TIP ACTION PLAN DELIVERED - GOB RESPONDS

UNCLAS MINSK 000673 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KCRM KWMN PHUM PREL BO SUBJECT: TIP ACTION PLAN DELIVERED - GOB RESPONDS REF: STATE 100730 ¶1. On July 31, Poloffs delivered reftel points to Oleg Anisimov, Counselor in the North American Division, and Andrei Taranda, Counselor in the Human Rights Division. Taranda promised to pass the information along to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for review, and offered a written commentary on the TIP report results. ¶2. Although he did say that he would consider and pass the information along to other agencies, Taranda suggested political considerations may have biased the TIP report. Poloffs countered that the report is based solely on objective criteria. Taranda also took exception to the report's emphasis of government programs over those of NGOs, asserting that the current balance is ideal, given that many victims feel more comfortable dealing with NGOs than with the government. The comments paper also pointed out that the GOB recently opened its center for Continuous Education to Counteract Trafficking in Persons. STEWART