CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
February 28, 2002
read the details at www.charter97.org/e/index.phtml
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LUKASHENKA'S REGIME TO BE PUNISHED BY SANCTIONS FOR ILLICIT ARMS DEALS
The US Department of State doesn't rule out a possibility of applying sanctions
against Belarus, suspected by Washington of supplying fire arms to the rogue
states, supportive of international terrorism, reports Reuters. "The United States
take serious any claims on the transfer of weapons to the states and organizations
that are either supporting or encouraging terrorism," - reads the Wednesday's
statement of the official from the US Department of State Richard Boucher. "We
are using various methods of resisting such practices, including the application
of sanctions where necessary."
Last week deputy assistant of the US Secretary of State Steven Pifer, who's been
on a three-day mission to Minsk, said that Washington possesses information on
the arms export from Belarus in breach of the existing UN resolutions. According
to the diplomat, the American authorities are also cognizant of the fact that
the Belarusian military engaged in training the Iraqi artillery officers on how
to handle the anti-aircraft launchers S-300.
"In course of his meetings with the representatives of the local brass Pifer
stated the inadmissibility of Belarus' arms sales to the countries, implicated
in abetting terrorism and inciting territorial conflicts," - further reads the
US Dept. of State's document.
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UN FINDS TRACK OF GIGANTIC ARMS SALES NETWORK
Le Monde.
In course of the investigation, carried out by the UN, the United States and
Europe, there has been revealed a huge network, specializing in illicit arms
sales. The weaponry was shipped from Africa to Afghanistan through the Philippines.
The central figure in these contraband deals was the former Soviet air force
officer Viktor Anatolievich But. According to the "Sunday Times" of February
17, "he was the main supplier of arms and equipment for the bin Laden's network
in Afghanistan".
"Washington Post" of February 26 writes that the investigators, responsible for
liquidating Viktor But's network, have at their disposal the data, received from
one of his subordinates, arrested on February 8 in Belgium - Sanjivan Rupra.
In course of three years the detectives sought to resist the activities of the
former Russian officer. According to the information, published by the Italian
newspaper "La Stampa", this network is capable of providing the most advanced
and sophisticated weapons to the most backward countries of the globe. But's
right hand, Sanjivan Rupra, claims that they had nothing to do with Al Qaeda.
However, the results of the investigation testify to the fact that the weapons
have most likely been sold and delivered to Afghanistan before the September
11 attacks.
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RUSSIAN MEDIA CONNECT USA STATEMENT ON BELARUSIAN ARMS SALE TO IRAQ WITH CIS
SUMMIT
The official representative of the American Foreign Ministry Richard Boucher
has publicized a statement, claiming "the USA treat seriously the allegations
that the arms are being sold to the countries and organizations that support
or encourage terrorism. We employ different measures to oppose such kind of activities,
including introduction of sanctions where necessary", Reuter informs. Belarus
is meant, as according to the information of Washington, exports arms disregarding
the UN sanctions. In particular, the training of the Iraqi soldiers for work
with anti-aircraft complexes S-300 by Belarus, smi.ru informs.
It is not the first occasion when Belarus is accused of arms trade. The authorities
of Belarus had to disprove the latest accusation on February 22. Before that,
another sensation happened in September 2001, when the German agency DPA reported
the sum of the contract he intention of Minsk to deliver large consignments of
arms to Arabic, Palestinian and Albanian terrorists. The entire sum of the contract
allegedly was equal to USD 500 millions. The authors of the information refer
to the results of the examination carried out by the UN Security Council. The
cause for the investigation were excessively close ties of the Belarusian leadership
with the Iraqi one. Minsk was also visited by a group of the Iraqi officers of
the Anti-Aircraft defenses for studying in the Belarusian Military Academy. The
Iraqi officers had to leave Minsk because of a scandal when the information about
their visit leaked.
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USA AND NATO GET READY FOR TRAINING BY BELARUSIAN BORDERS
Large-scale training of the Northern Alliance, the "Strong Resolve-2002", is
to start on March 1. In is to take place on the territory of Norway and Poland.
The maneuvers will last until March 15, Russian military and diplomatic sources
have informed strana.ru . They underlined that the main objective of the exercises
would become a check of the NATO military forces' ability to carry out strategic
maneuvers at the different theatres of operation simultaneously. In the course
of the training in the proximity of Russia and Belarus the following situation
would be regarded: while criminal and terrorist groups in the frontier areas
increase their activities, relations between the two countries, former parts
of one state, that "have heterogeneous ethnic make-up of the population".
The leadership of one of the countries is ready to employ force for defense of
the national minority in the other country. The clash at the border is possible
as well. The multi-national NATO forces are deployed to the territory of the
country that is threatened with aggression.
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LUKASHENKA'S MASK TO UNDERGO EXPERTISE
Hearings of Alyaxandar Lukashenka's defamation case resumed today in the Shklov
district court. Among the ones facing trial are five ZUBR movement activists,
who put on Lukashenka's masks and staged a satirical pre-election skit in the
village of Gorodets, where Alyaxandar Lukashenka once worked as a collective
farm's director. A few minutes ago ZUBR activists' attorney Supelko petitioned
the court over the appointment of complex expertise of all evidence, that relate
to this incident. Among the stuff due to pass examination will also be notorious
Lukashenka's masks. They also interrogated two female witnesses - elderly women
of 1917 and 1920 years of birth, who could not give any clear testimony owing
to their old age.
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NOVOPOLOTSK BUSINESSMEN READYING FOR INDEFINITE STRIKE
On March 1 the private entrepreneurs of Novopolotsk manifested their intentions
to go on an indefinite strike. On February 27 they held a meeting at which they
protested against the decision of the town authorities to raise by a few times
the trading places rent. The organizers of the rally will be the independent
trade union of "Polimir" and the independent trade union of private entrepreneurs
of Novopolotsk. The trade unionists addressed the Novopolotsk residents with
a request to uphold their protest and demand that the authorities solve the mini-market
problems and introduce smaller taxes, so that the citizens could afford paying
them. The businessmen consider the rise in rent to be the result of unsound competition
and desire to arbitrarily drive the businessmen out of the marketplaces.
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HEALTHCARE TO BE PAID FOR
Under the Cabinet of Ministers' ruling of June 26, 2001 #954 "On changes and
amendments into the Cabinet of Ministers' ruling of August 27, 1996 #566" and
the concomitant orders by chief physicians of the country's medical institutions,
it was decided to significantly enlarge the list of paid medical services, rendered
to the population, reports praca.by. This list includes practically everything,
beginning from the issue of any medical certificates (700 rubles each in average),
ending with all sort of ultra-sound and X-ray examinations (from 2000 to 16000
rubles). The real problem is that most of the country's residents have miserable
incomes and pensions, while they are deprived of an opportunity to choose free-of-charge
treatment, as it is practiced in all the world's civilized countries - "either
it is you who pays for all the necessary medical treatment or your insurance
company".
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KALUGIN'S DEFENSE WANTS CHANGE OF CHARGES
Attorneys of the former director general of the Minsk "Atlant" company Leonid
Kalugin intend to demand re-qualification of the indictment, brought against
him. In a conversation with the BelaPAN correspondent lawyer Alyaxandar Pylchenko
reminded that not so long ago there entered into force the presidential decree#40
"On additional measures to regulate economic relations" of January 16, 2002.
This order interprets all charges against Kalugin as being mere administrative
misdemeanors, entailing nothing but economic or administrative penalties. So,
the attorneys plan to raise the issue of the charges' re-qualification and therefore
change the inhumane detention conditions of a 61-year old Kalugin.
Leonid Kalugin is accused of committing crimes under a few articles of the Criminal
code: 424/3 (power abuse); 225 (non-return of hard currency from abroad) and
233/2 (illicit entrepreneurial activities). The investigation on the case is
being carried out by the department of financial research of the Committee for
state control of Belarus.
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INFLATED "ECONOMIC MIRACLE" DATA
Statistics of the Belarusian economic miracle does not emanate from the official
cabinets. Rather the exaggerated figures are born in the companies' accountant's
offices. This is proved by the results of the examination, carried out this week
by the Grodno regional department for statistics. The examination touched upon
the reliability of the state statistical data on the companies and organizations'
financial performance. The distortions in the statistics were revealed at 73,9%
of the checked objects.
"Dyen" newspaper reports that, for instance, at the affiliate of the cooperative
industry enterprise of Grodno they included into the commodity sales income the
budget subsidies on compensating the difference in prices on bread, as well as
the totaled income instead of the trade turnover, which created unrealistic figures.
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TRIAL OVER PRE-ELECTION SKIT PLAYERS UNDERWAY
Hearings on Alyaxandar Lukashenka's defamation case will resume today in the
Shklov district court. Five ZUBR movement activists will act at the trial in
capacity of witnesses. Those five put on Lukashenka's masks and staged a satirical
skit in the village of Gorodets, where Alyaxandar Lukashenka once worked as the
director of the collective farm. As you remember, at the very last session of
court the lawyer Supelko stated the necessity to repeatedly interrogate some
of the witnesses. The district prosecutor intends to summon to the courtroom
an investigator, who was in charge of the case originally. The snag is, two of
the witnesses - babushkas, born in 1917 and 1920 - said that they signed the
interrogation protocol not even readying it and that they don't remember anything.
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LUKASHENKA EN ROUTE TO ALMA-ATA
Alyaxandar Lukashenka left for Alma-Ata to engage in an informal CIS heads of
states' summit, to take place on March 1. "Interfax" was told by the president's
press-secretary Natalya Petkevich that the Belarusian side will come up with
an issue about the foreign military presence on territory of the Collective defense
treaty states-signatories, as well as to discuss cooperation in the CIS national
security area. Supposedly, Lukashenka will also meet Russian president and hold
a series of bilateral meetings with other CIS leaders.
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CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
February 28, 2002
read the details at www.charter97.org/e/index.phtml