‘Better dictator than gay’ retort

BERLIN has responded to a statement made on Sunday by authoritarian Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko that “it’s better to be a dictator than gay” by pointing out he appears to admit being a dictator.

Mr Lukashenko’s remark came after German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle – who is openly gay – last week complained of human rights abuses in Belarus, calling Mr Lukashenko’s government “the last dictatorship in Europe”.

German chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert said: “It is interesting that even Mr Lukashenko views himself now as a dictator.”