German president urges military in Belarus not to use violence

Germany's president on Monday urged the military in Belarus not to use violence as Belarusians protest against what demonstrators say was the fraudulent re-election a week ago of the country's longtime president.

"I urge the Belarusian military not to sin against their own people by using force," said Frank-Walter Steinmeier, whose post is largely ceremonial.

Steinmeier, who said he admired the demonstrators' courage, urged President Alexander Lukashenko to seek dialogue with them and said the people in Belarus deserved solidarity and support.