Lech Walesa, whose Solidarity movement in Poland helped topple communist regimes across Eastern Europe, said Thursday that pro-democracy movements in former Soviet republics should move cautiously.
The Nobel Peace laureate and former Polish president said he believes if, for example, opponents of Belarus' government win more independence too quickly from Russia, that nation will "turn off the taps" on Belarus economically, cutting off its supply of natural gas, oil and electricity.
"If this happens to take place in winter, the Belarus people will just go kneeling to Russia, begging Russia to turn the taps on," Walesa said during a news conference on the University of Kansas campus. "They will never try to oppose Russia again."
Walesa did not comment on the recent political firefight rocking Ukrainian President Yushchenko.
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