The Information Channel Felist.Com -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE January, 13, 2003 www.charter97.org --------------------------------------------------------- Translation and interpreting services - http://charter97.org/index.phtml?sid=4&did=Translate&eid=service&lang=3 --------------------------------------------------------- BREAKDOWN OF TALKS ON FUEL COSTS 12:26 13/01/2004 The talks of the heads of governments of Russian and Belarus planned for January 12 and intended to discuss gas supply have been postponed for an unknown term. The Belarusian side is in charge of the pause in the negotiations. Instead of Moscow Belarusian Prime Minister Syarhei Sidorski left for Vienna where he took part in the meeting of the supervisory board of Prior Bank, which belongs to Austrian group Reifeisen now. Cancellation of his visit to Moscow could mean that the Belarusian side had planned a break-through in negotiations, but seeing that it is unlikely, immediately decided to lower the level of negotiators who continue talks. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/01/13/zena --------------------------------------------------------- CHRISTOS POURGOURIDES PREPARES A "BOMB" 12:01 13/01/2004 Christos Pourgourides, a Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) rapporteur on high-profile disappearances in Belarus is indignant by the absence of reaction of the Belarusian authorities to the memorandum on the cases of the missing people. He says that this fact only confirms that his memorandum on high-profile disappearances is well-founded. If by the end of January winter session of the PARE assembles, its juridical committee would discuss the final report by Christos Pourgourides. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/01/13/pace --------------------------------------------------------- ATTEMPT TO OUST BELARUSIAN LANGUAGE SOCIETY 15:28 13/01/2004 On January 12 public association Frantsishak Skaryna Belarusian Language Society received a notification of community services about cancellation of a contract of renting premises at Rumyantsav Str., 13. Housing and communal service of the Partisan District demands Frantsishak Skaryna Society to leave the building in two months, informs human rights center "Viasna". http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/01/13/tbm --------------------------------------------------------- EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARY TROIKA TO VISIT BELARUS 13:06 13/01/2004 A Parliamentary Troika, comprised of representatives of the European Parliament, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will visit Belarus in the end of January. During their visit, the delegates plan to get to know the political situation in Belarus. Presumably the Parliamentary Troika will be represented by chairs of the Ad Hoc Committees on Belarus, Mrs. Uta Zapf (PA OSCE), Mr. Jonas Cekuolis (PACE) and Mr. Jan Marinus Wiersma (the European Parliament). Last time the same representatives of the European institutions visited Belarus in 2001. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/01/13/tri --------------------------------------------------------- 2003 A TERRIBLE YEAR FOR BELARUS PRESS FREEDOM, NGOS - RIGHTS ADVOCATE 12:08 13/01/2004, Agence France Presse Last year in Belarus saw an all but total elimination of press freedom and increased repression against NGOs, a leading human rights advocate in the impoverished former Soviet republic told a press conference late Friday. "That year saw a final purge of independent media," including Russian television channels reporting from Belarus, said Lyudmila Gryaznova, of the leading local human rights defense association Human Rights Alliance. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/01/13/ngo --------------------------------------------------------- TWO MORE SUMMONS FOR AKSANA NOVIKAVA 12:04 13/01/2004 Aksana Novikava, who was sentenced to a suspended prison term in April 2003 for insult of president Lukashenka, received two more summons for her participation in peaceful protests, informs the human rights center "Viasna". http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/01/13/novikava --------------------------------------------------------- (!) Ads on the site: adv@charter97.org --------------------------------------------------------- CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE December, 13, 2003 www.charter97.org -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: http://felist.com/member/unsub?grp=media.charter97&email= http://felist.com/ mailto:ask@felist.com