Mailing List Service Felist.Com -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE February 28, 2002 read the details at www.charter97.org/e/index.phtml ---------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------- 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". ---------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------- CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE February 28, 2002 read the details at www.charter97.org/e/index.phtml -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: http://felist.com/member/unsub?grp=media.charter97 http://felist.com/ mailto:ask@felist.com