Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06MINSK890
2006-08-17 06:13:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Minsk
Cable title:  

EMBASSY MINSK WEEKLY REPORT - AUGUST 11, 2006

Tags:  PGOV PREL PHUM ECON EPET EAGR ENRG BO 
pdf how-to read a cable
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TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ECON EPET EAGR ENRG BO
SUBJECT: EMBASSY MINSK WEEKLY REPORT - AUGUST 11, 2006

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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MINSK 000890

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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ECON EPET EAGR ENRG BO
SUBJECT: EMBASSY MINSK WEEKLY REPORT - AUGUST 11, 2006

Ref: Minsk 764

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

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International Relations
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2. Lukashenko Pushes for Stronger UN Role

On August 1, President Lukashenko asserted that Belarus seeks to
strengthen the role of the United Nations on the grounds that "the
United Nations belongs to all countries, not only to the
Americans." He emphasized that his view is shared by an
overwhelming majority of African, Latin American and Asian
countries and noted that Belarus has recently intensified
cooperation with these countries. Lukashenko added, "We entered
the level of strategic partnership with China last year. This is
worth a lot."

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Local Elections
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3. Opposition Party to Field 100 Candidates in Local elections

On August 2, Belarusian Social Democratic Party "Gramada" (BSDP)
Deputy Chairman Vladimir Nistyuk reported to independent media that
his party plans to field some 100 candidates and will focus on
social issues in local elections tentatively scheduled for January.
He explained, "unlike presidential or parliamentary votes,
parliamentary elections are not a competition among party
ideologies and platforms but rather a fight for votes from specific
people living in a specific election district." According to
Nistyuk, BSDP is considering cooperation with other opposition
parties. He noted that the Brest regional BSDP party had signed
cooperation agreements with the local chapters of the pro-
democratic Belarusian Party of Communists and the United Civic
Party (UCP) and that a similar accord was reached between BSDP and
UCP chapters in Grodno.


4. Opposition Communist Party Ordered to Present Membership List

On August 1, Belarus' Justice Ministry ordered the opposition
Belarusian Party of Communists (BPC) to surrender data regarding
the membership of its chapters, including the names of all members.

According to BPC Central Committee Secretary Valery Ukhnalev, the
leadership of the pro-government Communist Party of Belarus (CPB)
urged the ministry to check the BPC membership. Ukhnalev
maintained that the order violated Belarus' Political Parties Law,
which requires parties to present members' lists to authorities
only during founding conventions. Last month, the CPB proclaimed a
merger with the BPC and persuaded the GOB to re-register BPC
grassroots organizations as CPB chapters (reftel). Ukhnalev noted,
"The authorities failed to split the party through the merger
conference. Now they are going to resort to their usual practice
and try to liquidate the BPC through court."

--------------
Civil Society
--------------


5. Lukashenko State Security Council to Set Radio Frequencies

On July 31, President Lukashenko signed a decree creating a
State Commission for Radio Frequencies overseen by the State
Security Council (SSC). The new commission is to be headed by
SSC Deputy Chairman Yuri Kryvasheyev. Previously, a committee
under the Ministry of Communication and Information assigned
radio frequencies. In effect, the decree gives Lukashenko more
direct control over radio frequencies.


6. Police Return 85,000 Seized Copies of Opposition Newspaper

On August 2, Minsk police department finally returned more than
85,600 copies of the pro-Communist party's newspaper "Tovarishch"
that police seized two days before the March 19 presidential
elections. In April, the district police department informed the
editors of Tovarishch that the newspapers were not illegal and
requested them to recover the newspapers. However, the newspaper
staff insisted that police return the two tons of paper at the
GOB's expense.


7. Pro-Government Youth Union Leader Resigns

On August 1, Mikhail Orda resigned as the leader of the pro-
government Belarusian National Youth Union (BNYU). Orda did not
offer an explanation for his resignation. The pro-government youth
leader had headed BNYU since March 2003. Orda's replacement is
BNYU deputy head Leonid Kovalyov. During the 2000 parliamentary

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elections, Orda won a seat in the lower chamber of Belarus'
National Assembly. He remains the Deputy Chairman of the Standing
Committee on State System Building, Local Self-government and Rules
of Procedure. Following the presidential elections, the EU
included Orda on a list of Belarusian officials barred from
receiving EU visas because of their involvement in election fraud
and voter intimidation.

--------------
Society
--------------


8. Gomel Beaches Closed after Testing Positive for Bacteria

Authorities in the southeastern city of Gomel ordered all major
beaches closed after tests indicated high levels of intestinal
bacteria. Water samples from the Sozh River showed a high count
of a type of bacteria commonly found in fecal matter. Ingesting
such bacteria can cause stomach illness. According to authorities,
high water temperatures and litter caused the water bacteria
populations to soar. The beaches will reopen only after a
directive by the city's chief sanitary expert.


9. UN Reports 30 Percent Rise in Sickness among Belarusian
Teenagers

On August 1, the United Nations Fund for Population Activities
(UNFPA) reported that the incidence of diseases among Belarusian
teenagers rose by 30.9 percent in the last 10 years. Circulatory
diseases skyrocketed by 114 percent while bone and muscle ailments
spiked by 83.6 percent. The number of teenagers diagnosed with
cancer rose by 74 percent. Teenage diabetes cases grew by 23.7
percent and mental disorders by 40 percent. UNFPA observed a four-
fold rise in alcohol and drug use among people between 15 and 24
years of age over the past five years. The organization also noted
that the sickness rate was higher among girls. According to UNFPA,
the sharp rise in the teenage sickness rate has adversely affected
Belarusian demography. Belarus' population shrank by 49,900 in

2005.

--------------
Economy
--------------


10. Agriculture Ministry Reports 1.8 Million Tons of Grain
Gathered in Belarus

According to the Belarusian Agriculture Ministry, as much as 1.796
million tons of grain was gathered in Belarus as of August 2,
almost 550,000 tons more than in 2005. The ministry reported that
502,570 tons were gathered in the Minsk region, 420,670 in the
Grodno region, 418,250 tons in the Brest region, 245,850 tons in
the Gomel region, 125,360 tons in the Mogilyov region and 83,450
tons in the Vitebsk region. However, the average grain yield per
hectare dropped 296 kilograms to 2,943 kilograms from 2005. The
ministry projects that grain harvesters will collect between 6.7
and 7.2 million tons of grain by September 1, a ten percent
increase from grain collection last year.


11. Belavia to Offer E-tickets This year

Belarus' national airline Belavia signed an agreement with the U.S.
company Sabre Airline Solutions corporation to begin electronic
ticketing on December 1, 2006. Sabre offers a service called
"SabreSonic Ticket" that allows airlines access to reduce costs of
e-ticket distribution and database maintenance. Moreover, Belavia
will establish a link to SabreSonic's universal electronic ticket
hub that connects carriers and their partner airlines. The
paperless ticket technology will likely require an upgrade of
Belavia's website to allow the sale of tickets via the Internet and
a frequent flier program. Sabre's reservations system is used by
more than 100 airlines across the world. Some 50 airlines have
access to the SabreSonic e-ticket system.

--------------
Quote of the Week
--------------


12. While meeting with Belarusian heads of mission abroad on
August 1, President Lukashenko offered the following guidance
regarding Western criticism of GOB policies:

"You know, sometimes when we get some nasty article, which was
probably paid by our evil-wishers in The Washington Post or some
other similar paper, we start discussing this in our country. This
does not benefit our relationship with the United States. We
should not pay attention to some trifles because it really
irritates the US Embassy. We should be more responsible and more
far-seeing. Once again, I underline this: if we ever have to
criticize, we should do this in a civilized manner and based on
facts."

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