CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
March 04, 2003
www.charter97.org
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A SQUARE AND A MAN
15:23 04/03/2003

Time is testing us over and over again,
Are you ready to take to the streets ?
Will you ever dare take to the streets
At the appointed and crucial moment?
Alexander Galich
I am a Square and you know me well, don't you? Your feet has been many times
trampling upon the cobblestones of my body, beating their own rhythm on them.
A rhythm, which is just as unrepeatable as personal fingerprints are.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/04/nks

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DEPRIVATION!
12:19 04/03/2003, Narodnaya Volya

Everyone knows that in February they pledged to raise our pensions. Mine amounted
to 108.570 rubles this time, which is 7thsd rubles more than previously. Having
paid for public utilities in January I drew a chart of the payments for the past
three months and here's what I got at the end.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/04/pensia

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BAGHDAD MAYOR HEADS FOR MINSK
11:47 04/03/2003

Official delegation, headed by the mayor of Baghdad, will arrive this evening
in Minsk. BELTA was told in the department of protocol, international and public
relations of the Minsk city hall that on March 5 morning the Iraqi visiting guests
will meet with the leadership of the Minsk City. Later in the day they will pay
visit to the company "Minskvodokanal". During their working trip, which will
last till March 7, members of the official Baghdad delegation will also visit
"Belkommunmash" company, the National Exhibition Center "Belexpo" and also the
Great Patriotic War museum.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/04/bagdad

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FREE TRADE UNION BOSS PLEDGES TO ENGAGE IN PEOPLE'S MARCH
14:54 04/03/2003

Chairman of the Free Trade Union of Belarus Gennady Bykov upholds the implementation
on March 12 of the People's March "For Better Life!". The trade unionist told
Charter's press-center that he would surely and personally engage in the action,
for the situation in the country is deteriorating so speedily and to such an
extent that no one can tolerate the regime's lawlessness any longer.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/04/bykov

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BELARUSIAN MILITARY SET TO SELL ARMS WITHOUT MEDIATORS
14:51 04/03/2003

Any arguments that direct contact of the buyers of military equipment with the
manufacturers damage the country's security interests, are incorrect, said in
an exclusive interview to "Interfax" the director of the "Tetraedr" company Andrei
Vahovsky.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/04/arms

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BHC: LOCAL ELECTIONS FELL SHORT OF DEMOCRATIC STANDARDS
12:14 04/03/2003

Local elections in Belarus, which were held on March 2, "fell short of meeting
the norms and standards of the democratic society", reads the statement, circulated
by the Belarusian Helsinki Committee. The election campaign was carried out with
"violations of constitutional norms and other legislative acts of the Republic
of Belarus, which significantly affected the final outcomes of the voting".
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/04/bhk

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PEN-CENTER DENOUNCES SHUTDOWN OF "NOVAYA GAZETA SMORGONI", "VECHERNY STOLIN"
12:12 04/03/2003

On March 3 the Council of the Belarusian PEN-Center filed protest over the de-facto
closure of newspapers "Novaya Gazeta Smorgoni" (Grodno region) and "Vecherny
Stolin" (Brest region).
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/04/pen

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POLICE, HOMELESS OPPOSED TO BETTER LIFE
11:55 04/03/2003

A funny scene was observed this morning by one of the People's March organizers
Leonid Malakhov in the yard of one of the houses in the Skarina prospect. He
saw a homeless beggar, pulling off the fences the People's March stickers under
the supervision of two law-enforcers. Malakhov noticed a great number of already
torn down stickers. However, the poor man had plenty of work to do still  pillars,
doors and drain-pipes of the adjacent houses were all covered with the March's
stickers. By the way, today local police are celebrating their professional holiday
 the Day of the Belarusian Police.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/04/ment

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BPF REPRESENTED BY 11 DEPUTIES
11:54 04/03/2003

Opposition parties are outlining the results of the local elections campaign.
Now we know exactly the number of deputies of local councils of various levels
representing opposition parties, as well as those, who will compete in the second
round of voting. BPF, for instance, is represented by 11 deputies: Ales Mikhalevich,
Yuri Zenkovich, Svetlana Andruhovich, Konstantin Shpuntov, Olga Golubovich, Alexander
Syrokvash, Ivan Shega. 9 more individuals from Vitebsk, Grodno, Novopolotsk,
Zhodino, Svetlogorsk, Maryina Gorka and Barani will contend in the second round.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/04/bnf

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"PARLIAMENT" EMBARKS ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO LIBYA
11:53 04/03/2003

On March 3 the delegation of "national assembly" of Belarus left for the Great
Socialist National Libyan Arab Jamahiria. BelaPAN was told in the "house of representatives'"
press-service that the delegation is chaired by the speaker of the lower parliament's
chamber Vadim Popov. It also encompasses MPs Ivan Mychko, Mikhail Poplavsky and
Sergei Semashko.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/04/libya

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JAN KELLI: BELARUSIANS' FUTURE IN THEIR HANDS
11:51 04/03/2003

On February 28 the British ambassador Jan Kelli left Belarus due to the expiration
of his diplomatic mandate. Jan Charles Kelli was in charge of the British embassy
in Minsk ever since May 1999. Upon his return to his home country, the diplomat
will work in the Foreign Ministry's apparatus in London.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/04/brit

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SLAVIC SECURITY ASSEMBLY TO CONSIDER SITUATION AROUND IRAQ
11:50 04/03/2003

The Belarusian town of Polotsk will host on March 4-6 the second meeting of the
secretaries of the security councils of the four Slavic states  Belarus, Poland,
Russia and Ukraine. RIA "Novosti" was told in the Russian Security Council that
the primary item on their daily agenda would surely be the situation development
around Iraq, which is directly linked with the regional and international security
problems.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/04/sovbez
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CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
March 04, 2003
www.charter97.org