Byelorussia Changes to Byelarus
Soviet Byelorussia changed its name Thursday to the Republic of Byelarus and adopted a new flag, anthem and coat of arms to reflect its ethnic identity.
News reports from the republic of 10 million, on the Russian Federation’s western border, said the Parliament voted to drop the formal title, Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, in favor of Byelarus--the region’s name in the Byelorussian language. Parliament also replaced the hammer-and-sickle banner of Soviet Byelorussia with a pre-Communist flag of red and white stripes, until recently the symbol of the opposition Popular Front.
The new name and symbols were adopted three weeks after Parliament declared its independence, a largely defensive move following the failed Kremlin coup.
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