CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
January, 16, 2003
www.charter97.org
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BROWARD FIRM LINKED TO CHILD PORN
12:28 16/01/2004, By JESSE ABRAMS-MORLEY, www.herald.com

Federal authorities say a Fort Lauderdale company transferred payments for a
Belarus-based group that operated underage-sex websites.
A Fort Lauderdale company is charged with laundering millions of dollars for
an international child pornography ring, and two Broward residents have pleaded
guilty in connection with the operation, prosecutors said Thursday.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/01/16/net

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EUROPEAN COALITION "FREE BELARUS" DECLARES NEED OF ALL DEMOCRATIC FORCES UNION
11:38 16/01/2004

On January 15 a meeting of the coordinating board of the European Coalition "Free
Belarus" took place. Members of the committee discussed work of the coalition
in the last months. It was underlined that the coalition managed to mobilize
its activists to support the action "We remember" on December 10, on the International
Day of Human Rights. As it had been planned, before Christmas and New Year about
a million leaflets-congratulations from the European coalition and Belarusian
Social Democratic Party "Narodnaya Hramada". The latest opinion polls confirm
that the coalition has made a right choice of its course of actions, and it has
a response from the Belarusan people. It is planned to continue the campaign
of informing about European values and about the work of the European coalition.
Among the negative aspects it was stated that there is no understanding of all
democratic forces of Belarus about uniting ahead of the important political events
in the country. On account of that why the committee unanimously approved an
address to the coalition 5+. 
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/01/16/coalition

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RUSSIA-BELARUS TALKS ON GAS ISSUES HAVE DIFFICULTIES
17:09 16/01/2004, ITAR-TASS

The talks between Russia and Belarus on gas issues "are plodding ahead with difficulties",
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov told reporters on Friday, commenting
on a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart Sergei Sidorsky in an interval between
talks.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/01/16/gas

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ZUBR ACTIONS IN REGIONS
15:38 16/01/2004

The third anniversary of Zubr resistance movement was mark by news energetic
actions. 
Several national white-red-white flags appeared in Baranavichy over the main
streets of the city. They were unfurled on wires between nine-storey buildings
in the Prytytsky and Charnyshewsky streets. 

http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/01/16/zubr

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KASYANOV BRINGS PRESSURE UPON SIDORSKY
14:26 16/01/2004

The deadline for concluding an agreement on the introduction of the Russian ruble
in Belarus as the uniform payment unit will expire in February, Russian Prime
Minister Mikhail Kasyanov told Interfax on Friday ahead of his talks with Belarusian
Prime Minister Sergei Sidorsky.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/01/16/press

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JAKOV GUTMAN GOES ON HUNGER STRIKE
14:05 16/01/2004

Jakov Gutman, president of the World Association of Belarusan Jewry went on hunger
strike as a protest against the policy of creeping state anti-Semitism, informs
human rights center "Viasna".
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/01/16/gutman

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INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND CRITICAL ABOUT BELARUSIAN ECONOMY
12:04 16/01/2004

The International Monetary Fund does not respond to the statements of government
officials, especially anonymous ones, but can air its own attitude towards the
economic circumstances in Belarus. It was the answer of the official representative
of the fund Thomas Dawson to the request of the ITAR-TASS to comment on the opinion
of a high-ranking representative of the US State Department that "there is a
number of difficulties in Belarus that could cause an acute economical crisis".
In order to avoid the crisis, according to the American official, Minsk should
reduce state control over the economy.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/01/16/mvf

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EUROPEAN TROIKA NOT COMING TO MINSK
11:33 16/01/2004

An open congress of the European Parliament delegation on cooperation with Belarus,
Ukraine and Moldova took place in Strasbourg. The situation in Belarus was discussed
there. The head of the delegation Jan Wiersma in his interview to Radio Svaboda
commented on the results of the congress and said that the visit of the Parliamentary
Troika in Minsk planned for the end of January had been cancelled.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/01/16/troyka

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CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
December, 16, 2003
www.charter97.org