Most of the 16 activists from the Zubr youth organization were arrested after police broke up the rally in front of the US embassy in Minsk.

"We came here to support our ally the United States and to say that (Iraqi President Saddam) Hussein must go," organizer Vladimir Kobets said.

"He waged bloody wars with Iran, Kuwait, used chemical weapons against the Kurds. The 21st century must see the end of tyranny in the world," he said.

Protestors waved US and Belarus flags and carried signs reading "Hussein must go", "America, we are with you", and "Freedom for Iraq".

Alexander Lukashenko, the authoritarian leader of the former Soviet republic, has launched a campaign to crack down on the opposition, detaining dozens of people during pro-US and anti-Lukashenko rallies in recent weeks.

The Belarus leadership strongly opposes the US-led war on Iraq and maintains close ties with Baghdad, though Lukashenko has denied US accusations that it sold military equipment to Saddam's regime.

SPACE.WIRE