EMBASSY MINSK WEEKLY REPORT - December 02, 2005

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 MINSK 001462

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM ECON BO
SUBJECT: EMBASSY MINSK WEEKLY REPORT - December 02, 2005



1. The following are brief items of interest compiled by
Embassy Minsk over the past week.

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Human Rights
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2. Stricter Laws on Discrediting Belarus

On December 25, the lower house of PQliament overwhelmingly
approved the first reading of amendments to Belarus' criminal
code that would introduce severe penalties for activities
deemed "revolutionary" and harmful to the public. On December
2, the lower house approved the second reading. The bill now
only needs the upper house's approval and President's signature
to become law. Under the amendments, participating in street
demonstrations, discrediting Belarus' image abroad, appealing
to foreign nations and international organizations to "act to
the detriment of Belarus," and spreading "false" information
about Belarus would be criminal offenses warranting two to
three years in prison. Chief of the BKGB Stepan Sukhorenko
commented to reporters that the new amendments would help
prevent the opposition from using street demonstrations to
interfere with the 2006 presidential election. When asked by a
reporter what constitutes "discrediting" Belarus, Deputy Head
of the Presidential Administration and trained lawyer Natalia
Petkevych explained, "If you say that bears are walking the
streets of our city, that is discrediting Belarus. If you say
we beat people morning, noon and night, that is discrediting
Belarus, because it is not true."


3. Kurapaty Memorial Site Vandalized

During the week of November 27, vandals desecrated crosses and
monuments at Kurapaty, the memorial site outside Minsk dedicated to
the tens of thousands of Belarusians executed by Stalin's NKVD in
the 1930s. The top of the memorial bench former President Bill
Clinton presented to Belarus on behalf of the U.S. was knocked
over. The vandals also carved a swastika into the face of an icon
on a cross near the entrance. Approximately twelve out of the
hundreds of crosses at Kurapaty were damaged. Historian and
researcher Igor Kuznetsov told poloff that a memorial plaque
disappeared and a number of photographs of victims were destroyed.
The police denied vandalism had occurred, but admitted that the
Clinton bench was overturned. According to on-line independent
news source Interfax, the police blamed this on severe weather
conditions [note: the bench is thick granite]. By the following
morning, most of the damage had been remedied including replacing
the top of the bench.


4. Student Expelled for Traveling Abroad

On November 24, Belarusian State Economic University expelled
straight "A" student Tatiana Khoma after returning from a
National Union of Students in Europe (ESIB) meeting in France.
School officials reported that she was expelled for her three-
day school absence without permission, "flagrant disrespect of
internal regulations," and for putting herself in danger due to
the "difficult" internal political situation and France's state
of emergency. Teachers and students suspect Khoma was expelled
for participating in and being elected to the Executive
Committee of the ESIB, Europe's largest student organization
committed to defending students' rights and interests.


5. Employee Issuing New Life Church Document Fired

On November 30, the Minsk city authorities fired the employee
who issued the new technical passport to the New Life Church.
The new passport allowed their "cow barn" to be classified as a
religious building of worship. The authorities fired the
employee for issuing the passport illegally. The passport was
subsequently annulled. Without it, the New Life Church will
not be able to register their "cow barn" as their legal
address.


6. Minsk Kiosks Drop Independent Newspaper Salidarnasts

On November 30, the state run newspaper and kiosk network
Minskgorsouyuzpechat canceled its 2006 distribution contract
with the independent weekly Salidarnasts. The editor received
no explanation for the annulment. On December 1, the Grodno
branch of the state subscription monopoly Belpochta canceled
its distribution contract with the independent newspaper
"Gazeta Slonimskaya." [Note: These are the latest examples of
the state monopolies' trend to drop independent media from
subscription lists and newsstands.]


7. Youths Threatened with Expulsion for Supporting Opposition

On November 27, Svetlogorsk schools threatened to expel youth
group members who participated in the opposition-led November

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16 "Day of Solidarity." The demonstration occurs on the 16th of
every month and is dedicated to those persecuted by the GOB.
The youth leaders called the threats attempts to intimidate and
discourage students from political participation.


8. No Criminal Investigation into Journalist's Death

On November 28, the Minsk District Prosecutor's Office decided
not to launch an investigation into the death of free-lance
Narodnaya Volya journalist Vasily Grodnikov, citing lack of
crime evidence at the scene. Grodnikov died from a head injury
caused by a blunt object on October 18.


9. Slander Case Against Human Rights Lawyer Dropped

The Minsk City Prosecutor's Office on November 16 dropped its
slander case against human rights lawyer for the Belarusian
Helsinki Committee (BHC) Garry Poganyailo. In May, the
Ministry of Justice brought charges against the lawyer for
allegedly slandering Lukashenko while giving an interview on
Sweden's TV 4 channel in 2004. In the interview, Poganyailo
accused Lukashenko and various top GOB officials of being
involved in the disappearances of several opposition figures.
The court, in a written statement, concluded that Poganyailo
slandered no one.


10. BHC Cannot Spend Foreign Aid

The Presidential Administration property management department
on November 25 rejected the BHC's offer to settle its dispute
over foreign financial aid out of court. The department
rejected BHC's registration of USD 1,000 provided by the
International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights to pay for
BHC's rent and telephone bills. BHC's appeal will be held on
December 7.


11. Belarus Closes 36 NGO's for Major Violations

On December 2, the GOB announced that Belarus liquidated 36
NGO's in the first nine months of 2005 for violations of
Belarusian law or their own statutes. Ten of the 36 NGOs were
national or international organizations. None of the appeals
against the liquidations have been decided.


12. New Charges for Gomel Activist

On November 26, Gomel police officers entered opposition
activist Maria Bogdanovich's apartment after allegedly
receiving a tip that she was harboring illegal Vietnamese
immigrants. On November 27, the district and criminal police
officers arrived at Bogdanovich's apartment and accused her of
distributing leaflets about her November 21 trial (at which she
was fined USD 95 for distributing fliers without the printer's
name and address). The officers seized 1,500 opposition
leaflets from her residence, claiming several people were
detained the day before for distributing identical leaflets.
Her hearing is scheduled for December 7.


13. Czechs Detained

On November 28, Belarusian authorities refused to give passes
to enter radioactive zones to former deputy environment
minister of the Czech Republic J. Skalicki and Czech ecologist
from Charles University in Prague I. Rynda. After a visit to
Kamaryn, a village not far from the zone, BKGB agents detained
the officials for allegedly visiting the border area without
permission. The Czech officials were questioned for several
hours and filmed by the state media.


14. GOB to Control University Admissions

On November 29, Lukashenko informed the Belarusian Council of
Rectors of Higher Education Institutions that he would
introduce at the end of December new admission rules for
vocational and higher education institutions. The rules would
require two state commissions to oversee the admission process
and would rework entrance and exit exams. The guidelines are
intended to ensure transparency and control over the admission
process. The President opined that the fall of the Soviet
Union prevented lower-income groups and rural residents from
entering private universities. Bribery is also a problem and
the educational staff does not favor the current system.


15. GOB Warns Unregistered Baptist Church for Illegal Worship

On November 25, the GOB issued a warning to Reformed Baptist
Church Christ's Covenant's Pastor Gregory Vyazovsky for
allegedly conducting illegal worship in a private Minsk
residence. Belarusian law forbids religious services in
residential buildings without special permission. In addition,
the church received three warnings for failing to register a

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"legal address."

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Civil Society
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16. A Monument to the Potato

On December 1, several news sources reported that the GOB plans to
build a monument marking the 150 anniversary of Belarus' first
potato harvest. The bronze monument will be in the shape of a half-
peeled potato and placed on Pobediteli Avenue (formerly Masherov
Avenue). The spiral peel would represent the "spiral of time" and
Belarus' "inseparable" connection to the potato. The GOB plans to
imbue the monument with "magic power," bringing luck to everyone
who touches it. Minister of Agriculture Leonid Rusak is expected
to participate its dedication ceremony, which is to be accompanied
with the soon-to-be-composed "Ode to Potato."


17. KGB Promises No Colored Revolution in Belarus

On November 29, the Belarus Committee for State Security (BKGB)
promised to prevent anti-government protests during the 2006
presidential campaigns. BKBG head Stepan Sukhorenko stated
that Western countries and the U.S. want regime change in
Belarus via colored revolutions. He claimed the West uses
NGO's, youth groups, the opposition, exchange programs, and
broadcasting to spread its influence. Sukhorenko added, "Any
activity aimed at the violent overthrow of the legitimate
government is under close watch."


18. An Association of Pensioners

On November 27, a group of retirees applied to the Minsk city
authorities for permission to hold a founding convention for
the Association of Pensioners. On November 28, the Association
for the Union and the Communist Party of the Union (AUCPU)
accused the opposition of creating the Association of
Pensioners to split the national organization of veterans.
According to AUCPU coordinator Leonid Shkolnikov, the new
association will weaken the existing organization of veterans
and its "deserved" support for President Lukashenko.


19. Humanitarian Aid to Pakistan

On November 30, the Ministry of Emergency Situations announced it
was sending humanitarian cargo to several regions of Pakistan
affected by the earthquake. Three trucks and two escort vehicles
delivered the cargo to Moscow, from where it would be shipped by
plane to Pakistan. The cargo, worth USD 200,000, included 8,800
half-woolen blankets, 24 "extra-large" tents, 9,900 cans of tinned
beef, 9,000 cans of tinned beef with buckwheat porridge, and 2,000
packs of bandages.

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Election
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20. State Polling Links Gay Support to Opposition

On November 24, the state run polling institution ECOOM
Analytical Center "revealed" that opposition candidate
Milinkevich's popularity rating would jump six points if he
supported sexual minorities. ECOOM also announced that 45
percent of those polled feel negative about the fact that
Milinkevich supports homosexuals.

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Economics
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21. Belarus to Eliminate Customs Duties with Russia

At a November 28 news conference, Deputy Foreign Minister
Aleksandr Mikhnevich announced that Belarus plans to eliminate
the differences in custom duties it has with Russia on 1,700
commodities. According to Mikhnevich, the differences do not
affect either country, but 200 duties will be unified while the
rest will be fixed for "objective reasons." Mikhnevich claimed
Belarus would keep duties on oil products lower than those in
Russia.


22. GOB Progresses in WTO Accession with Cuba and China

On November 28, Belarus and China initialed the necessary World
Trade Organization (WTO) accession documents outlining China's
access to Belarus' commodity markets. Similar negotiations on
commodity market access were also completed between Cuba and
Belarus, to be signed in Hong Kong. This will be the first
protocol Belarus signs.


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23. Foreign Companies Petition Economic Court

On November 30, the Supreme Economic Court announced it
received 76 complaints from foreign companies in 2005. Most
cases involved nonpayment by Belarusian partners. Poland and
the United States submitted the most claims, 14 and 13,
respectively. [Note: Foreign companies account for
approximately three percent of investment in the Belarusian
economy.]


24. Money from Industries Will Fund Budget

On November 30, the GOB announced that major industries in
which the GOB has a majority shareholding will have to use
their revenues from the first half of the year to supplement
the budget by BYR 105.2 billion [USD 48.9 million] in addition
to paying their regular taxes. Belaruskali, a potassium
fertilizer producer, and Belarusneft, a petrochemical producer,
will pay the brunt of the money at BYR 64 billion [USD 30
million] and BYR 14 billion [USD 6.5 million] respectively.


25. Missiles for Belarus

Chairman of the Belarusian Security Council Gennady Nevyglas
informed reporters on November 29 that Russia would ship the
first consignment of S-300 surface-to-air missiles to Belarus
in March 2006. Two divisions of S-300s would be shipped to
Belarus' western borders to counter the "NATO threat" to
Belarus. According to Nevyglas, the missiles would double
Belarus' capability to strike targets. However, Nevyglas
admitted that the systems were not yet combat ready.

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Bilateral Relations
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26. Belarus and China's Partnership

Lukashenko told a visiting Chinese reporter on December 1 that
Belarus and China's economic cooperation has great prospects.
Belarus would like to sell its products on the Chinese market,
buy Chinese goods, and establish joint ventures in China.
According to the President, because of China's huge economy, it
would not be difficult for China to "pull up" Belarus' economy.
GOB figures claim trade between the two countries reached USD
459 million (up 96 percent) with Belarus' trade surplus
reaching USD 143 million. In January-September, the trade
volume between China and Belarus grew 60 percent on the year to
USD 502 million. Belarus exports to China include potassium
fertilizers, dump trucks, chemicals, and machinery.


27. Chinese Ambassador Dissatisfied with Investment Climate

China's Ambassador to Belarus Wu Hongbin told reporters on
November 29 that Chinese businessmen would like to invest more
in Belarus' economy if it were not for Belarus' poor investment
climate. Hongbin noted how Chinese companies had the resources
to invest, but wereQree to decide, based on economics rather
than governmental influence, where to invest. According to
Hongbin, Belarusian-Chinese relations should be based on market
economy rules with minimal government interference.

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Quotes of the Week
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28. On December 1, deputy Minister of Justice Aleksandr Petrash
spoke about the introduction of an amendment to the criminal code
that mandates severe penalties for participating in street protests
or telling "lies" about Belarus to foreign countries:

"You do not say anything bad about your family, wife and children
in public. You should not say anything bad about your country as
well."


29. On November 23, Lukashenko reiterated that Belarus and Russia
would not be a puppet of the West:

"Russia and Belarus are able to chew up and spit out American
democracy."