EMBASSY MINSK WEEKLY REPORT - July 7, 2006

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MINSK 000694 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ETRD SUBJECT: EMBASSY MINSK WEEKLY REPORT - July 7, 2006 MINSK 00000694 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. The following are brief items of interest compiled by Embassy Minsk. -------------- Civil Society -------------- ¶2. On July 6, the trial of former presidential candidate Aleksandr Kozulin began in Moskovsky District Court in Minsk. Kozulin supporters, journalists, and representatives international organizations and diplomatic missions attended the proceedings. Former opposition presidential candidate Aleksandr Milinkevich arrived at the courthouse but, according to press reports, was not permitted to enter. Milinkevich described the trial as "definitely political." During the trial, the judge rejected several of Kozulin's petitions such as allowing Kozulin's daughter, an attorney, to participate in Kozulin's defense and requesting the removal of the prosecutor. The trial reconvened on July 7 and is expected to continue into the following week. On March 30, Belarusian authorities charged Kozulin with disturbing the peace and two counts of hooliganism. ¶3. Independent Election Observers' Trial Likely to Open on July 20 A Belarusian court announced that the trial of four leaders of an independent election observation group will likely begin in Minsk's Tsentralny District Court on July 20. Timofei Dranchuk, Aleksandr SIPDIS Shalaiko, Nikolai Astreiko, and Enira Bronitskaya are charged with operating an illegal organization that encroaches on people's rights under Part 2 of the Criminal Code's Article 193. If found guilty, the accused may be sentenced to an arrest of up to six months, or a prison term of up to three years. During the run-up to March's presidential election, BKGB Chairman Stepan Sukhorenko implicated Partnership role an alleged violent coup plot and claimed to have seiezed 100 mobile phones with SIM cards of Lithuanian GSM operators, thousands of dollars and a gas pistol from Partnership. ¶4. Belarusian Police Prevent Anti-Russian Demonstration in Minsk On June 23, Minsk police pre-empted an attempt by opposition youth activists to demonstrate in Victory Square against the presence of Russian military facilities in Belarus. At about 6:30 p.m., five youths unfurled a banner reading "Russian soldier, go home!" a white-red-white flag, and a state red-green flag. Two others filmed the event. Police took all seven to the Central District �A;Police Station and charged them with an unsanctioned demonstration and disorderly conduct. Authorities released five of the youths because they were minors. According to human rights activist Irina Tolstik, the two adults, Aleksei Levkovich and Yelena Kopach, who had filmed the demonstration, will remain jailed in the detention center on Okrestina Street until their trial. The detentions coincided with the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Summit held in Minsk. ¶5. Prosecutor Announces Record-Setting Bribe of USD 1.5 Million Belarusian Prosecutor General Petr Miklashevich announced the discovery of the largest bribe ever reported in Belarus. The USD 1.5 million was offered for land acquisition for home building in Minsk. According to Miklashevich, the number of bribery cases declined 15.7 percent to 536 since January through May of last year. Miklashkevich classified bribes into two categories: "everyday corruption," such as bribes for utilities, healthcare services, education, and "business corruption," or illegal struggle for management and ownership. Miklashkevich expressed concern that the latter is on the rise with bribes amounting to millions of dollars. However, he offered this reassurance: "The former type is less dangerous because we are taking harsh measures. A medic has recently been sentenced for accepting two bottles of wine." ¶6. Belarusian Prosecutor General Says Terrorism Probe Continues On June 26, Belarusian Prosecutor General Pyotr Miklashevich announced that law-enforcement agencies are still investigating an alleged terrorist plot ostensibly uncovered during the run- up to March 19 presidential election. BKGB Chairman Stepan Sukhorenko named Anatoly Lebedko, leader of the United Civic Party, among the suspects. Sukhorenko also accused several Georgian nationals, including Georgy Torgomadze, head of the security committee in Georgia's parliament, of involvement in the alleged plot. He alleged that a group of Georgians planned to detonate bombs in Minsk during the March 19 elections. ¶7. Belarusian Authorities Ban Basowiszcza Concert Belarusian authorities banned Basowiszcza festival organizers from staging a concert at the Palace of Fine Arts in Minsk. A concert organizer, Olga Kuzmich, said the emergency management chief of Minsk's Sovetsky district told her that the palace's roof was in a critical condition and might collapse. The palace hosts daily MINSK 00000694 002.2 OF 003 concerts and exhibitions, but no concerns about its safety were expressed previously. Basowiszcza is an annual rock festival held in a large forest clearing near Grodek in northeastern Poland and showcases young musicians and performers whom the Belarusian government has blacklisted for political reasons. -------------- International Relations -------------- ¶8. Members of Belarus' Parliament Receive Venezuelan Delegation, Chavez Plans Visit to Minsk On June 27, the chairman of the Committee on International Affairs and National Security in the Council of the Republic (upper house of Belarusian parliament),Nikolai Cherginets received a Venezuelan government delegation. The delegation included Francisco Ameliach, a member of the National Assembly, and Adan Chavez Frias, the Venezuelan ambassador to Cuba and elder brother of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. The meetings focused on issues concerning bilateral inter-parliamentary relations. According to Chavez's brother, President Chavez plans to visit Minsk in late July, possibly July 23 and 24. Ambassador Chavez also urged Belarus to combine efforts with Venezuela in resisting what he called the United States' unchallenged dominance. Cherginets claimed that the United States seeks "to prevent the development of Belarus, Venezuela and other countries." ¶9. Belarus, Syria To Sign Crime Prevention Agreement On July 6, the Belarusian Interior Ministry reported that Belarus and Syria agreed to sign an accord on crime prevention following a three-day visit to Minsk by a delegation from Syria. Led by Criminal Security Department Chief Mohammad Saleh, the Syrian delegation also included the chiefs of the migration, personnel and drug control departments. During the visit, the Syrians met with Belarus' First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Aleksandr Shchurko, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Viktor Zhiburtovich, Citizenship and Migration Department Chief Lidiya Ivanchikova, Drug Control and Trafficking Prevention Chief Oleg Pekarsky, and with senior officials of the State Border Troops Committee. The parties discussed increasing cooperation on issues such as preventing and combating terrorism, illegal trade in narcotic drugs, human trafficking, and money laundering. The Syrian delegation also visited a Belarusian company that ostensibly manufactures and distributes devices for authenticating documents. ¶10. Trade and Economic Cooperation Commission of Belarus and North Korea Holding meeting in Minsk On June 26, the second session of talks of the bilateral trade and economic cooperation commission of Belarus and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) began in Minsk. Deputy Foreign Minister Viktor Gaisyonok headed the Belarusian delegation, and Deputy Foreign Trade Minister Jo Jong Ho led the North Koreans. Members of the North Korean delegation were scheduled to visit some leading industrial enterprises in Belarus, including the Belarusian Tractor Works, the Minsk Automobile Factory (MAZ),and the Belarusian Automobile Works (BelAZ). The commission discussed possible deliveries of MAZ trucks, BelAZ heavy-duty dump trucks and Belarusian tractors to North Korea, as well as North Korea's possible purchases of Belarusian potash fertilizers, bearings, optical instruments, and light industry products in exchange for motor vehicle batteries and medicines. The delegations also discussed cooperation in construction, machine-building, healthcare, and joint investment projects and enterprises. [Note: The Belarus-DPRK commission on trade and economic cooperation was established on January 23, 1992. In the first four months of 2006, trade between Belarus and North Korea totaled USD 762,300, an increase of 76 percent on the year. In 2005, Belarus supplied North Korea with trucks, tractors, cables and other equipment.] -------------- Economy -------------- ¶11. Belarusian Deputy PM Claims Economic Development Was Dynamic On June 29, during a meeting with National Assembly members, Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Kosinets said that Belarus' economy had developed in a "sustainable and dynamic" manner from January through May of 2006. He claimed that 14 of the 16 key targets for Belarus' economic and social development had been met in the first five months. According to Kosinets, fixed capital expenditures rose by 41.6 percent, the average monthly inflation rate did not exceed 0.6 percent, and real money incomes increased by 20.4 percent. Kosinets predicted the share of expenditures on education would rise from 6.9 to 10 percent of GDP and that all local-level inpatient clinics would be modernized by ¶2010. He also forecasted that the export of Belarusian MINSK 00000694 003.2 OF 003 pharmaceuticals would rise by 40 percent and the domestic market would increase by 70 percent. [ Note: Belarusian-made drugs are estimated to account for half of all medicines available in local drugstores, and the Belarusian government plans to build two or three new pharmaceutical plants before 2010.] ¶12. Belarus' wages rose faster than consumer prices in May The Belarusian Ministry of Statistics and Analysis announced that during May wages rose faster than consumer prices in Belarus. According to the ministry, average gross monthly pay rose by 3.2 percent from USD 263 Belarusian rubles in April to USD 271 in May while consumer prices increased by 0.3 percent. Real average pay rose by 19.7 percent in Belarus in 2005. -------------- Quote of the Week -------------- ¶13. On June 22, the eve of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Summit in Minsk, Dmitry Bulakhov, an aide to President Lukashenko, told Belarusian lawmakers: "If Belarus and Russia went their separate ways, Russia would be the next target to be swallowed by destructive forces. Belarus is not so much an ally to Russia, but a shield protecting the Russian Federation from further disintegration of the federation." KROL