The statement

The office of the Prosecutor-General circulated a statement on 17 February warning against any calls for Kazakhstan to join the Russia-Belarus Union, Khabar TV reported. Such calls, the prosecutor_s office said, "constitute interference in state affairs by public organizations and are a gross violation of the constitution and laws of Kazakhstan." The statement was issued after the Slavic Communities of Kazakhstan announced they favor a referendum on the issue and after the country_s communist leader, Serikbolsyn Abdildin, said that Kazakhstan must take its time before making a decision on this issue, Interfax reported on 17 February.