CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
February 12, 2003
www.charter97.org
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AI HOLDS RALLY IN SUPPORT OF BELARUSIAN STUDENTS IN AMSTERDAM
16:41 12/02/2003

On 22 January, election day in The Netherlands, Amnesty-VU organized a rally
in the entry-hall of the Free University in Amsterdam, Charter'97 was told by
Jeroen van Dinteren, Dutch AI representative. By putting tape over their mouths,
holding a sign saying "This is the ideal Belarussian student", the students expressed
the way Belarussian students are being shut down. AI activists also expressed
solidarity to resistance movement ZUBR. The rally was very successful: over 1000
flyers were handed out, there was an article in the University's Newspaper "Ad
Valvas" and over 65 people signed and sent a letter to Lukashenko. By so doing
the Dutch students protested against lawless state's treatment of Belarusian
students, who are exposed to fines, beatings and expulsions for their political
activism. We'll remind that 24 regional groups of Amnesty International cooperate
with ZUBR movement. Last year they carried out dozens of actions of solidarity
with Belarusan youth and ZUBR movement in different countries. The protest against
Human rights violations in Belarus was expressed near Belarusan embassies, parlaments
of European countries and in Universities. This year AI activists continue their
struggle for Human Rights.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/12/amnesty

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JOHN PAUL II ENCOURAGES REBIRTH OF CHURCH IN BELARUS
11:45 12/02/2003

VATICAN CITY, FEB. 10, 2003 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II encouraged the rebirth
of the Catholic Church in Belarus even as it faces new legal restrictions.
The Pope expressed his support today when he received the Catholic bishops of
that country, who are in Rome for their quinquennial visit.
In his address the Holy Father said that Belarus is the former Soviet republic
that has undergone the least change since the fall of Communism, and is the least
integrated into the rest of Europe. Among those attending the papal audience
was Cardinal Kazimierz Swiatek, 88, archbishop of Minsk-Mohilev, a survivor of
Siberian labor camps.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/12/pope

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KOZIK FEELS LIKE NOMINATING LUKASHENKO FOR 5TH SUCCESSIVE TERM
16:47 12/02/2003

Chairman of the Federation of trade unions of Belarus Leonid Kozik is ready to
initiate Lukashenko's nomination for another presidential term. "Time will come
when I will be ready to nominate the president for another term,"  said Kozik
at today's press-conference in Minsk. The head of the trade union federation
said that he would be glad to "nominate Lukashenko not only for a third, but
fifth consecutive term".
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/12/kozik

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INTERNATIONAL EXPERTISE: KOLOMIYTS COMMITTED SUICIDE
16:45 12/02/2003

International expertise proved that director of the news agency "Ukrainian News"
Mikhail Kolomiyts committed a suicide. Such a declaration was publicized today
in Kiev. At the moment there are no grounds to assume that the man was killed
or even led to a suicide. However, special medical psychiatric expertise is called
to find out his pre-mortem state of mind. As you remember, the man was found
hung in the Molodechno forest in late October last year.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/12/kolomiez

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LANGUAGE REFORM TURNS OBJECT OF PUBLIC DEBATES
16:44 12/02/2003

The Belarusian writers believe that the language reform must be widely discussed
in the society, "Mediafact" was told by the chairman of the Union of Belarusian
writers Ales Pashkevich. According to him, the Union's Council is mostly preoccupied
with inserting corrections into the Belarusian tongue. Moreover, said he, the
writers always actively engaged in the solution of such problems. Commenting
on the expected changes in grammar, Ales Pashkevich stressed that most of them
are caused by the need of the moment.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/12/mova

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LACKEYS FROM LDPB
16:43 12/02/2003

Liberal-Democratic Party of Belarus, headed by Sergei Gaidukevich, addressed
the president of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Bruce George with a proposal
to endow the "national assembly" with a concomitant status with the OSCE PA.
By so doing the collaborationists, in their view, confirm their devotedness to
the "spirit of constructivism and cooperation". In fact, their address to such
an influential European structure is quite weird and consists of a range of thoughtless
and elevated phrases and expressions. They called, for example, the deputies
of the parliament "citizens of our common beloved homeland". They only express
hope that this address will provoke proper feedback on part of the OSCE.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/12/ldpb

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IVAN KAEDJIKOV: BELARUS SURELY HAS EUROPEAN FUTURE
15:30 12/02/2003

During the international conference in Dortmund, which took place late last week,
Radio Svaboda correspondent Vitaly Tsygalko interviewed Ivan Kaedjikov  head
of the political affairs department of the Council of Europe, responsible for
relations with Belarus.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/12/future

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"NOT A STEP FORWARD!"
12:38 12/02/2003, Natalia Viktorova, Vremya Novostei

"This year will become a year of protecting our population from its own government,"
 promised yesterday Alexander Lukashenko, whose speech before the governmental
meeting, dedicated to the outcomes 2002, was abundant in promises of soon improvements
in the social sphere. The head of state publicly demanded to halt price-growth
in public utilities, transportation and also review the size of payments in healthcare
and education. "Not a step forward in price-growth,"  came up Lukashenko with
another of his mottos. Meantime, the introduction of tariffs in healthcare and
education last year had been personally encouraged by him.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/12/uperod

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LUKASHENKO TO DELIVER LECTURE IN BSU
11:58 12/02/2003

Alexander Lukashenko will read out his lecture on February 28 before the students
of the Belarusian State University. The theme of the lecture will be "Belarus
on the crossways of history". The Belarusian leader will bring up for deliberations
the questions of origin and development of the Belarusian national identity and
statehood. Part of the lecture will be dedicated to the priorities of the country's
exterior policy. In the aftermath of the lecture he will answer the questions,
posed by university professors and students. Feel free to forward your questions
to the head of state through radio "Unistar" BSU's web-site. The questions are
accepted by February 20 at the latest.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/12/bgu

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STILL NO MONEY AVAILABLE
11:56 12/02/2003, Express-news

In no time after the turn of the year the government passed the state budget
for the year 2003, which envisages only 25bln rubles of expenditures for the
Chernobyl privileges, whereas over the past year the accumulated debt on the
matter exceeded 16bln rubles.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/12/net

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BELARUSIAN PM DISSATISFIED BY GOVERNMENT'S WORK
11:55 12/02/2003

The Prime-Minister of Belarus Gennady Novitsky evaluated the Cabinet's work in
the year 2002 as "unsatisfactory". Reporting to president Lukashenko, the Premier
confessed that out of 16 crucial parameters of social-economic development, they
only fulfilled eight. Meantime, Novitsky underscored that they have certain prerequisites
for meeting the criteria for the following year and pleaded with the head of
state "to let them keep working".
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/12/premier

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BELARUS READYING FOR IRANIAN PRESIDENT'S COMING
11:53 12/02/2003

February 11 evening deputy Foreign Minister of Islamic Republic Iran Mohsen Aminsade
arrived in the capital of Belarus. His official visit, due to last till February
13, is called to usher in the first ever trip to Belarus by the Iranian president
Mohammad Khatami.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/12/iran

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BELARUSIANS SET TO RECONSTRUCT ELECTRIC STATIONS FOR GADDAFI
11:48 12/02/2003

Libya plans to set up joint Belarusian-Libyan venture on reconstructing its energy
objects. Negotiations on that will be held within the visit to the country on
February 16-20 of a delegation of Belarusian energy specialists, headed by the
director of "Belvneshenergo" joint stock Alexander Rogovtsov.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/12/kaddafi
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CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
February 12, 2003
www.charter97.org