Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06MINSK694
2006-07-10 05:15:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Minsk
Cable title:  

EMBASSY MINSK WEEKLY REPORT - July 7, 2006

Tags:  PGOV PREL PHUM ETRD 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO3487
RR RUEHAST
DE RUEHSK #0694/01 1910515
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 100515Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY MINSK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4649
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 000694 

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TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ETRD
SUBJECT: EMBASSY MINSK WEEKLY REPORT - July 7, 2006


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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MINSK 000694

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TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ETRD
SUBJECT: EMBASSY MINSK WEEKLY REPORT - July 7, 2006


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

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Civil Society
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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

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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
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

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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.
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International Relations
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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.]

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Economy
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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

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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.

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Quote of the Week
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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