CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
December 29, 2001
read the details at www.charter97.org/e/index.phtml
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DEAR CHARTER97 WEB SITE VISITORS!
We wish that the New Year-2002 may become a year of victories and achievements,
and let all the defeats pass away with the old 2001. Let everyone of us do our
best on the thorny path to our Motherland to freedom. And lets be happy and
joyous in the New Year. For your and our freedom!
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MONITORING OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN BELARUS, 2001
Information about political assassinations, tortures, arbitrary arrests, biased
trial, freedom of speech, peaceful assemblies and organizations, faith, as well
as citizens rights to change the government, governments attitude toward international
and non-state investigation into the possible human rights violations in Belarus
in 2001  are all presented in the monitoring, authored by the Charter97 organizing
committee member Ludmila Gryaznova.
Liberalization
Monitoring of human rights violations in December 2001
In the last month the leadership of Belarus is saying a lot about liberalization,
hoping for the change in the Wests policy. Despite certain minor facts, there
doesnt take place any systemic transformation. The liberalization is only spoken
of in words. They still keep in jail Andrei Klimov, open legal proceedings against
the directors and businessmen, exert pressure on public organizations and independent
media. Just as before, the Belarusian authorities have little regard for human
rights.
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AL QAEDA, LUKASHENKO HAVE SAME BUDDIES

Since 1996 Belarus has been ranked among the worlds top ten exporters of weapons.
In 2000 Belarus sold arms worth 498mln dollars, taking the sixth place among
the exporters of weaponry worldwide. This year the authoritative western agencies,
referring to the CIA and the European experts data, reported about the supplies
of Belarusian ammunition to the countries which relate to global terrorism. According
to them, a significant part of the Belarusian arms cargo is shipped to Iran,
Iraq, Sudan, Pakistan, Angola, Sierra-Leone, Congo and Ethiopia. Lukashenko has
numerously called these regimes friendly ones. In one of its latest issues the
Russian periodical Sovershenno sekretno (Strictly confidential  Russian)
declares that the Iraqi, Iranian, Sudanese, Libyan and Pakistani regimes had
been backing Osama bin Ladens terrorist organization Al Qaeda throughout its
short history. Read further on our site the material In Al Qaedas web, published
by the Russian newspaper Sovershenno sekretno.
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LUKASHENKOS POLITICAL FUTURE PREDESTINED
GazetaSNG
While the presidents of Russia and Belarus were debating in Moscow on the poignant
problems and perspectives of the union state, the Belarusian sociological service
Zerkalo carried out a poll in order to find out how the Belarusian nationals
like the idea of merging with Russia. It turned out that over the last year the
number of respondents, supportive of the integration of two countries, contracted
by 10%. The future will show whether this fall in the popularity among the Belarusian
citizens may grow into a permanent tendency. Today the analysts note that Russian
politicians are becoming more critical on the matter.
Mutual displeasure could be seen at the last session of the Supreme State Council
of the union state. Alexander Lukashenko, whos also a Councils chair, frequently
criticizing the slow integration rates at home, never before dared openly show
his dissatisfaction and challenge his Russian colleague. This time in the airport
he declared that he came to to dot all is. However, when leaving Moscow the
Belarusian leader demonstrated his ostensible satisfaction over the outcomes
of the Supreme State Councils meeting, having stated that his expectations all
proved true. Lukashenkos Foreign Minister Mikhail Khvostov let his boss down.
Upon his return from Moscow Khvostov said that Lukasenko quite negatively evaluates
the present approaches to the formation and operation of the union. This is
quite understandable, for immediately after the last SSC session it got clear
that the integration of the two countries may only follow the Russian scenario.
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FLIRTING WITH BELARUS MAY COST RUSSIA 10% OF HER BUDGET
I dont think therell be any moves forward in the idea of creating a union
state,  said Russian State Duma deputy Grygory Tomchin to the IA Rosbalt
correspondent, commenting on the results of the last session of the Supreme State
Council of Russia and Belarus. According to the MP, Russia and Belarus follow
different patters of political and economic development. So Tomchin believes
that that there will be undertaken an effort to convince Belarus to walk in
our footsteps. For as long as Belarusians go in the opposite direction to ours,
no merger will ever be a possibility,  said the deputy.
All these flirtations with Belarus cost Russia a 10% of her budget, - said Tomchin:
Instead of a 5% economic growth we would have 6% by now, were it not for Belarus.
Russia profits nothing from the union with Belarus, including geo-politically.
The only advantage is cultural  we and Belarusians are deemed to be one family
of nations, you know.
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FRANTS VITKO REPLACES GONCHARIK AS FTU LEADER
At the December 28 extracurricular plenum of the Federation of trade unions of
Belarus they discussed only one purely organizational issue. As far as Vladimir
Goncharik had been elected deputy chair of the Universal Confederation of Trade
Unions, uniting the leading national trade union organizations of all CIS states,
the plenums participants elected a new FTU leader  Frants Vitko. His candidacy
was supported by 169 out of the 180 present Councils members. Frants Vitko thanked
everybody for entrusting to him the job and defined his position as of a newly
elected leader: the program of activities, adopted at the 3rd FTU congress must
be implemented.
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IZMERITEL PLANT TO WORK LESS
Heavy economic plight is witnessed at the Novopolotsk plant Izmeritel . For
another month the company has been not operating to its full capacity  only
four days a week. Many workers havent seen any October money yet. The average
one falls far short of meeting the minimal consumer budget requirements. Trade
unions dues arent properly transferred. At the trade unions committee session
they drafted letters to the Ministry of industry and the Novopolotsk town hall
with a proposal to reanimate the companys poor performance. Similar letters
will be dispatched to the countrys supreme leadership with demands to preserve
the previous system of transferring trade union dues.
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SALARIES CONTRACTING IN SIZE
In November this year there happened a fall in the size of the salaries, paid
to the workers and civil servants. According to the Ministry of statistics and
analysis, the wages decreased over the last month by 0,6% (from 151,210 to 150,247
rubles). Meantime, the consumer prices rose by 4,6% and the US dollar market
rate  by 3,2%. In currency equivalent the salary dropped all the way from 99,81
to 96,08 dollars, which is a 3,7% difference. Lower wages had been observed only
in June  92,65 dollars. In July it constituted 100,05 dollars, in August  102,80,
in September  98,82. In ruble equivalent it turned out below the August level
(150,854).
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RUSSIA GIVES $30 MLN CREDIT TO BELARUS
In a short time Russian government is to transfer a state credit equal to $30
million for account of the Belarusian Ministry of Finance. As the information
agency Rosbalt informs, it was stated at a press conference on Friday, December
28 by the head of the Belarusian Finance Ministry Mikalai Korbut.
As said by him, this transfer in a second tranche of a credit line the Russian
government opens in the framework of the union state partnership. The first
tranche for the sum equal also to $30 million, was received by Minsk in August
2001. The complete credit line envisages Moscows support for $100 million.
As for the remaining equal to $40 million, Russian government plans to transfer
it to Russia in 2002. Commenting the conditions of its granting, Belarusian Finance
Minister stated that it is most likely that it would be the same measures proposed
under the plan for creation of equal opportunities and a common money in the
union of Belarus and Russia .
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PLANT FOR PROTEIN AND VITAMIN CONCENTRATES PRODUCTION STOPPED
Unemployment is menacing to the staff of the Navapolatsk plant of protein and
vitamin concentrates. The plant is stopped. On the eve of the New Year 570 people
of its staff has not received even their November salary. The last years situation,
when the plant had worked only 4 months, repeats, BelaPAN informs.
Last year 30 per cent of the goods manufactured by the plant were returned as
a result of its poor quality. And it is despite of the fact that its price is
higher than its Russian analogues, and make mixed fodder 8 percent more expensive.
So Lukashenkas order to Belbiofarm to help in production of 30 thousand tons
of the microbiologic food supply Provit is threatened.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Foodstuffs in its turn is ordered to use Provit
in the quantity of 30 thousand tons.
But on the other hand, plant of protein and vitamin concentrates stoppage has
a positive aspect. Studies proved the facts of technological wastes to the atmosphere
and of a dust mixture dangerous for mans health. The experts state that the
enterprise should first make its production ecologically safe and then increase
its manufacturing.
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INDEX OF CONSUMERS PRICES FOR ALL GOODS AND SERVICES WENT UP BY 45.5 PERCENT
The index of consumers prices in Belarus for all goods and services in November
this year as compared to November 2000 increased by 45.5 percent. Water supply
increased by more than 118 percent, public transport services by more than 85.5
percent, municipal economy serviced went up by 91.5 percent.
As BELTA reporters were informed in the Ministry of Statistics and Analysis,
the consumers prices index for foodstuffs has increased by 44.8 percent, for
meat and poultry by 41 percent, for milk and dairy products by 67 percent and
for medicines by 82.3 percent.
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CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
December 29, 2001
read the details at www.charter97.org/e/index.phtml