EMBASSY MINSK WEEKLY POL/ECON REPORT - April 04, 2008

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SIPDIS

AMEMBASSY MINSK SENDS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ECON ENRG BO
SUBJECT: EMBASSY MINSK WEEKLY POL/ECON REPORT - April 04, 2008


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

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Civil Society
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- Vitebsk Opposition Activists Jailed and Fined (para. 2)
- Vandals Attack Opposition Party Headquarters (para. 3)
- Milinkevich Holds Meetings in Gomel Region (para. 4)
- Belarusian Poles Suffer Increased Harassment (para. 5)
- GOB Founds Belarus-Venezuela Friendship Society (para. 6)
- Gomel Opposition Activists Summoned for Questioning (para. 7)

Domestic Economy
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- IAEA Reviews Belarus' Nuclear Bill (para. 8)

International Trade
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- Lukashenko to Increase Ties with Gulf States (para. 9)
- Belarus Raises Oil Duties (para. 10)

Quote of the Week (para. 11)
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Civil Society
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2. Vitebsk Opposition Activists Jailed and Fined

A Vitebsk district court April 1 sentenced local opposition members
Boris Khomayda to five days in jail, Elena Zalesskaya to a BYR
700,000 (USD 330) fine, and Antonina Pivanos to a BYR 70,000 (USD
35) fine for participating in an unauthorized event. The activists
wearing white and red scarves demonstrated in downtown Vitebsk March
25 to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Belarusian National
Republic. During the hearing, Khomayda refused to answer questions
in Russian, requested a Belarusian interpreter, and demanded the
judge be recalled.


3. Vandals Attack Opposition Party Headquarters

Vandals broke two windows and painted National Bolshevik Party
emblems on the exterior walls of the Belarusian Popular Front's
(BPF) Minsk headquarters March 30. BPF member Nataliya Dementey
discovered the hammer-and-sickle graffiti on the walls early the
next day. The BPF's leadership noted their office has been
vandalized frequently, especially before or after major political
events, and that police have never prosecuted any vandals.


4. Milinkevich Holds Meetings in Gomel Region

Opposition For Freedom (FF) movement leader Aleksandr Milinkevich
visited towns in the Gomel region to meet with local residents.
Several dozen people gathered in Mozyr at the Culture House March 29
where an ideology officer warned locals not to attend the
unauthorized demonstration. When a plainclothes police officer
instigated a fight with Milinkevich, police reacted by attempting
detain a Belarusian-speaking youth. Police also closely observed
the meetings and followed Milinkevich during his tour. In
Kalinkovichiy, local opposition activist and meeting organizer Denis
Robenok was unable to leave his residence March 28 because the
police blocked its doors.


5. Belarusian Poles Suffer Increased Harassment

Grodno police raided the local office of the Union of Belarusian
Poles (UBP) March 29. Police officers searched the premises
purportedly for illegal printed materials, but failed to find
incriminating documents. UBP activist Andzhey Pochobut noted the
police did not present a warrant for the search.


6. GOB Founds Belarus-Venezuela Friendship Society

The Belarus-Venezuela Friendship Society held its founding
conference in Minsk March 27 and elected Presidential Management
Academy chief Anatoliy Morozevich its head. Board Chairperson Nina
Ivanova said that "very many people" expressed interest in
contributing to the strengthening of ties between the two countries,
and hoped the Society would receive support from the Venezuelan

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diplomatic mission in Minsk. The Cuban Ambassador also expressed
his intention to join.


7. Gomel Opposition Activists Summoned For Questioning

On March 28 a Gomel district police station summoned nine opposition
youth for questioning about a March 23 unsanctioned demonstration
held there. Police maintained local residents filed a complaint
alleging the youth staged an illegal march and thus disturbed public
order. The activists refused to answer police questions. Activists
organized a historical tour March 23 to sites dedicated to leaders
of the Belarusian National Republic, laid flowers, and carried white
and red balloons. Plainclothes police observed and filmed the
march.

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Domestic Economy
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8. IAEA Reviews Belarus' Nuclear Bill

Belarus' Lower House Speaker Vadim Popov announced at a March 28
press conference that the International Atomic Energy Agency is
reviewing the country's newly drafted nuclear power engineering bill
to confirm its consistency with international standards. According
to Mr. Popov, Belarus' parliament will need to adopt at least ten
more bills to provide a legal basis for the country's proposed USD 4
billion, 2,000 megawatt nuclear power plant.

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International Trade
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9. Lukashenko to Increase Ties with Gulf States

The Presidential Press Service announced that Aleksandr Lukashenko
plans to more actively promote Belarusian exports to Kuwait, Qatar,
Oman and the UAE and to seek increased investment from those
countries. Speaking at a March 20 parliamentary session, Lukashenko
criticized the government's poor implementation of instructions he
issued regarding trade during his travels to the Gulf. Currently,
Belarus' main exports to the area include military and dual-use
products. Civilian-use exports remain negligible. Lukashenko
announced the need to diversify the country's exports in order to
mitigate U.S. sanctions and to decrease dependence on exports to
Russia, the EU and the U.S.


10. Belarus Raises Oil Duties

Belarus' Council of Ministers April 1 passed a resolution to
increase duties on the country's crude oil and oil products exports.
According to trade agreements with Russia, Belarus' export duties
on these products should be equal to those charged by Russia. The
planned increase from USD 333.80 to USD 340 per ton of crude oil
will put Belarus' duty in line with Russia's.

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11. Quote of the Week
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Senator Nikolay Cherginets, on what constitutes a "socially
significant writer":

"The way we decide what literature is socially significant is
clearly outdated. [Members of the Literature Committee] who do not
support the current government suggested the inclusion on the list
of socially significant literature the works of Larissa Geniush, a
known fascist lackey. They also suggested the works poet Zakonikov
-- a man who would only have about two volumes of legitimate works
if we don't consider his 120 or so publications in opposition press
aimed at undermining authority, the state, and prevailing social
norms."

Moore
Cloud