CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
February, 22, 2007
http://charter97.org/eng/news/
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WHAT WILL RADA DECIDE?
14:55 22/02/2007
Today a meeting of the Political Rada of democratic forces is to be held. The question when the Congress of democratic forces is to take place and whether it is to take place on the whole will be considered at the Congress. The communists and the Union of Left-Wing Parties headed by them insist on the congress to be held in March this year .The BNF and United Civil Party consider that, as a compromise, the congress may be held in March 2007 with participation of representatives of the civil society and not only
its activists, who gathered 300 signatures during "the local elections" campaign and under the "For Freedom" appeal. Leader of the democratic forces of Belarus Alyaskandr Milinkevich has announced his readiness to participate in the Congress only if the election of authorized leader entitled to establish the democratic headquarters is on its agenda. As it is known, the representatives of the Belarusian intelligentsia spoke against the rotational principle of the democratic forces leadership.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/02/22/rada
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BELARUS INHALES RUSSIAN CIGARETTES
13:52 22/02/2007
Beginning from April 1, Belarusian market might be opened for unlimited import of cigarettes produced in Russia. Canceling the quotas on cigarette import to Belarus is one of the conditions of Moscow-Minsk bilateral agreement which might be signed already on March 1. However, import quotas is just one of the barriers preventing the sales of Russian cigarettes in Belarus from rising.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/02/22/snimet
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COMMUNAL PAYMENTS RAISED MORE THAN LUKASHENKA HAD PROMISED
11:55 22/02/2007
Ministry of statistics and analysis of Belarus confirmed that tariffs for communal-general services to the population had increased in January once again. Quantitative analysis of the payments shows that the increase was much higher than that promised by the government and head of the Belarusian state. Alyaksadr Lukashenka promised in public that the communal payments raise in the course of 2007 would not exceed 5 dollars. But in the first month this indicator was surpassed.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/02/22/luka
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MILITIA REFUSED TO BRING A CRIMINAL LAW SUIT FOR DISMANTLING "CLINTON'S BENCH"
18:07 22/02/2007
Baraulyansky department of the Minsk district division for internal affairs refused to bring a criminal lawsuit for dismantling the "Clinton's bench" memorial in the Kurapaty suburb. As a well-known researcher of the Stalin's repressions, candidate of historic sciences Igar Kuznyatsov reported to BelaPAN, 22 February he got the answer of Baraulyansky department of the Minsk district division for internal affairs to his application. As the letter follows, the decision on refusal to bring a criminal law was made
15 February on the basis of the results of the investigation which runs as follows: "no significant facts indicating the crime were found out".
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/02/22/klinton
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BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT TO VISIT SUDAN SOON
17:23 22/02/2007
Alyaksandr Lukashenka is going to pay an official visit to Sudan in the near future, reported the Belarusian news agency Belapan. Alyaksandr Lukashenka Official sources quoted the Belarusian president as saying this at a meeting with the speaker of the National Assembly of Sudan, Ahmed Ibrahim al-Tahir, on 20 February.Lukashenka said at the meeting that the visit by the Sudanese delegation to Belarus will contribute to boosting relations between the two countries. "Sudan occupies a certain place" in Belarus's
foreign political and economic strategy, the Belarusian president stressed.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/02/22/sudan
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PUTIN'S ASSISTANT: THE FEWER TRANSIT STATES, THE EASIER
16:46 22/02/2007
Assistant of President of the Russian Federation Sergei Yastrzhembsky considers that Russia has to build pipelines passing by such transit countries as, for instance, Belarus. "The fewer transit states on the way of Russian energy resources to Europe, the better both for Russia and for Europe it will be easier for us and more convenient for them. And that will only increase the energy security", Putin's assistant declared in his interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/02/22/tranzit
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ONE-ROOM APARTMENT IN MINSK COSTS USD 55 THOUSAND
16:24 22/02/2007
This year's January unpleasantly surprised Minskovites: apartment prices would not wait for spring to come. In a month and half time since the beginning of this year an average price of one sq. meter has increased by USD 165. It means that on the New Year eve a one-room apartment of 35 sq. meters cost 42.5 thousand dollars and today sellers charge USD 48 thousand for it. And these are the most modest apartments at the outskirts or in ugly- looking buildings. The majority of one-room apartments are offered for
USD 1600- 1800 per square meter, thus amounting on average to USD 55 thousand for a "one- roomy". In Berlin a two-room apartment 15 minutes ride from the center costs USD50 thousand.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/02/22/minsk
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BELARUS ASKED USD 1.5 BILLION CREDIT FROM RUSSIA
16:23 22/02/2007
It was reported in the ministry of finance of Belarus on Thursday 22 February that the Belarusian government turned to the Russian government for a stand-by credit of USD 1.5 billion. According to the source from the ministry of finance, a final amount and a period have not been settled, yet. Now the government is waiting for the Russian party's answer.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/02/22/kredit
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ANATOL LYABEDZKA: CAN YOU GET IN THE WAY OF MILINKEVITCH WHO HAS GOT EVERYTHING: THE MONEY, INTERNATIONAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND PEOPLE'S AFFECTION
15:29 22/02/2007
Yesterday an on-line conference with leader of the United Civil Party Anatol Lyabedzka was held at the site of Radio Svaboda. When answering the listener's question "why the party leaders have got in the way of Alyaksandr Milinkevitch true leader who is doing his best for the sake of the Motherland's future" Anatol Lyabedzka said "Can you get in the way of a person who has got everything: the money , international acknowledgement and people's affection?"
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/02/22/lebedko
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IN JANUARY BELARUSIANS WENT ON BUYING HARD CURRENCIES
14:55 22/02/2007
The amount of USD cash bought by Belarusian individuals in January exceeded the amount sold by USD 177.6 million. That was reported by the National Bank's spokesman Mikhail Zhuravovich.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/02/22/valuta
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ADAMKUS OFFERS BELARUS OIL TRANSIT POSSIBILITIES, WHILE RUSSIA CONTINUES ITS BYPASS FRENZY'
14:38 22/02/2007, By Gary Peach, Baltic Times, Latvia
Oil transit was thrown into the spotlight again last week after announcements that Lithuania was interested in helping Belarus curtail reliance on Russian oil imports and that Russia's Transneft intended to build to new pipeline bypassing Belarus. While in Washington, Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus told a press conference at the National Press Club that the Baltic state has offered Belarus use of its oil import terminal and pipeline system to import crude oil. He added that he had spoken with Vice President
Dick Cheney and Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman about the idea.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/02/22/frenzy
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BELARUS TO SELL MORE THAN 100 TRACTORS TO IRAN
14:37 22/02/2007
Belarus will sell more than 100 tractors to an Iranian company as an initial step in an ambitious investment programme in the Middle Eastern nations agriculture, a Belarusian official said Wednesday.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/02/22/iran
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TIGHTER IMPORT LAWS SET TO CAUSE BELARUS PERFUME PRICE HIKE
14:34 22/02/2007
Tighter import laws will increase the price of most perfumes used by Belarusian women by fifty per cent or more, the Belapan news agency reported Thursday.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/02/22/parfum
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ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO ALLIES HIMSELF WITH BORIS YELTSIN
14:33 22/02/2007, Dmitry Shusharin, RIA Novosti
A change in the Russian government eclipsed all the other events of last week. There was even no time to pay attention to interviews of foreign presidents with the Russian media. Few noticed what Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said in a conversation with writer Alexander Prokhanov at Echo of Moscow Radio, which was reproduced by the newspaper Zavtra. This is a real pity.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/02/22/boris
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CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
February, 22, 2007
http://charter97.org/eng/news/