Vol.1, No. 23 October, 1998

IN THIS ISSUE

• -- HUMAN RIGHTS NEWS:
  Prominent Lawyer To Be Disbarred for Human Rights Activism;
  Religious Figure Released; Opposition News; Warsaw Conference..
• -- BROTHER SLAVS:
  
  Lukashenko and Milosevic; Belarus vs. NATO; Russia and Belarus, Best of Friends;
  Gazprom's Pipeline Project..
• -- AT HOME IN BELARUS:
  Domestic Economy; Food Shortages; McDonalds in Minsk; Belarusian Ruble Sinks;
  Lukashenko's Popularity On The Rise; National Strike Postponed...
• -- MISCELLANEOUS:
  Goethe Institute Director Leaves Belarus

HUMAN RIGHTS NEWS

HUSHCHA RELEASED On October 14, after spending seven months in prison, Petr Hushcha, a religious community leader in Belarus sentenced on August 21 to 3 years of imprisonment for "malicious hooliganism," was released. After confronting refusals to register his rural religious community, Hushcha was followed by police during his trip to Minsk, and arrested there on charges of "public indecency." Later, because of the lack of evidence, the charges were changed to "malicious hooliganism." The Sovetsky district court sentenced him to three years in a high security prison, but the court of appeals reversed the decision, deferring the punishment for 2 years (on probation). The deference followed an appeal prepared by Hushcha's lawyers Michael Volcheck and Garry Pogonyaylo. (Belarusian Interconfessional Association, October 16)

PRESS-SECRETARY OF OPPOSITION MOVEMENT RESIGNS Syarhey Navumchyk of the Belarusian People's Front resigned his post as a press-secretary of the BPF. Navumchyk and Zyanon Paznyak, the BPF leader, were granted political asylum in the USA in 1996. According to Navumchyk, his resignation had been approved by the BPF Chairman Zyanon Paznyak. Navumchyk will be replaced by Valery Buyval, who has been acting as BPF press secretary since Navumchyk left Belarus to avoid prosecution. (Belapan News Agency, October 12)

JUSTICE MINISTRY WARNS OPPOSITION OVER USE OF INSIGNIA The Belarusian Ministry of Justice issued a warning to the Belarusian Popular Front over the use of unregistered insignia. Ministry of Justice officials told Belapan that the seal of the BPF Rada (council) in Minsk's Leninski district had some elements which were at variance with the registered patterns. This has been the first warning received by the BPF in 1998. Last time the Ministry of Justice warned the BPF for the use of unregistered insignia in late 1997. Under current legislation, a political party or public association may be shut down after two warnings for identical irregularities. At its October 10 session, the BPF Soim (assembly) instructed the Leninski Rada to change its seal. (Belapan News Agency, October 12)

HUMAN RIGHTS CONFERENCE CONTINUES DEBATES IN WARSAW The observance of human rights in individual countries was discussed at the Third International Human Rights Conference held in Warsaw on October 15. Speakers from Russia, Belarus, China, Tibet, Cuba and Korea claimed that the situations in their countries were bad, often even dramatic. Stanislav Shushkevich, former chairman of the Belarusian parliament, declared that democracy was abused in his country to establish a Stalinist's rule. Sergei Kovalyov from Russia said that prisons, the army and psychiatric hospitals were the main areas of human rights abuses in his country. He attacked Chancellor Helmut Kohl and president Bill Clinton for a soft approach to the Russian military aggression in Chechnya. Vladimir Bukovski, well-known Russian dissident, argued against the use of force in Serbia to force it to respect human rights in Kosovo province. A famous Chinese dissident Wei Jingsheng rejected opinions voiced by some western leaders claiming that there was some improvement in the human rights area in China. We are deprived of basic human rights and have become a minority in our own land, said Chungdak Koren from Tibet, putting the blame on the Chinese policy of resettlement. Javier de Cespedes from Cuba presented a video recording of mothers and wives of political prisoners pleading for international solidarity in struggle for the liberation of their imprisoned husbands and sons. (PAP News Wire, October 15)

BROTHER SLAVS

SERBS CALL BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT A HERO

Serbs regard Alexander Lukashenko as their hero, says a Belarusian Foreign Ministry report published on October 9. Lukashenko's statements that Belarus is ready to help Yugoslavia is viewed as a most powerful psychological boost there, the report says. Hundreds of people have called the Belarusian embassy in Belgrade to praise "a nation and a president who were the first to support their Slavic brothers wholeheartedly." Yugoslavs are inspired by "hope for the future in the world of lawlessness, lack of principles and endless threats," the report says. (Interfax News Agency, October 9)

...WHILE LUKASHENKO WARNS WEST AND ALLIES

On October 9 Alexander Lukashenko repeated his pledge to provide military assistance to Yugoslavia if NATO uses force against it. Lukashenko also called on Ukraine to take a definite stand and join the Belarusian initiative. "We have enough arms to provide Yugoslavia with the most modern missile and aircraft technology and we are ready to offer it to Yugoslavia. And I would caution France, Great Britain, and other countries, who think they are invincible - they will be drawn into such a battle that the heat will be felt across Europe. They have gone too far, these gentlemen. When the Soviet Union collapsed, they demonstrated this to the extreme... To shade some sexual scandals, they are ready to terrorize the whole world... That is why Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine should be more straightforward. After destroying Yugoslavia, they will come after us," he said in an interview to Belarusian TV. (BBC, October 12)

YUGOSLAV DEPUTY PREMIER THANKS LUKASHENKO FOR SUPPORT

Alexander Lukashenko and Zoran Lilic, Yugoslavian Deputy Prime Minister, had a meeting behind closed doors on October 15. After the meeting, Lilic told journalists that he informed the Belarusian president of the situation in Yugoslavia and thanked him for his support. Lilic said that he welcomed the agreements reached with NATO, which made it possible to avoid combat operations in Yugoslavia. At the same time, he stressed that "Yugoslavia's resolve to defend its independence has not weakened." (ITAR-TASS News Agency, October 15)

LDP SETS UP YUGOSLAVIA VOLUNTEERS CENTRE

On October 9 the Council of the Belarusian Liberal Democratic Party (BLDP) announced the establishment of the headquarters to recruit volunteers with various military qualifications to provide military support for Yugoslavia, Belapan reported. The party's council proposed that the Embassy of Yugoslavia should be approached with an offer to send to Yugoslavia BLDP volunteers, former military officers with the combatant experience. BLDP has also prepared to provide the country with 2m dollars' worth of humanitarian support. (Belapan News Agency, October 9) On October 12 the party's press service told Interfax that about 200 former servicemen who fought in regional conflicts have signed up. Sources in the Yugoslav Embassy in Minsk told Interfax that many Belarusian citizens had offered to fight in Yugoslavia as volunteers. "Compared to last year, the number of applications for entry visas has sharply increased," the sources said. As there is no military attaché at the Yugoslav Embassy in Minsk applications are not being accepted from volunteers. However, if the Liberal- Democratic Party hands in a list of volunteers, the Yugoslav Embassy would issue entry visas for them, the sources said. (Interfax News Agency, October 13)

YOUTH ORGANIZATION EXPRESSES SOLIDARITY WITH YUGOSLAVIA

In connection with the situation in Yugoslavia, the Belarusian Patriotic Youth Union (BPYU), a pro-Lukashenko youth organization, has appealed to the peoples of Serbia and Montenegro. "We fully support the firm intention of our leader, President Alexander Lukashenko, to provide Yugoslavia with any support that it might need," reads the appeal. "We do not separate the fate of Yugoslavia from the fate of Belarus. There, in the Balkans, you are also defending our national interests, holding back the offensive of the American New Order, in which the West prospers at the expense of the rest of the world. For centuries they tried to enslave and conquer us, but the enemy was inevitably beaten and victory was ours. Our force is in unity," the appeal says. (Belapan News Agency, October 12)

NEW RUSSIAN PRIME MINISTER SUITS BELARUS PERFECTLY

An independent newspaper in Minsk, recalling the history of Lukashenko's relationship with Primakov, concludes that Minsk's warm welcome to Primakov's appointment should be expected. Belarus' current foreign policy of establishing close contacts with Iran, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, China, and India is quite in line with Primakov's own views. Belarusian Foreign Minister Ivan Antonovich also has warm personal relations with the new Russian premier. Belarus now has a staunch advocate in the international arena and may hope that the new Russian PM will apply his expanded powers to resolve problems of bilateral economic relations. Moreover, Primakovs appointment is an obvious triumph of the Russian Communists, who do not conceal their affection for the Belarusian president. (Belaruskaya gazeta, September 15)

LUKASHENKO DENOUNCES AIR PASSAGE PERMISSION FOR NATO

n October 13 Alexander Lukashenko denounced Romania and Bulgaria for allowing NATO forces to use their airspace in any military action against Yugoslavia over the conflict in Kosovo. "Such permission signifies the world-wide conspiracy in the crimes committed on the Balkans. The leaders of the former socialist countries put up their people for a strike. Do the leaders have to humiliate themselves and their people to such a degree to get into NATO, being apprehensive that the European Union would reject them? Our Slav unity is sacred!" he said. Lukashenko added that Minsk's attitude toward these states that allowed NATO air passage "changed in moral terms." "Not only Belarus but Russia and Ukraine in future will make relevant conclusions with regard to our relations with these countries," Lukashenko stated. (Belapan News Agency, October 13)

BELARUS TO NATO: STOP PREPARATIONS FOR STRIKES IN YUGOSLAVIA

The same day the Belarusian Foreign Ministry called on NATO to discontinue preparations for air strikes in Yugoslavia. "Use of force against a sovereign country without UN Security Council authorization is a flagrant violation of the UN Charter, contravenes the basic legal principles of international relations and undermines the security system of the Continent. Belarus shares the view of countries which say that ethnic conflicts must not be resolved by external military means. It is surprising that the NATO leadership which denounces the use of force to resolve the conflicts inside Yugoslavia is itself prepared to do so where force has proved ineffective. NATO's military intervention in an internal conflict will aggravate the confrontation in Kosovo rather than remove its causes. NATO's strikes against targets in Yugoslavia will amount to new hostilities in the Balkans resulting inevitably in chaos and loss of civilian lives, long-term destabilization of Europe, new flows of refugees and other unpredictable consequences," the statement says. (Interfax Russian News, October 13)

BELARUSIAN GOVERNMENT DELEGATION VISITS BELGRADE

A Belarusian delegation led by Victor Sheiman, Secretary of the Belarusian Security Council, went to Yugoslavia on October 14. The delegation consists of representatives of parliament, the presidential administration, the Foreign and Defense Ministries, political parties and public movements. On October 15, Pavel Bulatovic, Yugoslavian Defense Minister, and Victor Sheiman discussed some problems of military cooperation. A statement, released on October 16 by the Yugoslavian Defense Ministry, says that the Belarusian guests were informed in detail about the steps taken by the Serbian and Yugoslavian leaders to settle the Kosovo problem by peaceful means. The sides also discussed some concrete ways to promote cooperation between the two countries in the defense field. The same day Victor Sheiman also met Slobodan Milosevic. He delivered to him a personal message from Alexander Lukashenko. (ITAR-TASS News Agency, October 16)

BELARUS'S OBSCURE PRO-SERB GROUP THREATENS BRITONS

On October 10, a menacing letter from an obscure Committee in Defense of Serbs reached a BBC correspondent accredited in Belarus. The letter said that "in case of participation of the British army in the military actions against Serbia, acts of retribution will be accomplished against citizens and agencies of Great Britain across the territory of the CIS." The letter also stressed that "the whole responsibility for possible consequences will lie with the British side." The Committee, previously unheard of, recommended British nationals "to go home promptly." Sources told ITAR-TASS that the British embassy in Belarus did not receive a similar letter. The BBC journalist surrendered the letter to the Belarusian KGB. (ITAR-TASS News Agency, October 10)

RUSSIA, BELARUS SEE NATO BORDERS DRAWING CLOSER

"The military departments in Russia and Belarus are concerned about the substantial expansion of the NATO-controlled areas which brings the Alliance 's boundaries much closer to those of the Union of Russia and Belarus than a few years ago," Igor Sergeev, Russian Defense Minister, said on October 16, opening a meeting of the joint Collegium of the defense ministries of the two countries. According to Sergeev, following the accession to the North Atlantic Alliance of Poland, Hungary and the Czech republic, the Belarusian armed forces will find themselves in the direct front line of defense of the Belarus-Russia Union. He said steps for joint protection of the airspace are possible now. The combined antiaircraft defense system is functioning to ensure joint combat duty. (ITAR-TASS News Agency, October 16)

Alexander Lukashenko accused internal and Western forces of deliberately fuelling the crisis in Russia. In a report on Belarusian TV on October 8 he said: "Trust me, tremendous forces have been mobilized not only in Russia, but also in the West to keep Russia permanently in this wild state, so that there is no order there and so that they are kept distracted from the world issues that they could exert their influence on. A handful of crooks, certain bankers, who were propelled by Western states among others, gathered to hurt Russia." (BBC, October 12)

... AND URGES CREATION OF SINGLE RUBLE ZONE

Alexander Lukashenko said that the recent situation in the Russian economy could not have lead to a financial crisis. "There are no economic reasons for the collapse. Russia was led there in an organized way," he told Interfax in an interview while touring eastern Belarus. One of the reasons behind the crisis "is Russia's de-facto abandonment of its own ruble. To rectify the situation, the ruble must be strengthened, he said. Belarusian leader blamed the Russian leadership for "pushing away" the CIS republics and ignoring them. (BBC, October 9)

RUSSIA HIGHLY APPRECIATES UNION WITH BELARUS

"The Union with Belarus is of great value to us. We shall make efforts to strengthen our contacts and bring the people of our countries closer together," said Yevgeny Primakov, Russian Prime Minister, opening a session of the Executive Committee of the Russian-Belarusian Union on October 16. Primakov stressed that this was not merely said for the protocol, but these words "come from his heart." (ITAR-TASS News Agency, October 16)

GAZPROM: GIANT YAMAL GAS PIPELINE PROJECT "GOING SMOOTHLY"

The construction of Russian RAO Gazprom's Yamal pipeline to western Europe via Belarus and Poland is "going smoothly and on schedule," a company official confirmed on October 9. He denied press rumors of construction delays and speculation about financing problems, saying the project was progressing, with "no delays or difficulties and no technical or financial problems" to prevent it starting on time. The project involves constructing a 4,500-kilometer pipeline from the frozen Yamal peninsula in Siberia to the heart of Europe. Gazprom aims to complete the work on pipelines and compressors between Poland and Belarus by the end of the year. (Dow Jones News, October 9)

AT HOME IN BELARUS

THE END OF McDONALD'S EXEMPTIONS

Following Lukashenko's promise to create "equal" economic conditions for all producers, the anti-market leader of Belarus curtailed tax and customs advantages to U.S. fast food giant McDonald's. "McDonald's has not created a single enterprise here as provided for by our agreement and therefore has no right to any preferential treatment," Alexander Sazonov, Minister of Enterprise and Investment, told Reuters on October 7. "They always needed some sort of special conditions in converting Belarusian rubles, in setting prices and duties. Now McDonald's will have to cope with the same problems all Belarusian enterprises have." The company's investments in Belarus stood last year at more than $15 million, making it one of the largest foreign investors in Belarus. (Reuters, October 8)

LUKASHENKO RAISES BUDGET DEFICIT TO 5%

On October 7 Alexander Lukashenko signed a decree raising the 1998 budget deficit to five percent from 3.5 percent previously set by law. The decree said that the budget deficit would be covered by domestic financing, including more than 6 trillion rubles of central bank credits. Maverick Belarus, which refuses all calls to adhere to market reforms, will also turn on the money presses to print 12.9 trillion Belarusian rubles instead of the 12.15 trillion approved under the previous budget. (Reuters, October 9)

...WHILE URGING PRICE STABILITY

On October 9, at a meeting at the Kruglyanski district of Mogilev region, Alexander Lukashenko said that it was very difficult for the state to keep prices from rising and to control food exports at the same time. Road blocks erected on the Belarus-Russian border, Lukashenko believes, cannot be effective because of the large discrepancies in prices between Belarus and Russia. In this connection, according to the president, the state had to adopt decisions on leveling prices so that "food would remain in this country." The head of state believes that "markets will calm down" and that food prices will stabilize. In his opinion, wage increases will also help to stabilize the situation. (Belapan News Agency, October 14)

BELURUSIAN RUBLE SINKS

>From October 5 to 11, the Belarusian ruble fell in all sectors of the exchange market. The sharpest fall was on the black market, where the currency slid by 11.6 per cent against the dollar. At the exchange booths of commercial banks, it fell by 2.7 per cent, while at the Minsk Interbank Currency Exchange it dropped by 0.9 per cent. According to the official exchange rate, the Belarusian ruble rose by 4 per cent against the dollar. Since the beginning of October, the Belarusian currency has dropped by 1.3 per cent at the official exchange, by 18.2 per cent on the black market and by 4.1 per cent at the commercial banks. (Belapan News Agency, October 12)

...WHILE LUKASHENKO'S POPULARITY GROWS

A poll carried out by the Institute of Socioeconomic and Political Studies showed that 55 percent of Belarusians would vote for Lukashenko if elections were held today. The poll also showed that 60 percent of the respondents oppose the Belarus-Russia Union and favor Belarus as an independent and neutral state. (RFE/RL, October 14)

AUTHORITIES CALM FEARS OVER BUTTER SHORTAGE

The Belarusian authorities acted promptly to sustain the price of butter and the stability of supplies, Belarusian radio announced on October 7. "The shortage of butter which has been observed lately in Belarusian shops is a temporary problem," the radio said, quoting the presidential press service and the Ministry of Trade. The radio also said that the scheduled stockpiling of butter for the winter period was near completion. About 10,500 tons had been stored nationwide and 5,500 tons for Minsk alone. "These figures are higher than in the previous year and sufficient to meet in full the needs of the population till next season," the radio added. (BBC, October 16)

POLICING UNAUTHORIZED FOOD EXPORT

Since a ban on unauthorized exports was imposed in early September, the Belarusian police have prevented unauthorized export of the agricultural produce which cost more than 200 billion Belarusian rubles. Over 200 head of cattle, about 400 tons of meat, over 200 tons of dairy produce and almost 3 million eggs had been seized on the border since September 4, when Lukashenko signed the Decree on "Urgent Measures on Consumer Market Protection." Enforcing the decree, the police prohibit Belarusian commodities from large-scale unauthorized export, primarily to Russia and Ukraine. 79 actions for illegal export had been filed and almost 8,000 fines issued. (ITAR-TASS News Agency, October 9)

NATION-WIDE STRIKE POSTPONED

The Belarusian Federation of Trade Unions will not hold a nation-wide protest action in the nearest future and will determine the exact date of the strike in a month. This decision was made at a FPB meeting following two-hour discussion. The FPB leadership advises trade unions to go ahead with preparation for the strike, meanwhile it will hold further negotiations with the government. (Belaruskaya gazeta, October 13)

MISCELLANEOUS