CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
January, 16, 2007
http://charter97.org/eng/news/
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FILM "PLOSHCHA" TO BE PRESENTED ON SOLIDARITY DAY IN WARSAW
16:54 16/01/2007
On January 16 a presentation of the film "Ploscha" ("Square") by the well-known Belarusian filmmaker Yury Khaschavatski is to be held in Warsaw. The film shows the events of March-2006 in Minsk.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/01/16/platz
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VANDALS DESECRATED MUSLIM CEMETERY
11:28 16/01/2007
A criminal action has been brought up relating to facts of vandalism at Muslim cemetery in Slonim. As the BelaPAN was informed in the police department of Slonim, a criminal case was opened on January 12, 2007 under Article 339 Part 1 of the Criminal Code (hooliganism). Under this article criminals face community service or a fine, or arrest for up to six months, or imprisonment for up to two years.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/01/16/vandalizm
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JANUARY 16 IS DAY OF OUR SOLIDARITY
09:44 16/01/2007
The whole world is to be with us today. Thousands of people in Belarus and all over the world are to gather in the streets with lit candles in remembrance of the abducted leaders of opposition and journalists in Belarus, as a sigh of solidarity with political prisoners, with all those who fight for freedom and democracy in Belarus.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/01/16/16
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VREMYA NOVOSTEY: PUTIN NAMED THE REAL PRICE OF THE BELARUSIAN SOVEREIGNTY
18:12 16/01/2007
"Yesterday, at the traditional meeting with the Government members , Vladimir Putin thanked the Cabinet of Ministers for their persistence at the Russian Belarusian negotiations on oil transit. He estimated the result of the negotiations as a compromise acceptable for both parties. Thus, Putin actually ignored the Sundays escapades of his Belarusian colleague, the "Vremya Novostey" Russian newspaper reports today and features that in the course of the meeting," Putin simply named the real price of the Belarusian
sovereignty."
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/01/16/cena
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GAZPROM TO LAUNCH MAJOR PR CAMPAIGN
18:11 16/01/2007
Since a series of "gas wars" with CIS countries undermined Western consumers' confidence in Gazprom, the Russian monopoly has been concerned with improving its image abroad. Kommersant has learned that OOO Gazprom Export is negotiating with a consortium of PR firms headed by the PBN Company on a three-year contract for a series of campaigns in the United States and European Union. Gazprom is prepared to pay $11 million in 2007 for those services. According to information obtained by Kommersant, the Gazprom campaign
will be part of a larger campaign by Russian authorities to improve their image in the West.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/01/16/kreml
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"COMMON" VIOLATIONS OF ELECTION REGULATIONS WERE REPORTED AT POLLING STATIONS ON MAIN VOTING DAY, BELARUSIAN POPULAR FRONT LEADER SAYS
18:07 16/01/2007
Belarusian Popular Front (BPF) members reported "common" violations of election regulations at polling stations on January 14, the main voting day in Belarus' local elections, the party's chairman, Vintsuk Vyachorka, told reporters in Minsk on Tuesday.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/01/16/bnf
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"PRESSBALL" NEWSPAPER FACES SUSPENSION
18:06 16/01/2007
An independent sports newspaper "Pressball" has received an official warning from Information Ministry. The official warning has been signed by a deputy minister Liliya Ananich. The newspaper is charged with not indicating a complete address of the editorial office, and not naming director of the unitary enterprise Yury Arlou, only the editor-in-chief Uladzimir Berazhkou. However, according to the statute of the unitary enterprise "Pressball", there are two executive posts in the enterprise, a director and the
editor-in-chief.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/01/16/smi
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RUSSIAS CRUDE TO ERODE TAXES IN BELARUS
18:03 16/01/2007
As a result of the crude oil agreement with Russia, Belarus will have to ease the tax burden on refining in the country. Only this will allow to maintain positive efficiency of local refining and preserve attractiveness of working in Belarus for the oil companies of Russia.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/01/16/nalog
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RUSSIAN AGRICULTURE MINISTER TO DISCUSS SUGAR IMPORTS FROM BELARUS
17:57 16/01/2007
The Russian agriculture minister and the vice-premier of Belarus will discuss Wednesday sugar deliveries from Russia's western neighbor, the ministry said Tuesday. Alexei Gordeyev and Deputy Prime Minister Ivan Bambiza "will discuss certain issues of cooperation between Russia and the Republic of Belarus, including the volume of white sugar imports to Russia from Belarus," the ministry said in a news release.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/01/16/sugar
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RUSSIAN OIL TRANSIT VIA UKRAINE TO GROW 10%
17:55 16/01/2007
Ukraine's fuel and energy minister said Tuesday he is satisfied with the results of talks with Russia, which will result in 10% more oil being transited through Ukraine, according to RIA Novosti.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/01/16/transit
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MINSK HINTS AT NEW MEASURES AGAINST MOSCOW
17:54 16/01/2007, RFE/RL
Belarus has threatened to reignite a dispute with Russia that the two sides said they had resolved last week. Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Kabyakou, in televised comments late on January 15, said Belarus might charge Russia for the two military bases that Russia now uses rent-free and also for the land under the Yamal-Europe pipeline, which transports Russian gas to Germany.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/01/16/again
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TO LIVE IN DUGOUTS AND TO WARM ONESELF BY BURNING WOOD?!
17:48 16/01/2007
Alyaksandr Lukashenka has approved a program of re-equipment of the forest industry. Its main objective is to increase use of timber as fuel, ITAR-TASS informs. The press-service of the head of the state informed that "search for new sources of energy is relevant for the country" because it doesn't have own oil and gas.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/01/16/drova
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BELARUS AT THE END OF A LIST
16:32 16/01/2007
Belarus occupies the 145th position, which is at the end of the rating, according to the 2007 "Index of Economic Freedom" published annually by The Wall Street Journal and The Heritage Foundation.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/01/16/bel
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ALYAKSANDR MILINKEVICH: "I AM SET TO UNITE PEOPLE WHO ARE READY TO FIGHT FOR FREEDOM"
15:40 16/01/2007
The political council of the united democratic forces by a majority of vote adopted a resolution to shift to a principle of rotation in leading the coalition. It means that the leaders of the structures forming the coalition of the democratic forces are to preside over the coalition in turns. "The history of this issue is rather long, it includes clash of opinions inside the coalition. Yesterday a decision was adopted that every oppositional party would campaign for their leader, but everybody would sit behind
a round table and look for an agreement. If we lived and worked in democracy, I would greet the principle of leaders' rotation. But we live under dictatorship, and it is like during the war. We should define a leader and work under his command perfectly. I was ready to take part in the congress with one aim, so that one leader would be elected there. We haven't held any breakthrough events in the coalition for a year, as there was no manifest eagerness to work together. The coalition was a declarative one. I
am not against round tables, but in case the coalition wouldn't start serious work, we would lose our weight," told he leader of the democratic forces of Belarus Alyaksandr Milinkevich in an interview to the Charter'97 press-center.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/01/16/milin
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CENSORSHIP OF RUSSIAN TV CHANNELS IN BELARUS
12:30 16/01/2007
News editions of the TV channel Rossiya are broadcasted an hour later in Belarus these days. Previously Belarusians watched Russian news at 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Minsk time (simultaneously with people of Russia), and now they start at 2 p.m., 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., which is one hour later than in Russia. (There is a one-hour lag between Russia and Belarus). A worker of one of Russian TV channels in an interview to the Charter97 press-center supposed that in this way the Belarusian authorities had left a possibility
for them to censor Russian news if necessary.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/01/16/tv
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BENITA FERRERO-WALDNER: "LOCAL ELECTIONS IN BELARUS DID NOT MEET DEMOCRATIC STANDARDS"
11:38 16/01/2007
Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner has made a statement on the 14 January local elections in Belarus. "I deplore the fact that the 14 January local elections in Belarus did not meet democratic standards.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/01/16/standart
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LOCAL ELECTIONS FAILED TO MEET DEMOCRATIC STANDARDS, BELARUSIAN HELSINKI COMMITTEE SAYS
11:34 16/01/2007
The Belarusian Helsinki Committee (BHC) said that the country's January 9-14 local elections had failed to meet democratic standards. BHC observers reported multiple flaws in the poll, Garri Pogonyailo, executive director of the organization, told BelaPAN.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/01/16/bhc
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SMITH BILL PROMOTING HUMAN RIGHTS IN BELARUS BECOMES LAW
11:29 16/01/2007
A bill authored by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) promoting democracy and human rights in Belarus was signed into law over the weekend by President George W. Bush. "Alexander Lukashenka is Europe's last dictator and he rules Belarus with an iron fist," Smith said. "Lukashenka continues to systematically repress democratic activists and violate the basic human rights of the Belarusian people. By reauthorizing the Belarus Democracy Reauthorization Act, we are showing that the U.S. stands on the side of the Belarusian
people in their effort to live in a free, democratic state not of the side of their oppressor."
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/01/16/bill
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JAVIER SOLANA, EU HIGH REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE CFSP, WELCOMES THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN
11:26 16/01/2007
Javier Solana, EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy
(CFSP), issued the following statement in response to the agreement reached last night
between the governments of Russia and Belarus on oil transit through Belarus:
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/01/16/solana
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BELARUSIAN OFFICIALS REFUTE PUTIN
10:19 16/01/2007
Statements of the Russian side that the result of the agreements between Russia and Belarus in the sphere of oil and gas Russia is to subsidise the Belarusian economy for about $5.8 billion, are be in contrary to fact. It was stated by a deputy prime minister Andrei Kabyakou.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/01/16/putin
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CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
January, 16, 2007
http://charter97.org/eng/news/