on Sunday rejected any possibility of holding a rerun of last week's presidential elections and invoked fears of a Western military threat.

"Some want new elections. Look out your window!" implored Lukashenko, dressing a rally of thousands of supporters in capital Minsk.

"re are tanks and planes 15 minutes away from our borders."

president, who has ruled since 1994 and repressed opposition and independent news media, accused NATO forces of garing military units in countries along Belarus' western borders.

Lukashenko has been under pressure since anti-government protests erupted last Sunday, after official election results gave him a sixth term in a landslide with about 80% of vote.

president deunced suggestions of rerunning election, saying if Belarus were to do so, "we will perish as a state."

Collective Treaty Security Organization, a military alliance of six former Soviet states including Belarus, has said it will make a decision about providing assistance if Belarus requests it.

Lukashenko on Saturday said that he and Russian President Vlimir Putin h agreed that Russia would send unspecified security assistance if Lukashenko asked for it.

Later in day, Belarus' Defense Ministry anunced that it would hold military exercises starting Monday near Lithuanian border.