CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
February 11, 2003
www.charter97.org
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RUSSIA DEMANDS ADVANCE PAYMENT FOR ENERGY FROM BELARUS
16:50 11/02/2003, Igor Kornei, Radio Svaboda

Russian gas suppliers came up with new and stricter contract conditions for the
Belarusian consumers. "Gasprom", "Itera" and some other Russian companies will
no longer tolerate respites in payments for the supplied gas and sometimes even
require 30% of advance payment. Moreover, all payments must be carried out in
monetary form, without any barter operations as previously.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/11/dolg

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PARALLEL WORLDS
15:41 11/02/2003

Sometimes you ride in a trolley-bus, peering through the window What you see
there is an ordinary boring sight  gray with some rare red dots from Coca-Cola
advertisement stands. You feel exhausted and next to you there stands a tired
woman. You don't really feel like turning your face away from the window and
fear catching her glance for you'll have to stand and invite her to sit in your
place. But you have not the least desire to stand. Then there comes the thought
that the woman is less tired than you are and this makes you feel not guilty
and continue to sit still. Then you start thinking of her life, assuring yourself
that there's less gray colors in it than in yours
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/11/nks

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ECONOMIC REFORMS IN BELARUS TOO INERT SAYS IMF
11:46 11/02/2003

Despite the significant progress, achieved in a range of structural reforms'
directions in Belarus, the authorities still prefer to follow the "slow reforms'
route", RIA "Novosti" quotes IMF mission's experts as saying following a fortnight
of the country's economic progress' evaluation in the year 2002. According to
the head of mission Thomas Richardson, the progress attained is of a twofold
nature. Indeed, there has been reached a permanent GDP growth and rise in the
ready goods reserves. However, inflation, which fell as compared to last years'
rates, remains highest of all CIS member-states.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/11/imf

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AUTOCRACY'S TRIUMPH
11:42 11/02/2003, Nasha Niva

The regime doesn't give up, opposition doesn't argue and people don't care. Local
elections haven't yet passed but the upsetting future outcome can already be
outlined. In 93% of voting constituencies they only have one candidate per seat.
Nominees from democratic opposition  both parties and non-partisan  participate
only in 3% of cases. There will be absolutely no competition in the overwhelming
majority of regional committees. The society takes lack of alternative for a
norm. Opposition even failed to nominate candidates in half of the municipal
ballot districts. The authorities, in their turn, consider elections to be mere
formality and deny any access to opposition. One third of runners were stripped
of registration for unclear reasons.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/11/nv

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EU PROPOSES TO BELARUS TO REVIEW THEIR "REPRESSIVE POLICY"
16:44 11/02/2003

The European Parliament deems it necessary to work out a cooperation strategy
between Belarus and the European Union in connection with the forthcoming EU
enlargement in 2004. This is mentioned in the report of an MEP Pedro Marset Campos
"EU and Belarus: future partnership". The report will be a matter of debates
at the EP plenary, which opened on February 10 in Strasbourg.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/11/eu

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MINSK AUTHORITIES BAN SAINT VALENTINE'S RALLY
12:29 11/02/2003

Minsk city hall forbade Young Front to hold on Saint Valentine's February 14
their annual action "I love Belarus". BelaPAN quotes YF leader Pavel Severinets
as saying that on February 7 the Minsk city hall denied them the right to hold
rally from the Yakub Kolas square to the Parizhskoi Kommuny square. However,
the organization calls on its followers to celebrate the holiday altogether and
show up at the Yakub Kolas square at 5p.m., from where they would march all along
the planned route. According to Severinets, this will be "youths' response to
the threat of the loss of sovereignty". "We want to make it clear to all that
we will not give up Belarus neither to Lukashenko, nor to Russia,"  said Severinets.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/11/action

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GRODNO JOURNALISTS PLEAD WITH AUTHORITIES TO AMNESTY PAVEL MOZHEIKO
12:27 11/02/2003

Grodno affiliate of the Belarusian Association of Journalists forwarded to the
administration of the Zhodino penitentiary and the Committee for penalties' execution
of the Interior Ministry of Belarus a petition on the application of amnesty
to the journalist Pavel Mozheiko.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/11/pahonia

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BELARUS OPPOSED TO MOSCOW-BASED EMISSION CENTER IDEA
11:52 11/02/2003

Belarus' stance concerning the principles of the union state's construction and
the emission center remains pretty much the same, "Rosbalt" correspondent was
told on Monday by the head of the Department of information of the Belarusian
National Bank Anatoly Drozdov. Commenting on the February 7 media statement of
the Russian Vice-Premier Aleksei Kudrin, who said that "the Belarusian colleagues
already yield to the formation of a common emission center on the basis of Russian
central Bank", Anatoly Drozdov referred to it as "Mr.Kudrin's personal viewpoint".
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/11/center

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NO CUSTOMS UNION AT WORK WITH LUKASHENKO IN POWER
11:49 11/02/2003, NEWSru.com

New Russia's Customs Code may enter into effect on January 1, 2004, said deputy
chairman of the Russian State Duma's budget committee Valery Draganov. According
to his forecasts, somewhere in March-April the draft Code will pass second and
third reading in the Parliament. Meantime, added Draganov, approval of the union's
Customs Code in its present-day form would be a serious blunder on their part.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/11/soyuz

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JUSTICE MINISTRY WITHDRAWS ACCUSATION
11:45 11/02/2003

Justice Ministry cancelled reprimand, ruled against the Fellowship of the Belarusian
language, reports Radio Svaboda. The warning was passed on November 26 last year
for FBL's installation of memorable cross in commemoration of the perished heroes
of anti-Russian liberation upheavals. Now all of a sudden the Ministry officials
changed their mind and lifted the original charges.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/11/tbm

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STARVING ARTIST DENIED ATTORNEY IN JAIL
11:39 11/02/2003, pahonia.promedia.by

Dmitry Ivanovsky, who's holding a hunger-strike of protest in Grodno incarceration
for twelve days now, cannot be visited by his lawyer. Artist Dmitry Ivanovsky
was sentenced to 15 days of administrative arrest for alleged organization of
an unsanctioned entrepreneurs' picket opposite the regional hall's building in
late January. Following the verdict's announcement he declared a hunger-strike
right in the courtroom.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/11/golod

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"RUSSIA" STARTS WITH LUKASHENKO
11:39 11/02/2003, www.vesti.ru

In the TV schedule of the "Russia" channel next Sunday one can see the new weekly
analytical political program "Morning chat with Dmitry Kiselev". In it they will
discuss the most poignant events of the week in Russia's political life. In an
interview to the ITAR-TASS correspondent Kiselev said that his future guests
in the studio will be politicians, who directly relate to the events in question.
The first invited person will be Alexander Lukashenko.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/11/luka

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IRANIAN DELEGATION EN ROUTE TO MINSK
11:38 11/02/2003

On February 11-13 Belarus will be visited by the Iranian FM delegation, headed
by deputy Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mahsen Aminzade. According
to the Foreign Ministry, although the delegation formally comes for diplomatic
consultations, the meeting will usher in a preparatory stage before president
Khattami's personal visit to Minsk. In the Belarusian capital the guests will
rendezvous with the Belarusian Foreign Minister Mikhail Khvostov, Administration
leadership and the Ministry of industry representatives. The sides will consider
intensification of bilateral cooperation in many spheres, in particular in a
trade-economic one.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/11/iran
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CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
February 11, 2003
www.charter97.org