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

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 VILNIUS 000198 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 -------------- - 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 -------------- - IAEA Reviews Belarus' Nuclear Bill (para. 8) International Trade -------------- - Lukashenko to Increase Ties with Gulf States (para. 9) - Belarus Raises Oil Duties (para. 10) Quote of the Week (para. 11) -------------- -------------- Civil Society -------------- ¶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 VILNIUS 00000198 002 OF 002 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. -------------- Domestic Economy -------------- ¶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. -------------- International Trade -------------- ¶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. -------------- ¶11. Quote of the Week -------------- 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