CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
January 09, 2003
www.charter97.org
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NOT ENOUGH PENSIONS FOR EVERYBODY
16:41 09/01/2003, Valentina Veshtort, NEG, photo mahilyow.com

The draft law "On the introduction of changes and amendments into the pension
laws of Belarus" envisages the payment of pensions only provided a pensioner
leaves job (many Belarusians receive both pensions and salaries at the same time
when reaching the pension age). At the same time, according to the draft law,
pensions should be paid to those individuals, who paid insurance dues for no
less than five years.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/09/pensia

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LESS BELARUSIANS FEEL LIKE JOINING RUSSIA
11:41 09/01/2003

In December 2002 NISEPI sociologists recorded the fall in the number of the supporters
of integration with Russia. 21,2% of respondents spoke in favor of such a merger,
which is the lowest figure of all ever since 1999. According to the research,
last year's December became a turning point, for since Vladimir Putin's coming
to power in Russia the adherents of integration have been constantly rising in
number.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/09/integration

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DEMOCRATIC TRADE UNIONS SEEK PROTECTION FROM STATE ARBITRARINESS
16:44 09/01/2003, www.praca.by

In connection with the requirement of the Trade Union Federation of Belarus to
sign new agreements, raising the rent by 10 times, the leaders of Belarusian
Congress of the democratic trade unions, the Free trade union of Belarus, the
Free trade union of metal workers, the Democratic trade union of transport and
the Belarusian independent trade union circulated their address to the trade
union organizations and members of the trade unions, which are included into
the Belarusian Congress of democratic trade unions. "They are trying hard to
move us out of our premises, thus stripping us of our legal addresses. Coordinating
our activities with the executive, the FTU leadership makes no mystery from the
fact that the Congress and its constituent trade unions will never get an opportunity
to receive a new legal address on the territory of Belarus. As a result, as masterminded
by the presidential political technologists, the independent trade union movement
of Belarus will face a real danger of liquidation,"  reads the statement.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/09/union

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SLOGAN "HE MUST GO!" IN REGIONS OF BELARUS
14:42 09/01/2003

Grodno residents got dozens thousand copies of new issue of "ZUBR/BISON" newspaper
right after New year holiday.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/09/zubr

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DUTCH CITIZENS DEMAND TRUTH ABOUT DISAPPEARED PEOPLE
13:45 09/01/2003

Dutch group of Human right organization Amnesty nternational send another appeal
to Lukashenko with demand to make clear the situation with disappearance of his
opponents. The appeal was signed by 452 citizens of Nederland. They are regular
residents of Dutch towns. "More and more people in Nederland are worried by absence
of progress in investigation of disappearances of Dmitry Zavadsky, Yury Zaharenko,
Victor Gonchar and Anatoly Krasovsky. As a sign of our worry 452 Dutch citizens
signed the petition that I'm sending in attachment. 140 people sent you letter
personally, 312 agreed with them through web-site of Amnesty International. Their
names are presented in the attached list. They follow the information about this
cases that appears in our media more and more often,"  writes chairman of Noordorp
group of Amnesty International Rrik Kissing in his letter.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/09/amnesty

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POLISH AMBASSADOR TO BELARUS APOLOGIZES FOR SITUATION ON THE BORDER
12:28 09/01/2003, Interfax Information Services, B.V

Polands ambassador to Belarus has offered his apologies for the situation that
evolved on the Belarussian-Polish border, Belarussian television reported in
the early hours of Tuesday.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/09/benzin

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BELARUSIAN OPPOSITION MEMBERS EXCLUDED FROM LOCAL ELECTION BODY
12:20 09/01/2003

The leader of a group of Zhodzina town council deputies, Alyaksandr Valchanin,
who is also currently the coordinator of the local election bloc For Social Development,
and the coordinator of the Changes! Our Choice coalition, Alyaksey Lapitski,
have filed a complaint with the head of the Central Electoral Committee, Lidziya
Yarmoshyna.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/09/zhodzina

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ANALYSIS: RUSSIA IN 2003
12:17 09/01/2003, Sam Vaknin, The Washington Times

Russia faces more than merely a skewed wealth distribution or dependence on mineral
wealth. Its difficulties are myriad. On cue from Washington, it is again being
hyped in the Western media as a sure-fire investment destination and a pair of
safe geostrategic hands.      But the truth is that it is a Third World country
with First World pretensions (and nuclear weapons). It exhibits all the risks
attendant to other medium-sized developing countries and emerging economies.
External debt repayments next year will exceed $15 billion. It can easily afford
them with oil prices anywhere above $20 and foreign exchange reserves the highest
since 1991. Russia even prepaid some of its debt mountain this year. But if its
export proceeds were to decline by 40 percent in the forthcoming 3-4 years, Russia
will, yet again, be forced to reschedule or default. Every $1 decline in Ural
crude oil prices translates to more than $1 billion lost income to the government.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/09/russia

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PROCURACY SET TO HALT INVESTIGATION INTO GONCHAR, KRASOVSKY'S ABDUCTION CASE
11:46 09/01/2003

Detective of the Minsk city procuracy Vladimir Chumachenko told Radio Svaboda
that he intends to halt investigation into the disappearance of Viktor Gonchar
and Anatoly Krasovsky. This decision hasn't been passed yet, though the concomitant
documents are already being prepared, said Vladimir Chumachenko. He explains
his desire by the futility of efforts to successfully finish the case in the
near future.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/09/gonchar

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BELARUS TAKES NORTHERN KOREA'S SIDE
11:44 09/01/2003

Belarus "upholds the swift solution of the North Korean crisis by peaceful means
and the prevention of possible escalation of conflict". "Rosbalt" correspondent
was told on Wednesday in the press-center of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry
that this position of the Belarusian side was presented during the extracurricular
session of the directors' board of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/09/kim
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CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
January 09, 2003
www.charter97.org