Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08VILNIUS760
2008-09-12 12:11:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Vilnius
Cable title:
BELARUS WEEKLY POL/ECON REPORT - September 12, 2008
how-toVZCZCXRO1544 RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG DE RUEHVL #0760/01 2561211 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 121211Z SEP 08 FM AMEMBASSY VILNIUS TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2813 INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 VILNIUS 000760
AMEMBASSY MINSK SENDS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ECON ENRG BO
SUBJECT: BELARUS WEEKLY POL/ECON REPORT - September 12, 2008
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 VILNIUS 000760
AMEMBASSY MINSK SENDS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ECON ENRG BO
SUBJECT: BELARUS WEEKLY POL/ECON REPORT - September 12, 2008
1. The following are brief items of interest compiled by EMBASSY
Minsk.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Civil Society
--------------
- Opposition Youth Expelled From University (para. 2)
- Central Election Commission Challenges Eight Registration Denials
(para. 3)
- Supreme Court Overturns Two Registration Denial Appeals (para. 4)
- Opposition Continually Face Arbitrary Detentions (para. 5)
- Opposition Parliamentary Hopeful Fined (para. 6)
- Opposition Leaders Detained and Searched (para. 7)
- Opposition Youth Sentenced To Jail (para. 8)
Domestic Economy
--------------
- Consumer Inflation Increases in August (para. 9)
- BelaQ' GDP Up 10.6 Percent (para. 10)
- Belarus Has Record High Grain Harvest (para.11)
Foreign Trade
--------------
- Belarus-China Trade Continues To Rise (para. 12)
Quote of the Week (para. 13)
--------------
--------------
Civil Society
--------------
2. Opposition Youth Expelled From University
Malady Front activist Rostislav Pankratov was expelled from Mogilev
University on September 10. Pankratov linked the expulsion to his
political activities and dismissed allegations that he failed to
pass his exams. In a separate case, the same university
administration expelled history department student and Belarusian
Christian Democracy party member Tatyana Shambolova on September 5
for political reasons and because she is a candidate for parliament.
Both students maintained they would continue to pursue education in
Belarus.
3. Central Election Commission Challenges Eight Registration
Denials
On September 5, the Central Election Commission (CEC) announced that
it had challenged eight out of 51 parliamentary hopefuls'
registration denials. Twenty-three opposition candidates filed
appeals, and the CEC turned down four registration denials of
opposition candidates. CEC Chairwoman Lidiya Yermoshina stated that
the CEC would have liked to challenge more denials from "a moral
point of view," however, she said that because such cases are based
on legal grounds, they could not be reconsidered.
4. Supreme Court Overturns Two Registration Denial Appeals
On September 11, the Supreme Court concluded hearings on 19 appeals
filed by unregistered parliamentary hopefuls. It overturned only
two denial decisions on September 9. The most prominent opposition
members running for parliament were denied registration.
5. Opposition Continually Faces Arbitrary Detentions
Police briefly detained United Civic Party activists Natalya
Schukina and Aleksandr Protsko in Gomel on September 6. The
activists were distributing leaflets calling for a boycott of the
parliamentary elections and were released without charge. In a
separate incident in Gomel, parliamentary hopeful Konstantin
Zhukovskiy and his proxies Sergey Trifonov and Ales Sivakov were
apprehended for two hours September 9 after Zhukovskiy recorded his
electoral program speech for local TV and radio channels. The TV
channel's administration accused the proxies of "illegally"
videotaping Zhukovskiy's speech and alleged that they believed the
proxies were carrying a bomb.
6. Opposition Parliamentary Hopeful Fined
On September 10, a Borisov city court fined Belarusian Popular Front
member and unregistered parliamentary hopeful Sergey Salash USD 415.
Salash was charged with slandering a local electoral commission
secretary and the Deputy Chairman of the District Executive
Committee. The activist said he was not "surprised" by the fine and
would appeal it to a higher court.
7. Opposition Leaders Detained and Searched
VILNIUS 00000760 002 OF 002
Border guards at the Belarus-Lithuania border detained for several
hours and thoroughly searched For Freedom Movement leader Aleksandr
Milinkevich and Belarusian Christian Democracy party Co-chairman
Pavel Severinets on September 5. Milinkevich and Severinets were
returning to Belarus from a conference on the upcoming parliamentary
elections held in Vilnius. Law enforcers confiscated printed
materials and copies of an opposition documentary from them.
8. Opposition Youth Sentenced to Jail
On September 5, a Minsk district court sentenced Malady Front
activist Vadim Khonyavko to 15 days in jail for allegedly drinking
in public. Police apprehended Khonyavko the same day and charged
him with petty hooliganism. Khonyavko has been active in the MF
campaign to boycott the upcoming elections.
--------------
Domestic Economy
--------------
9. Consumer Inflation Increases in August
Economic news portals reported September 11 that Belarus' consumer
price inflation increased by 0.17 percent on the month in August.
January-August 2008 saw an 8.28 percent inflation rate as compared
with 4.4 percent in January-August 2007. Overall, consumer prices
have increased by 16.2 percent in the last 12 months.
10. Belarus' GDP Up 10.6 Percent
On September 11, the Statistics Agency reported that Belarus' GDP
grew 10.6 percent on the year in January-August, reaching USD 37.16
bln. Industrial output increased by 13.1 percent and farm output by
7.4 percent. The GDP growth rate is expected to reach approximately
11-12 percent in 2008.
11. Belarus Has Record High Grain Harvest
The Ministry of Agriculture reported a record high harvest of 9.297
mln tons of grain as of September 8. Private households farmed 0.2
percent less grain on the year in 2008, and state farms increased
their harvests by 27.3 percent. Sugar beet crops went down 30.1
percent; potato production also fell by 40.3 percent.
--------------
Foreign Trade
--------------
12. Belarus-China Trade Continues To Rise
Business media sources announced September 11 that trade between
Belarus and China rose by 26.9 percent on the year to USD 581.3 mln
in January-May 2008. Exports fell 47.2 percent to USD 102.3 mln,
and imports from China hiked 81.2 percent to USD 479 mln. PM Sergey
Sidorskiy stated at a meeting with the outgoing Chinese Ambassador
to Belarus on September 11 that trade could potentially reach USD
1.5 bln in 2008. The Ambassador noted that China endorses Belarus'
domestic reforms and "foreign political initiatives."
--------------
Quote of the Week
--------------
13. Speaking at a press conference with a group of visiting Russian
journalists on September 8, President Lukashenko pondered his style
of governance, saying:
"One has to accurately calculate before making a decision. And
then, of course, comes rigid control - that is the nature of that
authoritarianism as I see it. Who the hell knows what
authoritarianism is?"
SAVAGE
CLOUD
AMEMBASSY MINSK SENDS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ECON ENRG BO
SUBJECT: BELARUS WEEKLY POL/ECON REPORT - September 12, 2008
1. The following are brief items of interest compiled by EMBASSY
Minsk.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Civil Society
--------------
- Opposition Youth Expelled From University (para. 2)
- Central Election Commission Challenges Eight Registration Denials
(para. 3)
- Supreme Court Overturns Two Registration Denial Appeals (para. 4)
- Opposition Continually Face Arbitrary Detentions (para. 5)
- Opposition Parliamentary Hopeful Fined (para. 6)
- Opposition Leaders Detained and Searched (para. 7)
- Opposition Youth Sentenced To Jail (para. 8)
Domestic Economy
--------------
- Consumer Inflation Increases in August (para. 9)
- BelaQ' GDP Up 10.6 Percent (para. 10)
- Belarus Has Record High Grain Harvest (para.11)
Foreign Trade
--------------
- Belarus-China Trade Continues To Rise (para. 12)
Quote of the Week (para. 13)
--------------
--------------
Civil Society
--------------
2. Opposition Youth Expelled From University
Malady Front activist Rostislav Pankratov was expelled from Mogilev
University on September 10. Pankratov linked the expulsion to his
political activities and dismissed allegations that he failed to
pass his exams. In a separate case, the same university
administration expelled history department student and Belarusian
Christian Democracy party member Tatyana Shambolova on September 5
for political reasons and because she is a candidate for parliament.
Both students maintained they would continue to pursue education in
Belarus.
3. Central Election Commission Challenges Eight Registration
Denials
On September 5, the Central Election Commission (CEC) announced that
it had challenged eight out of 51 parliamentary hopefuls'
registration denials. Twenty-three opposition candidates filed
appeals, and the CEC turned down four registration denials of
opposition candidates. CEC Chairwoman Lidiya Yermoshina stated that
the CEC would have liked to challenge more denials from "a moral
point of view," however, she said that because such cases are based
on legal grounds, they could not be reconsidered.
4. Supreme Court Overturns Two Registration Denial Appeals
On September 11, the Supreme Court concluded hearings on 19 appeals
filed by unregistered parliamentary hopefuls. It overturned only
two denial decisions on September 9. The most prominent opposition
members running for parliament were denied registration.
5. Opposition Continually Faces Arbitrary Detentions
Police briefly detained United Civic Party activists Natalya
Schukina and Aleksandr Protsko in Gomel on September 6. The
activists were distributing leaflets calling for a boycott of the
parliamentary elections and were released without charge. In a
separate incident in Gomel, parliamentary hopeful Konstantin
Zhukovskiy and his proxies Sergey Trifonov and Ales Sivakov were
apprehended for two hours September 9 after Zhukovskiy recorded his
electoral program speech for local TV and radio channels. The TV
channel's administration accused the proxies of "illegally"
videotaping Zhukovskiy's speech and alleged that they believed the
proxies were carrying a bomb.
6. Opposition Parliamentary Hopeful Fined
On September 10, a Borisov city court fined Belarusian Popular Front
member and unregistered parliamentary hopeful Sergey Salash USD 415.
Salash was charged with slandering a local electoral commission
secretary and the Deputy Chairman of the District Executive
Committee. The activist said he was not "surprised" by the fine and
would appeal it to a higher court.
7. Opposition Leaders Detained and Searched
VILNIUS 00000760 002 OF 002
Border guards at the Belarus-Lithuania border detained for several
hours and thoroughly searched For Freedom Movement leader Aleksandr
Milinkevich and Belarusian Christian Democracy party Co-chairman
Pavel Severinets on September 5. Milinkevich and Severinets were
returning to Belarus from a conference on the upcoming parliamentary
elections held in Vilnius. Law enforcers confiscated printed
materials and copies of an opposition documentary from them.
8. Opposition Youth Sentenced to Jail
On September 5, a Minsk district court sentenced Malady Front
activist Vadim Khonyavko to 15 days in jail for allegedly drinking
in public. Police apprehended Khonyavko the same day and charged
him with petty hooliganism. Khonyavko has been active in the MF
campaign to boycott the upcoming elections.
--------------
Domestic Economy
--------------
9. Consumer Inflation Increases in August
Economic news portals reported September 11 that Belarus' consumer
price inflation increased by 0.17 percent on the month in August.
January-August 2008 saw an 8.28 percent inflation rate as compared
with 4.4 percent in January-August 2007. Overall, consumer prices
have increased by 16.2 percent in the last 12 months.
10. Belarus' GDP Up 10.6 Percent
On September 11, the Statistics Agency reported that Belarus' GDP
grew 10.6 percent on the year in January-August, reaching USD 37.16
bln. Industrial output increased by 13.1 percent and farm output by
7.4 percent. The GDP growth rate is expected to reach approximately
11-12 percent in 2008.
11. Belarus Has Record High Grain Harvest
The Ministry of Agriculture reported a record high harvest of 9.297
mln tons of grain as of September 8. Private households farmed 0.2
percent less grain on the year in 2008, and state farms increased
their harvests by 27.3 percent. Sugar beet crops went down 30.1
percent; potato production also fell by 40.3 percent.
--------------
Foreign Trade
--------------
12. Belarus-China Trade Continues To Rise
Business media sources announced September 11 that trade between
Belarus and China rose by 26.9 percent on the year to USD 581.3 mln
in January-May 2008. Exports fell 47.2 percent to USD 102.3 mln,
and imports from China hiked 81.2 percent to USD 479 mln. PM Sergey
Sidorskiy stated at a meeting with the outgoing Chinese Ambassador
to Belarus on September 11 that trade could potentially reach USD
1.5 bln in 2008. The Ambassador noted that China endorses Belarus'
domestic reforms and "foreign political initiatives."
--------------
Quote of the Week
--------------
13. Speaking at a press conference with a group of visiting Russian
journalists on September 8, President Lukashenko pondered his style
of governance, saying:
"One has to accurately calculate before making a decision. And
then, of course, comes rigid control - that is the nature of that
authoritarianism as I see it. Who the hell knows what
authoritarianism is?"
SAVAGE
CLOUD