Belarusian leader tells interior ministry to end unrest in Minsk - Belta

Belarusian President Lukashenko chairs a meeting in Minsk

MINSK (Reuters) - Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said on Wednesday he had ordered the Interior Ministry to end the unrest in Minsk that erupted after a contested presidential election his opponents say was rigged, the Belta news agency reported.

Lukashenko also said that a group of state media workers who went on strike as part of the protests would not be allowed to return to their jobs.

He also ordered border authorities to step up security at the border to prevent the entry into the country of "fighters and arms", Belta reported.

(Reporting by Andrei Makhovsky and Polina Ivanova; writing by Tom Balmforth; editing by Jon Boyle)