CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
December 21, 2001
read the details at www.charter97.org/e/index.phtml
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ZINAIDA GONCHAR ADDRESSES PUTIN, SOLZHENITSIN
Narodnaya Volya
On November 26 Viktor Gonchars wife wrote an open letter to Vladimir Putin.
However, she received no official response from him so far. None of the leading
Russian media, to which the woman e-mailed her messages, responded either. Right
now the ladys readying to forward a letter to a prominent Russian dissident
writer Alexander Solzhenitsin, once a Gulag prisoner himself. Zinaida has already
talked to the mans office, where they assured her that he would try his best
to help her.
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AUTHORITIES SKIP WIECKS FAREWELL PARTY
December 20 evening head of the OSCE Advisory-Monitoring Group in Belarus Hans-Georg
Wieck held his farewell party, which the official authorities ignored. The reception
attracted foreign diplomats, leaders of political parties, heads of NGOs and
journalists from the independent media. In his farewell speech the ambassador
Wieck noted the following: Today we have a lot of guests in this room. Nonetheless,
you shouldnt think that we didnt invite representatives of the official authorities.
We sent out invitations to them, just as we did to you. A similar incident occurred
on January 15 this year, when we celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Helsinki
agreements. The diplomat added that although it is high time he left Belarus,
OSCE AMG would resume their activities, as far as it had never fulfilled its
main task  implementation of free and fair elections.
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COOPERATION WITH BELARUS AS UNFORGETTABLE MEMORY FOR WIECK
Head of the OSCE Advisory-Monitoring Group in Belarus Hans-Georg Wieck, due to
leave the country on December 22, said in an official pres-release how grateful
he was to all the Belarusian citizens, claiming that their cooperation experience
will be most unforgettable for him. Wiecks tenure in office as the AMG head
will expire on December 31, 2001  the German diplomat headed the OSCE group
in Minsk since the moment of its foundation in 1997.
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TSENTRENERGOMONTAZH BELARUS TO CONSTRUCT ATOMIC POWER STATION FOR IRAN
Minsk joint-stock company Tsentrenergomontazh will take part in construction
of the atomic power station in Iran. As the manager of the enterprise I.Disman
informed Interfax, Tsentrenergomontazh has won international tender for construction
of the turbine department of the station.
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UNION BUDGET EMBEZZLEMENTS REVEALED
Auditor of the Accounting Chamber of Russia Nikolai Loktionov reported that the
Accounting Chamber and the Committee for state control of Belarus disclosed the
misapplication of means from the union budget, worth 180mln rubles. The examination
into the spending of the budget means was carried out by two countries special
committee, covering the period from early 2000 to the first half-year of 2001.
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INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND PREDICTS LOWEST ECONOMY RISE FOR BELARUS
According to IMFs prediction, in 2001 the economical growth of the economy in
the CIS countries will make 6.1%. In November IMF predicted economical growth
of the CIS countries equal to 5.9%. As RIA Novosti reported was informed on
Friday in the SIC executive committee, IMF experts expect, that in 2001 GD increase
in Russia will make 5.8%, in Ukraine 8.2%, 9% in Kazakhstan, in Belarus  3%.
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BELARUSIAN COMPANIES UNCOMPETITIVE IN RUSSIA
Belarusian companies are quickly losing grounds in Russia  the major market
for the Belarus-made goods. That was the result of the research, conducted by
the World Bank experts. Full outcomes of the investigation will be processed
and voiced in two months, but even now one may draw a conclusion that the conditions
for entrepreneurship development in Belarus are way more unfavorable than in
other former USSR states, where the analogous study had been held, said on December
20 deputy director of the WBs Ukrainian affiliate Vladimir-Goran Kreachich,
speaking at the round table in Minsk.
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BELARUS TO RAISE FOOD SUPPLIES TO MOSCOW IN 2002
Belarus will augment in the year 2002 the supplies of foodstuffs to Moscow. RIA
Novosti correspondent was told on Friday in the Russian embassy that the companies
of the Minsk agriculture sector plan to ship to the Russian capital 17,5 thousand
tons of meat (in 2001  13,9), 6 thousand tons of butter (5), 5 thousand tons
of dry milk (4), 12mln canned dairy products (twice as much), 4 thousand tons
of cheese (3,9), 10 thousand tons of potatoes (5 thousand tons), 30 thousand
tons of salt. Moreover, next year Belarus plans to supply to Moscow 5 thousand
tons of vegetables.
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VELCOM WIDENS CELL COMMUNICATIONS ROAMING
Joint venture Mobile Digital Communications (brand-name VELCOM) will soon significantly
broaden the area of operation, Interfax reports from the companys office. In
particular, the phones will now ring in Schuchin, Kalinkovichi, Osipovichi, Skidel,
Berezino and Krychev. According to the companys specialists, in early December
the connection was switched on in Svetlogorsk too.
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WOMEN-PICKETERS RELEASED BECAUSE OF HEALTH CONDITION
Babruisk dwellers Lubov Sankevich and Eva Ustimchuk, who were sentenced to 10-days
administrative arrest by the Lenin District court in Minsk, were taken from the
confinement ward and put to hospital. Theyir blood pressure had risen abruptly.
But there were no spare places in the hospital, so they were let go.
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NO DECORATIONS WILL EVER ATTRACT INVESTMENTS SAYS POTUPA
Confirmation of the seriousness of the governments intentions to carry out liberal
reformation in economy must necessarily result in a political passage of a number
of key reforms, followed by their operative and detailed inclusion into the legislation
system,- said head of the Belarusian entrepreneurship union Alexander Potupa
at the Dec.20 round table session in Minsk, dedicated to the first steps en route
to the liberalization of the Belarusian economy.
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DEATH SQUADS ARE REAL SAYS ANATOLY LEBEDKO
Segodnya
Belarusian opposition, following its defeat in the presidential ballot, doesnt
seem to give up its efforts. Recently the Vice-Speaker of the Supreme Soviet,
head of the United Civil party Anatoly Lebedko made an unofficial visit to Belarus.
Following you may read his exclusive interview to the newspaper Segodnya.
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ALYAXANDAR CHIHIR PLEADS NOT GUILTY
Alyaxandar Chihir stated in court that he did not seal cars and said that he
suspects investigators in falsification of the facts. In the Lenin district court
of Minsk, where the proceedings over the son of the former Prime Minister Mikhail
Chihir are held, yesterday the whole day his part in cars stealing was considered.
Chihir pleaded not guilty in organizing of criminal group of cars stealers, however
he did not exclude that spare parts of the cars could be identified by victims
of stealing.
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MASS REDUNDANCY IN MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Council of Ministers decree ratified Regulations on Ministry of Foreign Affairs
of the Republic of Belarus. In line with Lukashenkas decree On Improvement
of the System of State Institutions and Other Republican State Organizations,
Submitted to the Government, part of the MFA functions in the sphere of international
political activities will be transferred to the Ministry of Economy and Ministry
of Trade. Part of the posts will be transferred to these ministries. 61 employees
of the MFA will be dismissed; 25 departments out of 34 will remain.
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RUSSIAN TRADE UNIONS PROTEST AGAINST OFFICIAL ARBITRARINESS
Russian associations of professional unions, members of the International confederation
of free trade unions  the Federation of independent trade unions of Russia,
the All-Russian labor confederation and the Confederation of labor of Russia
are alarmed over the Belarusian Cabinets passage of the law On some steps to
protect the rights of professional trade unions members, whose provisions are
an infringement on the fundamental rights of trade unionists. Following comes
the full text of the statement, in which Russian trade union organizations protest
against the approval of this law.
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VOLNY HORAD RISEN FROM ASHES
Today a new number of the Krycheu newspaper Volny Horad was issued. Unregistered
newspaper is has been published in Krycheu since April 20, 1998 and has a circulation
of 299 copies. On September 7, before the presidential elections, criminal proceedings
were instituted against its staff, and its office equipment was confiscated.
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POLAND LIMITS ALCOHOL, TOBACCO IMPORT FROM BELARUS
After the New Year the Polish government decided to diminish the norms of import
of alcohol and tobacco products into the country. This will actually mean a loss
of income for some two thousand residents of the Belarusian frontier area, who
regularly sell this commodity in Poland. For many it is their sole source of
income.
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NUMBER OF ITEMS, SOLD FOR HARD CURRENCY, CURTAILED
The list of licenses for retail sale and rendering services to the citizens for
foreign currency has been cut down. The National Bank will only sanction the
sale of fuel at gas stations, retail trade and road services at highways, marked
with an M sign, insurance activities, and duty free shops. This decision was
passed by the leadership of the countrys chief bank, which introduced amendments
into the provisions of the concomitant legislation.
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CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
December 21, 2001
read the details at www.charter97.org/e/index.phtml