CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
January 23, 2002
read the details at www.charter97.org/e/index.phtml
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ON-LINE CONFERENCE WITH ZUBR YOUTH MOVEMENT LEADERS
In connection with the first anniversary since the creation of the youth resistance
movement ZUBR the Charter97 press-center organized on January 22 at its web-site
the conference with the movements leaders. ZUBR leaders answered 90 questions.
We expected that the feedback to ZUBR will be more negative. However, the talk
turned out quite constructive and respectful, although very acute. Around 70%
of participants come from Belarus, while the rest from abroad.
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AUTHORITIES HINDER PA OSCE DELEGATION VISIT TO BELARUS
President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Adrian Severin delivered a speech
in Strasbourg at the PA of the Council of Europe. Speaking of Belarus, Adrian
Severin stated that in February PA OSCE delegation would not be able to visit
Belarus, as Belarusian authorities bring forth unacceptable conditions for us
to come. President of the PA OSCE ascribed responsibility for progressively
worsening relations of Belarus with world community to Belarusian leadership,
and characterized this policy as self-isolation. Adrian Severin also expressed
his concern by unfriendly attitude of official Minsk to our institutes, as
he said implying Belarusian authorities conflict with AMG OSCE mission. He said:
We are not going to give up our principles. And we are not to tolerate any kind
of threats.
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WIECK COMMENTS ON VISA DENIAL
Former head of the OSCE AMG in Minsk Hans-Georg Wieck commented on the refusal
of the Belarusian authorities to issue him entry visa so that he could take part
in the first Minsk session on January 25-26 of the International monitoring council
of the Center for European and Trans-Atlantic research of the European humanitarian
university. In his press-release Wieck expresses regret over the actions of the
Belarusian authorities, which, according to him, didnt let him assist the centers
development  one of the few independent institutes of Minsk, where the Belarusian
scholars may cooperate with their foreign partners. Visa refusal coincided in
time with a series of other negative decisions, passed by the Belarusian authorities,
touching upon the creation of favorable conditions for the improvement of relations
between the country and the European institutes,  said Hans-Georg Wieck.
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COURT CROSS-EXAMINES EXPERTS, WHO INSPECTED ZAVADSKYS CAR
At the court proceedings over the group of the former Almaz special unit
soldier Valery Ignatovich the jury cross-examined the experts, who inspected
the vehicle, belonging to the missing ORT correspondent Dmitry Zavadsky. As is
known, the car was found in a parking lot in the vicinity of the National airport
Minsk-2 July 7, 2000 morning. Since then Zavadsky hasnt been heard of.
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BAJ PROTESTS TV-6 CLOSURE
The Belarusian Association of Journalists is alarmed over the troublesome situation
with the Russian TV-6 channel. The channels broadcasting was halted on January
22 upon the order of the Russian Minister for press Mikhail Lesin for the protection
of citizens rights to receive information and for the effective use of the frequency.
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SITUATION AT MTP REMAINS ACUTE
The situation at the Minsk tractor plant continues to remain complicated. The
company wont make it without the states support, BelaPAN was told in the MTP
administration. The MTP representatives noted that the January 22 meeting at
the plant was dedicated to seeking the ways out of the deadlock. The Ministry
of industry representatives asked the suppliers of material to resume their supplies.
However, MTPs counterparts are facing great difficulty too. In particular, this
is true of the Minsk motor plant. Nonetheless, the Ministry of industry obliged
the Minsk tractor plant to continue the manufacture process. Anonymous MTPs
representative said that they have no idea how to organize it under the new circumstances.
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TRADE UNIONS PROTEST PERSECUTION OF DISLOYAL DIRECTORS
Dismissal of the Minsk tractor plants director Mikhail Leonov provoked problems
in the plants stable performance, reads the statement of the Council of the
Belarusian trade union of car-building industry, circulated on January 23. The
document reads that theres a continued and intensified harassment of unreliable
directors, who enjoy popularity with their personnel and who dare critically
evaluate the state-run social-economic policy.
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DISMISSALS AMONG MINSK REGION COMMITTEE OFFICIALS
Some of the Minsk regional committee statesmen lost their jobs on January 22.
BelaPAN reports that the counselor of the committees chair Andrei Malakhovsky
officially switched to another job; the committees charge daffaires Fedor Shpartov
and head of the department for control and clerical work Igor Migas were officially
sacked. However, according to a committee staffer, who preferred to remain anonymous,
at first they planned to dismiss eight personnel members. On January 21 the Minsk
regional committee held a meeting, dedicated to the spring sowing campaign, at
which the committee chairman Nikolai Domashkevich criticized certain officials
for their poor performance and inability to execute his orders, which resulted
in their removal from posts.
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FTUS PROPERTY TO BE CONFISCATED
The situation under which the possible return of the trade union dues may turn
into the FTUs property confiscation doesnt seem unrealistic at all, says the
Belorusskaya Gazeta. The Belarusian authorities have logic of their own, while
the FTU has plenty of property.
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UKRAINE APPLIES ANTI-DUMPING MEASURES AGAINST BELARUS
Ukraine introduces a temporary 49% anti-dumping tariff on the import of fiberboard
from Belarus, reported the Ukrainian commission for international trade. In the
commissions report, published in the governmental newspaper Uryadovy Courier
on Wednesday, it is written that the tariff will be introduced for the 4-months
period since the moment of the commissions decision publication.
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ELENA LEONOVA: INVESTIGATORS WONT SCRUPLE TO USE ANY MEANS TO EXECUTE ORDER
FROM ABOVE
BDG
In the end of last week the former director general of the Minsk Tractor Plant
Mikhail Leonov faced official charges. The Belarusian procuracy yet again demonstrated
to the world its bias. When they realized that Leonov is blameless as far as
the contracts are concerned, they quickly charged him with bribery. However,
they dont mention who sought to bribe Leonov and in exchange for what services.
They claim that it is the investigations secret. We asked Mikhail Leonovs wife
Elena LEONOVA to comment on the situation around her beleaguered husband.
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COMPLICATIONS IN HEALTH MINISTRY
Narodnaya Volya
The Ministry of Health personnel is in fever with staff rearrangements. Just
in a moth after his taking position of the minister, Uladzislau Astapenka declared
that he is going to change the staff of the Ministry. And added that he has serious
reasons for that: recently some officials lobbied interests of some Western manufacturers
of medical equipment and had a good profit from it. Astapenka said that the first
step was made by Lukashanke, and now it is his turn
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ADAMKUS DISILLUSIONED ABOUT LUKASHENKA?
President of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus, during his visit to the USA, severely
criticized Alyaxandar Lukashenka. The situation in Belarus was one of the issues
discussed by President Adamkus and US President George Bush. The speech of Adamkus
can indicate the key of the discussion on Belarusian theme. Answering the question
what is his opinion about Lukashenka and the system of power he established in
Belarus, Valdas Adamkus said: Despite Lukashenkas desire to demonstrate democratic
character to the world, the free world does not have any illusions about it.
Violations of democracy and even of law in Belarus have been worrying Euarope
for several years already. According to Adamkus, the situation in Belarus will
not affect in any way Lithuanias decision to join the European Union and NATO.
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FORMER OSCE AMG HEAD DENIED ENTRY TO BELARUS
Former leader of the OSCE Advisory-Monitoring Group in Belarus ambassador Hans-Georg
Wieck had been refused a visa to Belarus, Interfax was told by the chief of
the department for information, FMs press-secretary Pavel Latyshko. In accordance
with the established international practice the Foreign Ministry does not comment
on the issues of granting or denying visas to the foreign nationals,  noted
Latyshko. As you remember, the former OSCE AMG head, who now lives in Berlin,
intended to engage in the first session of the international monitoring council
of the Center for European and Trans-Atlantic research of the European humanitarian
university, to be held on January 25-26 in Minsk. The German diplomat is a member
of the council. The Center itself had been based with the financial support of
the European Commission and ODIHR, which is part of the OSCE structure.
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CE EXPECTS CONCRETE DEMOCRATIC REFORMS FROM REGIME
Secretary general of the Council of Europe Walter Schwimmer, delivering a speech
in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, evaluated
the situation in Belarus and its prospects in relations with the Council of Europe.
Secretary General of the Council of Europe said: Presidential election in Belarus
last year did not correspond democratic standards. Willingness of the Belarusian
authorities to stop international isolation requires clear signals from them,
and it concerns the functions of parliament and freedom of mass media. Now we
wait for concrete measures and considerable progress from Belarusian side.
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PACE EXPERTS TO ARRIVE IN MINSK
A special group of 14 CoE Political Committee experts will pay a visit to Belarus
in order to study on the spot the situation in Belarus, which will pre-determine
the future status of Belarus within this organization. As you remember, the decision
to send to Belarus a special delegation of PACE to investigate into the country
situation has been passed last November during the PACE Political Committees
session in Vilnius. Back then it was planned that the international parliamentarians
will produce their report for the PACE Political Committee, holding its session
these days in Strasbourg. Since then they had thrice changed the schedule of
their visit.
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LUKASHENKA IS GOING TO MAKE ONE HEAP FROM BELARUSIAN SCIENTIFIC POTENTIAL
   " "  Alyaxandar Lukashenka
is against needless authoritarian measures and excessive use of administrative
authority in the process of national science reorganization. Drawing the results
of the consultation on improvement of science administration, on Tuesday Lukashenka
declared that the state have to reform the science to pull the whole scientific
potential together into one heap.
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SHKLOUSKIYA NAVINY EDITOR STANDS TRIAL
Editor-in-chief of the independent newspaper from Shklov Shklouskiya Naviny
Alexander Scherbak stands criminal action. Hes charged with violating the law
on press. Administrative case against him had been instituted by the Shklov district
prosecutor. Scherbak is held responsible for exceeding the stated circulation
number  299 copies. In course of the past ten years the former chairman of the
Gorodets collective farm Scherbak issued the newspaper with such a small print
run. He faced problems with the procuracy for the first time not until the last
years presidential campaign. On September 6, 2001 the law-enforcers broke into
his apartment, seizing all the computer appliances. The reason for their actions
was the editors phone number, written in notepad, belonging to the local ZUBRs.
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LUKASHENKO SET TO BUILD NUCLEAR POWER STATION
Alexander Lukashenko declared that in the near future the country will have to
decide on the construction on its territory of a new atomic station. Speaking
on Tuesday before the Belarusian academics in Minsk, Lukashenko noted that if
we do not decide on this soon enough, then it will again become mere politics.
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AIR FORCE TRAINING ON THE EDGE OF DISRUPTION
The training of the Belarusian air force personnel in 2002 may well be disrupted,
reports Soyuz-info. Since 1996 the preparation of the military pilots had been
accomplished on the basis of the four aviation clubs of the Belarusian defensive
sports and technical society. Over the years they coached over 300 pilots. BOSTO
reports that this year the Cabinet earmarked 250mln rubles instead of 500mln
to train the pilots. With this sum at their disposal the clubs wont be able
to provide for the high-quality maintenance of the training aircrafts , to ensure
the necessary security of pilots and the needed number of flight hours. Now they
will also have to cut down the training of the sport sky-divers and helicopter
pilots, trained at the clubs facilities.
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BELNEFTEHIM TO EARN $843MLN
Belarus plans to attract $843mln of investments as a result of transforming the
countrys petroleum complex into joint stock. RIA Novosti correspondent was
told this by the Belneftehim concerns president Igor Bambiza. According to
him, on January 25 the government will propose to Alexander Lukashenko to privatize
the industrial enterprises Naftan, Polimir, Azot, Belorussky Shynny Kombinat
and Khmivolokno from Mogilev and Svetlogorsk.
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TARIFFS FOR ELECTRICITY WILL GROW
Russia guarantees to supply 16.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas and 5.5
billion kilowatt/hour of electric power to Belarus this year, as the minister
of power engineering Uladzimer Syamashka informed a RIA Novosti correspondent
on Tuesday. According to the minister, costs of natural gas are to remain the
same, at a level of 30 dollars per thousand cubic meters. As for tariffs for
electricity, Syamashka remarked that it would be floating and depending on
the state of the market in frontier Bryansk and Smolensk regions of Russia.
Electricity tariffs rise is practically inevitable for Belarus , the minister
underlined.
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CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
January 23, 2002
read the details at www.charter97.org/e/index.phtml