CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
January 18, 2002
read the details at www.charter97.org/e/index.phtml
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On the occasion of the first anniversary of the ZUBR youth resistance movement,
press-center of the Charter97 organizes an on-line conference with the leaders
of the movement. The on-line conference is to start on Tuesday at 17.00 Minsk
time. Languages  Belarusian, Russian and English.
On-line conferences at Charter97 web site have become a tradition. Many personalities
well-known in Belarus took part in them, including Syamion Domash, leader of
the movement Regional Belarus, Andrei Sannikau, Charter97 coordinator, the
head of the United Civil Party Anatol Lyabedzka, leader of the Belarusian popular
Front Vintsuk Vyachorka, the chairman of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party
(Narodnaya Hramada) Mikalay Statkevich and others. Before the press-conference
we would like to present a selection of dissimilar opinions on this movement.

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EMINENT RUSSIAN WRITERS SUPPORT PAHONYA'S JOURNALISTS
Russian PEN-Center, an international writer human rights organization, and specifically
its
chairman Andrei Bitov, vice-presidents Andrei Voznesensky and Fazil Iskander,
members of the
executive committee Lev Timofeev, Felix Svetov, Yunna Moritz, and a director
general Alexandr
Tkachenko expressed their concern about the fate of the journalists of the Belarusian
independent newspaper "Pahonya", Mikalai Markevich and Paval Mazheika. On September
5, 2001 a
criminal proceedings were brought up against them for publications that, according
to the Public
Prosecutor's Office, contained libel on Alyaxandar Lukashenka. On this pretext,
as is well
known, the newspaper was closed, and its journalists can be imprisoned for a
term up to 5 years.
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ENTRIES AND EXITS
Svetlana Kalinkina, "BDG"
In the end of last week Belarus was almost rocked by another staff revolution.
They say that
the president was about to make the following reshuffles: to dismiss chief of
the presidential
Administration Ural Latypov, Interior Minister Vladimir Naumov, replace Latypov
with current
prosecutor general Viktor Sheiman, appoint KGB chief Erin at Naumov's place,
Security Council
head Nevyglas appoint police head, head of the customs department Pavlovsky -
into the Security
Council, filling the remaining vacancies by first deputies. I, no doubt, support
the resignation
of Latypov and Naumov, for I don't like neither of them: the former - for his
friendship with
Vladimir Zametalin and the latter - for the "death squads", formed on the basis
of his
subordinates from "Almaz".
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MIKHAIL LEONOV PLEADS NOT GUILTY
Former director general of the Minsk tractor plant Mikhail Leonov doesn't confess
his guilt in
committing the crimes, with which he's charged by the country's procuracy, BelaPAN
was told by
the suspect's lawyer Nikolai Shalima. As you remember, Leonov is indicted for
crimes, envisaged
by art.166/2 of the Belarusian Criminal code of 1960 (power abuse, resulting
in heavy
consequences, inflicting a large-scale damage upon the enterprise), article 428/1
of 1999
(negligence at work, resulting in large-scale damage to the enterprise), article
430/2 of the
same Criminal code (taking a large-scale bribe for assisting the commercial firm
in signing a
deliberately unprofitable contract with the plant). Nikolai Shalima also noted
that both his
petitions to get Leonov out of jail, forwarded to the prosecutor general on January
14 and 9,
remain unanswered. As is known, both of them had been declined.
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UNPROFITABLE CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES IN ABUNDANCE
In 2001 the number of unprofitable companies in the construction industry of
Belarus increased
by 1,7 times, including in the construction business - by more than twice. Their
percentage in
the construction business reached 24,2%, in the production of construction materials
- 47,4%,
generally in the industry - 29%. The sum of the losses amounted to 24bln rubles,
87% of which
fall on the construction materials production. Meantime, the number of profitable
companies in
construction fell by 30%, in construction materials production - by 20%.
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ELECTRICITY SWITCHED OFF AT MAHILYOU PLANTS
In Mahilyou region electricians started to cut off electricity at local plants
for debts. 789
local enterprises had indebtedness for electricity in the beginning of this year.
The main
reason for money deficit is that the enterprises cannot sell their production.
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TRADE MINISTER REMOVES TOBACCO FROM KIOSKS
New Belarusian Minister for trade Alexander Kulichkov ruled to cease the cigarette
retail at
the private commercial kiosks. This is quite unfortunate for the country's multi-million
army of
smokers, who are experiencing hard times right now.
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GAIDUKEVICH IRRADIATED WITH STRONTIUM
Utro
In the headquarters of the Liberal-democratic party in central Minsk they found
strontium.
According to "Interfax", there had been found a sealed glass box with a plant's
stamp. This
isn't the first case when the radioactive substances are discovered in Minsk.
Previously, the
Belarusian KGB thwarted an attempt to sell a big consignment of uranium. Specialists
claim that
the containers' radioactive level exceeded the natural one by 600 times. The
Ministry of
emergency situations will examine the multi-story building, whose tenant traded
in radioactive
stuff in order to find out whether or not the place is contaminated.
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US AMB.MINIKES MAKES COMMENTS ON BELARUS TO OSCE CHAIR GAMA
On January 15, in his report to the OSCE Chairman-in-office Gama the US ambassador
Minikes
touched upon the situation in Belarus. Following is an extract from his speech:
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OIL IN THE END OF A TUNNEL
Vremya Novstei
In 2002 in Belarus the largest oil chemical factories and oil refineries are
to be privatized.
Key petroleum companies and oil refineries of Belarus will issue stock in 2002.
The supposed
price of the enterprises' assets is about 500-550 million dollars. Transformation
of the
state-run enterprises to the joint-stock societies is necessary to start privatization.
Shares'
sale of the newly-formed Belarusian companies to the private investors (the only
buyers now are
Russian oil companies), will begin, according to the head of Belneftehim concern
Ivan Bambiza,
right after the shares issuing.
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LEONOV FACES 10 YEARS OF JAIL, PROPERTY CONFISCATION
On Thursday the Belarusian procuracy officially brought charges against the former
director of
the Minsk tractor plant Mikhail Leonov. The former MTP director, according to
the indictment,
may receive 10 years of imprisonment and property seizure.
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LEGAL ACTION AGAINST BMP
The Belarusian metallurgic plant in Zhlobin again came into the spotlight of
police attention.
The Gomel department of the committee for organized criminality and corruption
opened legal
action under art.424/3 - power abuse, entailing financial losses. The committee
for organized
criminality doesn't mention the names of those, under examination. However, we
know that the
reason for starting the lawsuit was the fact that in the period from November
6-December 30 last
year the plant illicitly wrote off into the trash the metal spare parts worth
111mln rubles.
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ONE-YEAR OLD ZUBRS
"Dyen"
January 14 turned one year since the formation of the youth movement ZUBR. A
year ago forty
patriotically-minded young men and women gathered in the Belovazhskaya Puscha
forest reserve,
which is a remarkable place for Belarus, in order to proclaim as their motto
"Honor! Motherland!
Freedom!", having set up an organization, which attracted thousands of volunteers
in the first
year of its existence. Their objectives are quite serious, for they are convinced
that their own
destiny depends on their country's future. There's plenty of adolescent romanticism
in their
actions and even elements of games, and no one can accuse them of bellicose radicalism
or NAZI
principles. These young ZUBRs are our own children who have realized that the
words
"motherland", "freedom" and "democracy" aren't just void sounds but decent lives
of individuals
in a respected country.
Our today's guest is one of the ZUBR movement's leaders Timofei DRANCHUK.
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POPE MAY VISIT BELARUS THIS YEAR
Vatican officials are discussing Pope John Paul-II's possible trip to Belarus
this year,
reports Associated Press. The Pope will also visit Bulgaria in May, a week after
he turns 82.
That trip will be part of his efforts to improve relations with Orthodox Christians,
a visit the
Vatican hopes will pave the way for a hoped-for trip to Russia.
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LUKASHENKO'S NEW DECREE - MOCKERY OVER LIBERALIZATION
"Lukashenko's decree#40 can be called a mockery over the very liberalization
idea," - said
chairman of the public association "Alternative XXI" Sergei Balykin in an interview
to BelaPAN,
in which he commented on the presidential decree "On additional measures to regulate
economic
relations". According to him, "having annulled a few most odious decree, like
number 14 "On some
measures to put economic relations back in order", Lukashenko now reproduced
almost the same
sanctions, envisaged by those decrees".
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BELARUS SET TO PRIVATIZE OIL REFINERIES
Leading petroleum companies and oil refineries of Belarus (such as the "Naftan"
oil refinery,
petroleum chemical plants "Polimir", "Azot", "Belshina", "Khimvolokno" enterprises
- in Mogilev
and Svetlogorsk) will turn joint stock in 2002. The expected cost of the companies'
assets
amounts to some $500-550, reports "Vremya Novstei".
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BELARUSIAN PRIVATIZATION MAY FAIL
Expectedly, the Belarusian budget will receive from privatization 100bln Belarusian
rubles.
"Izvestia" correspondent reports that the Department for managing state property
of the Ministry
of economy is entitled to attract these means into the budget. This sum exceeds
by ten times the
one, stipulated in the last year's budget. However, in 2001 instead of 10bln
rubles the state
treasury received only 1,6bln.
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BELARUSIAN FOODSTUFFS DO NOT MEET STANDARDS
In the last year more than 3700 enterprises that manufacture and sell foodstuffs,
were checked
by the state inspection. Infringements were detected at 2600 enterprises. These
facts were
reported during the round table in the Civil Press Center of the Press House
in Minsk by the
head of the state standards inspection Viktar Narygin. As said by him, the violators
who sold
foodstuffs of bad quality, are fined. The sum of fines is equal to more than
486 millions
roubles.
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CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
January 18, 2002
read the details at www.charter97.org/e/index.phtml