Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06MINSK1290
2006-12-19 05:30:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Minsk
Cable title:  

EMBASSY MINSK WEEKLY POL/ECON REPORT - DECEMBER 15, 2006

Tags:  PGOV PREL PHUM ECON BO 
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R 190530Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY MINSK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5446
INFO RUCNOSC/ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY COOPERATION IN EUROPE
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MINSK 001290 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ECON BO
SUBJECT: EMBASSY MINSK WEEKLY POL/ECON REPORT - DECEMBER 15, 2006

REF: MINSK 1245

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MINSK 001290

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ECON BO
SUBJECT: EMBASSY MINSK WEEKLY POL/ECON REPORT - DECEMBER 15, 2006

REF: MINSK 1245


1. The following are brief items of interest compiled by Embassy
Minsk.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
--------------

- Lukashenko, Putin Meet in Moscow (para. 2)
- Sudanese Foreign Minister to Visit (para. 3)
- Chinese Military Delegation Arrives in Minsk (para. 4)
- GOB and UNICEF Discuss Cooperation (para. 5)
- Europeans Urge GOB to Release Kozulin (para. 6)
- MP Gaydukevich Appointed MFA Special Representative (para. 7)

CIVIL SOCIETY
--------------

- Activist Fined for Distributing Newspaper (para. 8)
- Factory Workers Walk Out Over Low Pay (para. 9)
- Polish Community's Magazine Editor Jailed (para. 10)
- Paper Mill Employees Not to Quit Trade Union (para. 11)
- Dranchuk Expected to be Paroled on December 22 (para. 12)

ELECTIONS
--------------

- UCP Leader Lebedko Registered for Election (para. 13)
- Only Five Oppositionists Registered in Gomel (para. 14)

INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND INVESTMENT
--------------

- Russia to Apply Export Duty on Petroleum (para. 15)
- Price of Electricity Imports to Increase (para. 16)

DOMESTIC ECONOMY
--------------

- Product Labeling Requirement Comes Into Force (para. 17)

- QUOTE OF THE WEEK (para. 18)

--------------
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
--------------


2. Lukashenko, Putin Meet

On December 15, President Lukashenko traveled to Moscow to meet
with Vladimir Putin. They attended a session of the Supreme
State Council of the Belarusian-Russian Union State to discuss
the Union State's 2007 budget. According to initial press
reports, bilateral discussions offered no indication that Russian
energy resources will continue to be available at the currently
low prices.


3. Sudanese Foreign Minister to Visit

On December 14, Belarusian MFA Spokesman Andrey Popov announced
that Sudanese Foreign Minister Lam Akol Ajawin is to arrive in
Belarus on December 17. Ajawin is expected to meet with top-
ranking Belarusian officials, visit large industrial enterprises
and sign a number of bilateral agreements during his five-day
stay in Belarus.



4. Chinese Military Delegation Arrives in Minsk

A delegation of the People's Liberation Army of China, led by
deputy commander of the Beijing military district Colonel General
Fu Tinggui, visited Minsk December 8-11 to develop military
cooperation between Belarus and the People's Republic of China.
Tinggui met with Defense Minister Leonid Maltsev and visited the
Military Academy of Belarus.


5. GOB and UNICEF Discuss Cooperation

GOB officials and representatives of the United Nations
Children's Fund (UNICEF) met at the MFA December 8. Deputy
Foreign Minister Viktor Gaysenok stated that strategies on
healthcare, food, and water access for children, as well as
UNICEF's mid-term strategic plan for 2006 through 2009 had been
adopted by Belarus. Gaysenok also claimed an important role in
UNICEF Executive Board's decision to simplify and harmonize the
rules and procedures of country program implementation and
reporting.


6. Europeans Urge GOB to Release Kozulin


MINSK 00001290 002 OF 003


On December 9, the German Embassy in Minsk issued a statement on
behalf of the EU Presidency citing the 25-nation bloc's deep
concern over Aleksandr Kozulin's health. The European Union also
called on the Belarusian authorities to "promptly release" the
former presidential candidate and renewed a request to visit
Kozulin in jail. On December 14, independent media reported that
the Czech MFA called for Kozulin's release and for immediate
medical assistance from the Belarusian authorities.


7. MP Gaydukevich Appointed MFA Special Representative

On December 14, Belarusian Foreign Minister Martynov appointed
leader of the Liberal Democratic Party Sergey Gaydukevich as
special representative for relations with European parliamentary
organizations. His stated task is to establish contacts with
European legislative and executive bodies while maintaining his
seat in parliament. Gaydukevich -- who was a nominal "opposition"
candidate for President in March 2006 but is close to the regime
-- is on the EU's visa ban list, and told media that he was
unsure as to when he would leave for Brussels.

--------------
CIVIL SOCIETY
--------------


8. Activist Fined for Newspaper Distribution

On December 8, police fined opposition activist Boris Khamaida
for distributing newspapers in an "unauthorized place." Khamaida
was selling Vitebsky Kuryer, Narodnaya Volya, Nasha Niva, Svaboda
and the magazine Arche, as well as several copies of articles by
Zenon Poznyak near the regional government building in the center
of Vitebsk. Khamaida has been fined several times this year for
similar alleged violations. He continued to sell papers after
the latest trial.


9. Factory Workers Walk Out Over Low Pay

On December 8, approximately 25 employees of a footwear factory
in Vitebsk walked off the job demanding a raise. They resumed
work later that day, but according to one striker plan to
negotiate with the company's administration next week. The
company's administration told reporters that there had been no
strike and that those employees who were not working were on
their "lunch break."


10. Polish Community's Magazine Editor Jailed

On December 13, authorities sentenced "Magazyn Polski" magazine
layout editor Aleksei Salei to seven days in jail on charges of
petty hooliganism and disobeying police officers after being
arrested. Salei had left his office on December 12 when several
plainclothes police officers arrested him and forced him into a
vehicle. Neither family nor co-workers knew of his arrest until
Salei's mother attempted to file an abduction complaint with the
local authorities. The magazine's staff has backed Anzelika
Borys, an activist considered by Poland as the legitimate chair
of the Union of Belarusian Poles.


11. Paper Mill Employees Not to Quit Trade Union

On December 11, independent media reported that approximately 119
employees of a state-run paper mill in Dobrush, Gomel region
(reftel) decided not to quit the pro-government Forestry Industry
Workers Union after management promised to increase pay and leave
for employees engaged in hazardous work. Management also agreed
to pay wages on time and make amendments to rules governing wage
pay rates for basic and overtime working hours. A total of 130
employees had filed an application for withdrawal from the trade
union.


12. Dranchuk Expected to be Paroled on December 22

On December 14, independent media reported that a supervisory
commission of Minsk's Frunzensky District Executive Committee
decided to release political prisoner Timofey Dranchuk on parole
on December 22. The Frunzensky District Court will need to
approve the decision formally. Timofey Dranchuk was sentenced to
prison with Nikolay Astreiko, Aleksandr Shalaiko and Enira
Bronitskaya on August 4, 2006 on charges of running the
unregistered election observation organization "Partnerstvo"
(Partnership).

--------------
ELECTIONS
--------------


13. UCP Leader Lebedko Registered for Election

On December 14, independent media reported that senior member of
the union of democratic forces and leader of the United Civic

MINSK 00001290 003 OF 003


Party Anatoly Lebedko was registered as a candidate for the Minsk
city council. He expects to face two pro-government candidates.
Lebedko's party nominated him after authorities denied
registration to his nomination group.



14. Only Five Oppositionists Registered in Gomel

On December 14 independent media reported that the Gomel city
election commission granted five out of 21 opposition nominees
registration to compete for seats on the City Soviet. The
candidates include two members of the United Civic Party, a
member of each of the Belarusian Popular Front, the Conservative
Christian Party and the Belarusian Party of Communists. The 16
other candidacies were allegedly denied for fraudulent data or
signatures.

--------------
INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND INVESTMENT
--------------


15. Russia to Apply Export Duty on Petroleum

On December 13, independent media reported on Russia's decision
to apply full export duties on crude oil and petroleum products
bound for Belarus. Chairman of the Standing Committee on
Industry Anatoliy Pavlovich stated that the December 12 decree by
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov undermines the very idea
of the Belarusian-Russian Union State. Pavlovich claimed the
decision would "complicate the situation" both within Belarus and
between the two nations.


16. Price of Electricity Imports to Increase

On December 13, following Ukraine's warning to Belarus that it
would cut electricity supplies to the country on January 1 if an
agreement to pay a higher price was not met, Ukrainian Fuel and
Energy Ministry Spokesman Mikhailo Hryshchenko announced that a
preliminary agreement had been reached. With electricity
currently being sold to Belarus at the lowest price of all
importers (USD .021/kWh),Ukraine felt the need to end the
"subsidy." The preliminary agreement sets the price at Ukraine's
domestic price of USD .04 for the first six months of 2007.
Belarus imported 2.5 billion kWh of electricity from Ukraine last
year and had planned, before the increase, to maintain the level
of imported power.

--------------
DOMESTIC ECONOMY
--------------


17. Product Labeling Requirement Comes Into Force

On December 8, a new requirement for labeling footwear, tea,
coffee, mobile phones, audio and videotapes, CDs and DVDs with
supplier identification marks came into effect. The requirement,
issued in May by the Council of Ministers, intends to stop
illegal imports and increase tax revenues. Failure to label
products with a supplier identification mark, which costs USD
.009, is punishable by a fine of up to USD 290.40.

--------------
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
--------------


18. MP Suggests Sterilizing Alcoholic Parents

On December 10, lawmaker Viktor Kuchinsky advocated the forced
sterilization and transfer of alcoholic parents to "special
camps" in the Chernobyl exclusion zone on the following grounds:

"Those born to drink will never become sober. An important thing
is to stop fearing to raise problems that require a surgical
rather than medical intervention."

STEWART