IN THIS ISSUE:

• HUMAN RIGHTS AND OPPOSITION NEWS:Sheremet Denied Permission to Travel; Protest Action Against Constitution; MEP Denied Belarus Entry; Ivashkevich's Trial Postponed; 1999 Elections; Opposition Demands Live Air Time; Justice Ministry Inspects NGOs; Young Politicians Protest Court Decision; Youth Union Denied Registration...
• THE BELARUSIAN ECONOMY: Food Rationing Introduced; Minsk Mayor Tries To Avert Panic; Belarus Admits Buying Russian Treasury Bills; Gazprom Won't Pump Gas Until Belarus Pays Up; October Inflation Reaches 21%...
• BROTHER SLAVS: RUSSIA, BELARUS:Lukashenko Announces Readiness To Drop Claims For Leadership in the Russia-Belarus Union; Russian Crisis Slows Neighbors For Years To Come; Four CIS Countries Approve Customs Union Agreement; CIS Customs Union Discusses Crisis; Is The Friendship Over? Moscow Mayor Visits Belarus; Lukashenko Meets Altay Territory Governor...
• DROZDY DEVELOPMENTS: Lukashenko Blames EU For Perpetuating Problem of Ambassadorial Residencies; Belarus To Discuss Row Over Diplomat's Homes...
• INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS: Satellites Link Japanese and Belarusian Hospitals.

  -- HUMAN RIGHTS AND OPPOSITION NEWS --
  AUTHORITIES DENY JOURNALIST PERMISSION TO TRAVEL TO US; MAKE BELATED REVERSAL
  Belarus denied a journalist Pavel Sheremet permission to travel to the United States in time to receive an International Press Freedom Award from the Committee to Protect Journalists, a US-based human rights NGO. Pavel Sheremet, the editor-in-chief of the Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta newspaper, applied to the Government of Belarus for permission to travel to New York for the awards ceremony on November 20, 1998. In a letter delivered to Sheremet on November 24, the Ministry of Internal Affairs informed him that his request was denied and that he was forbidden to travel until January 28, l999. "The fact that I wasn't allowed to travel to New York is far from being the most horrible thing in this country where people are detained for 15 days just for taking part in an innocent trade union demonstration," he commented. Sheremet sent a videotape of his award acceptance speech to New York, and prominent American journalists and other awardees from Vietnam, Indonesia, and Niger took turns speaking to Sheremet on the telephone. Curiously, on the morning after the gala event, Sheremet was suddenly notified that in fact he did have permission to travel to the United States. Observers attributed the belated reversal to a last-minute campaign to persuade ORT shareholder and CIS Executive Secretary Boris Berezovsky to raise Sheremet's case during official meetings in Minsk. CPJ plans to bring the award to Sheremet in Minsk later this year. (Belapan, November 22; ILHR, November 25)

  US PROTESTS RESTRICTIONS ON BELARUSIAN JOURNALIST
  "The United States is deeply concerned about the decision by the Government of Belarus to deny journalist Pavel Sheremet permission to travel to the United States to accept an International Press Freedom Award from the CPJ," James R. Rubin, State Department spokesman announced at the daily briefing on November 23. "Steps taken by the Government of Belarus against Pavel Sheremet -- including its prosecution of him -- are designed to silence reporting it does not like. In doing so, the Government is in violation of a number of international human rights treaties to which it has adhered, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Mr. Sheremet should be able to enjoy his fundamental liberties, including freedom of speech, freedom of expression, and freedom to travel. The United States strongly encourages the Government of Belarus to restore immediately to Mr. Sheremet his rights and permit him to begin working as a journalist once again," James Rubin said. (U.S. Department of State, November 23)

  OPPOSITION HOLDS ACTION AGAINST CURRENT CONSTITUTION
  On November 24, about 2,000 people participated in a protest demonstration and rally commemorating the second anniversary of the infamous 1996 national referendum, which led to the disbanding of the legitimate Belarusian parliament and Constitutional Court. The events were organized by the Narodnaya Hramada (Social-Democratic Party) in cooperation with most of the other opposition forces. Protesters demanded a normalization of relations with the West, an increase in wages and pensions, and administrative reforms. They carried posters proclaiming: "Resignation 99!", "Let's Defend Belarus From Russian Imperialism!" and "No to Hunger and Poverty!" Demonstrators called on the government "to begin the process of restoring the 1994 Constitution, and to hold regular presidential elections in the summer of 1999, as that Constitution requires." Authorities had allowed the action on the condition that the protesters stay on sidewalks. However, the demonstrators marched along the roadway and police threatened to prosecute organizers. (Interfax, November 24)

  EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER DENIED ENTRY TO BELARUS
  Elizabeth Schroeder, Green Party faction member in the European Parliament and a member of the Commission on Relations with Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine, became the first Western politician to be denied entry to Belarus. She planned to take part in a conference titled "Transformation or Isolation" held in Minsk November 25-26. The program of her visit also was to include meetings with the leaders of Charter 97. The press release disseminated by the Green faction in the European Parliament called this measure "a slap in the face not only for the European Parliament but for the whole democratic community." "I have not yet received any official explanations as to why my visit to Belarus was banned. Perhaps, this measure is the response by Belarus authorities to sanctions introduced by the EU against Belarusian government officials. By doing so, Lukashenko reinforces even further his self-isolation which has been progressing since the 1996 referendum. Lukashenko is running his country by means of harassing the population, arrests and eviction of university students. However, he will fail to hinder the Belarusian people's longing for democracy," stated Elisabeth Schroeder (Press Center of Charter 97, November 26)

  ...WHILE OFFICIALS CLAIM MISUNDERSTANDING
  Elisabeth Schroeder may visit Belarus even though the Belarusian consulate in Brussels denied her an entry visa, Nina Mazai, Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus, told a news conference in Minsk on November 26. She added that Schroeder should apply again. Mazai said that the incident was settled through talks between Belarusian officials and Hans-George Wieck, the head of the OSCE Group in Minsk. (Interfax, November 26)

  ...AND CURSE EU AGAIN
  The European Union is interfering with Belarus' domestic affairs and is trying to impose its own vision of constitutional standards, public institutions, and democracy on the Belarusian people, Ivan Antonovich, Belarusian Foreign Minister, told reporters in Minsk on November 26. "European structures are trying to punish Belarus' authorities for their decision to submit the disputed internal issues to a nationwide referendum in 1996 and for the opposition's disapproval of it," he said. According to Antonovich, "the EU made a serious mistake when it decided to support the defeated opposition, which persuaded Western countries into imposing some sanctions to punish Belarus. Belarus has not shut itself off from the European community. The country received a group of OSCE observers in the spring. Thanks to the OSCE, Belarus is studying European experience, bringing its legislation into line with European standards and analyzing European expertise in democratic changes," he stated. (Interfax, November 26)

  BELARUS EX-DEPUTIES PLAN 1999 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
  On November 25, Belarusian parliamentarians from the legislature disbanded by Alexander Lukashenko two years ago vowed to hold presidential elections in the summer of 1999. "Today the parliament ruled on the necessity of conducting presidential elections next year, as provided for in the constitution, illegal changes to which we do not accept," Anatoly Lebedko, a deputy of the dispersed parliament, told Reuters. Lebedko said the parliament planned elections for May 1999 -- the date when they would have been held under the old constitution -- but conceded the logistics of organizing elections without official support would be difficult. "However, if most parties participate we intend to create electoral structures all over the country and to invite international observers," he said. According to Lebedko, all opposition parties, including the leading Belarusian Popular Front, supported such elections. ( Reuters, November 26)

  THE TRIAL OF OPPOSITION LEADER POSTPONED
  The trial of Victor Ivashkevich, activist of Independent Trade Union of Belarus and editor of the Worker opposition newspaper has been postponed until December 2. This decision was taken by Judge Nikolai Trubnikov of Partizansky District Court after he had reviewed Ivashkevich's case concerning the labor leader's involvement in a November 5 trade union protest action. Ivashkevich is charged with participation in an unauthorized demonstration. Police officers acting as witnesses said that while closing the meeting Victor Ivashkevich called upon demonstrators to march to the Presidential administration building to submit the meeting resolution. Victor Ivashkevich denied the charges and suggested the court watch the video tape of the action. (Radio 101.2, November 20)

  OPPOSITION DEMANDS LIVE AIR TIME ON TV AND RADIO
  The organizing committee of the Congress of Democratic Forces of Belarus, scheduled to take place early next year, sent a letter to Kisel, the chairman of the State Television and Radio Company of Belarus. It says that "we are drawing your attention to the facts of violations of Belarus citizens' rights to receive objective information in the situation in Belarus. The national television and radio channels which are subordinate to you disseminate inadequate information on the views of democratic forces, on relations of Belarus with neighboring countries and other foreign states." The organizing committee demanded that Kisel allocate live air time for representatives of democratic opposition to voice "their view on the situation in Belarus." (Radio 101.2, November 20)

  JUSTICE MINISTRY INSPECTS NGOs
  On November 16, representatives of the Belarusian Ministry of Justice visited the office of the Lev Sapega Foundation of Democratic Reforms for a scheduled check-up. They said it was just a routine inspection of a public organization, aimed to check whether its activities are in line with its charter. The inspection is still under way. On the same day another "scheduled" check-up started at the Belarusian Helsinki Committee. Apart from this, the BHC was also inspected by the Public Prosecutor's Office. The latter requested the BHC to produce all materials of the conference "Political Oppressions in Belarus in the 20^th Century", that was held from February 27 to 28, 1998. The request was filed after the Public Prosecutor's Office received an appeal of the Belarusian Patriotic Party which considered some materials of the conference as "damaging to the dignity and honor of the president." (Belaruskaya gazeta, November 24)

  BELARUSIAN YOUNG POLITICIANS PROTEST COURT DECISION
  The Coordination Committee of the Belarusian Association of Young Politicians issued a statement concerning the decision taken by the Partizansky District Court with regard to Vadim Konopatski, a member of the Association. On November 18, the court convicted him to a 15-day administrative detention for participation in the Nov. 5 unauthorized trade union protest. "Vadim Konopatski, a member of Belarusian Association of Young Politicians, attended the action as an observer," the Association noted. "The Belarusian Association of Young Politicians will soon publish a book "Vyshinsky's Heirs", in which we will gather the most odious names of the Belarusian judiciary," said the statement. (Radio 101.2, November 24)

  MINISTRY OF JUSTICE DENIES REGISTRATION TO YOUTH UNION
  The Belarusian Ministry of Justice denied registration to the Belarusian Students' Union "Solidarnost" (Solidarity) on the grounds that the organization was yet to be formed. The Ministry of Justice ignored 530 signatures of founders and also the fact that the Union represents over 20 universities across Belarus. Yuri Guborevitch, the Executive Director of the Union, believes that "authorities realize the danger of an independent students' organization, which can become an alternative to the Belarusian Patriotic Youth Union." Solidarnost is planning to appeal the Ministry's decision to the Constitutional Court. (Radio 101.2, November 26)

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  -- THE BELARUSIAN ECONOMY--
  BELARUS INTRODUCES FOOD RATIONING
  Severe food shortages have prompted the Belarusian government to impose rationing for milk, meat, and other goods -- even matches. Minsk city officials limited customers to 2 cartons of milk, 4.4 pounds of meat or poultry, 11 ounces of cheese, 10.5 ounces of chocolate and 10 boxes of matches per person. Alexander Lukashenko urged the government on November 25 to tighten price controls. "We should not sell goods at less than their actual value and make companies unprofitable, but we should in no way create a precedent of spiraling price hikes," he said. Alexander Lukashenko also told the government to cap salaries at several private companies. "The government should regulate the incomes of well-paid people. I am not saying that somebody's wages should be cut, but there should be a balance," he said. (Associated Press, November 25)

  ...WHILE MINSK MAYOR TRIES TO AVERT PANIC
  On November 18 Vladimir Yarmoshyn, the chairman of the Minsk City Council, expressed confidence that the situation on the consumer market in Minsk would soon stabilize. "We are sure that today we can maintain sufficient supplies for the population of Minsk, even at the level of the present panic demand," said Yarmoshyn. "In 10 months, Minsk residents purchased almost three times as much sugar as last year, twice as much milk, and 200,000 more eggs. But "purchased" does not mean "consumed." The mayor of Minsk described as absolutely unfounded any worries about the possible disappearance of goods. However, his words had very little influence over the panic buying. (BBC, November 21)

  BELARUS ADMITS BUYING RUSSIAN TREASURY BILLS
  Belarusian banks had tens of millions of dollars in Russian GKOs before Moscow defaulted on them in August, which seriously hurt Belarus' already ailing economy, Alexander Lukashenko told a conference on humanities and social sciences held in the National Academy of Sciences on November 20. Lukashenko insisted, however, that Russia helped Belarus resolve the problem. "I have to publicly express gratitude to the leadership of Russia and its Central Bank for assisting us in settling the problem quickly. I would like to stress that the GKO problem was resolved only for Belarus because of our good relationship with Russia," said Belarusian President. Lukashenko did not elaborate on how Russia settled the debts to Belarusian banks. But so far only private individuals have been able to get their T-bills redeemed at face value. Philip Poole, chief East Europe economist at the ING Barings bank, which has a substantial holding in Russian T-bills, said that foreign creditors will look very closely at any exceptions to equal treatment of investors. But Poole added that if the bailout offered to Belarusian banks was as small as the Belarusian government said it was, investors were likely to turn a blind eye to it. (Dow Jones International News, November 20)

  GAZPROM TO BELARUS: PAY UP AND WE'LL PUMP MORE GAS
  Gazprom cannot continue pumping gas to Belarus on credit and will consider larger deliveries to the republic in 1999 only after the debt problem is settled, Gazprom's press service told the Interfax Petroleum Information Agency. The report was circulated on November 24 after negotiations of the company president Rem Vyakhirev with Sergei Ling, Belarusian Prime Minister. Gazprom supplied Belarus with 1.5 billion cubic meters in excess of the annual amount of 15 billion cubic meters of gas. However, Belarus is slow to pay. Its debt has increased thrice since the year beginning and amounted to 250 million dollars, three times what it owed to Gazprom earlier in the year. Belarus has also not yet begun working out arrangements for supplying food and industrial products to Russian state organizations in lieu of payment for gas, the press service says. So far, Belarus has paid only one half of the $ 225 million it owed in cash in 1998. (Interfax, November 24)

  OCTOBER INFLATION IN BELARUS REACHES 21%
  Inflation in Belarus was 21% in October, up from 17.6% in September, the Ministry of Statistics and Analysis told Interfax. Prices in October rose 20.3% for foodstuffs, 27.7% for nonfood goods and 12.7% for services. Inflation in the first ten months of the year was 85.1%. (Interfax, November 20)

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  -- BROTHER SLAVS: RUSSIA, BELARUS --
  LUKASHENKO DROPS CLAIM FOR LEADERSHIP IN UNION WITH RUSSIA?
  Alexander Lukashenko announced his readiness to drop claims for leadership in the Russia-Belarus Union, if the two countries take radical steps to unification. On November 20, at the conference on social sciences held at the Belarusian National Academy of Sciences, he stated that he would agree "to a second or even a third role in the event of the complete unification of the two countries." In his opinion, the unification of Belarus and Russia is possible on the basis of "equal integration". However, he stressed that Belarus, a sovereign state and UN founder, cannot become Russia's province, as several Russian politicians were proposing at some point. The unification of the two states can be carried out step by step, through establishing supranational bodies on the basis of the existing bodies of the Russia -Belarus Union. (Interfax, November 20)

  RUSSIAN CRISIS WILL "SLOW NEIGHBORS FOR YEARS"
  Russia's economic crisis set back the march of capitalism in the neighboring countries and will slow the region's growth for years, warned the London-based European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The EBRD, which funds projects throughout Central and Eastern Europe, said that progress toward free-market economies had been slower in 1998 than in any year since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The report said that while Russia turned its back on reform because of the crisis that led to the collapse of its ruble and stock market, other countries such as Belarus, Uzbekistan and gas-rich Turkmenistan simply lacked the political will to change. With the whole region now unable to borrow on international capital markets, and inflation rising throughout, the EBRD expects output in Russia and its former Soviet Union neighbors to fall by 5% this year and 7% next. (BBC, November 24)

  FOUR CIS NATIONS APPROVE DRAFT CUSTOMS UNION AGREEMENT
  A regular meeting of the Council of the Heads of Governments of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, and Russia was held in Moscow from November 24-25. It was also attended by a representative from Tajikistan. The Council approved the draft treaty on a customs union and a common economic zone. It also considered a package of documents concerning citizenship, equal rights to medical aid, mail and money remittance agreements, free and equal rights for their citizens to travel across the customs borders, mutual recognition and equality of education documents, equal rights of citizens to gain admission to educational institutions, creation of favorable conditions for small business, and free broadcasting of television and radio programs. (ITAR-TASS November 25)

  CIS CUSTOMS UNION DISCUSSES CRISIS
  On November 25, the Council of CIS Heads of Government discussed the financial and economic situation in Russia and its impact on the CIS countries. In the opinion of Yevgeny Primakov, Russian Prime Minister, the restoration of a common economic zone is the way to an economic recovery for the CIS. During the meeting, the prime ministers focused on ways to minimize the effect of the Russian crisis. "The situation is very grave in Moldova and Belarus, the crisis is coming to other CIS countries, too. It is clear to Russia that a common economic space must be intensively restored," Vadim Gustov, Russian First Deputy Prime Minister, told the press. The Council also raised the issue of the CIS structure and a reform of its governing mechanism proposed by its Executive Secretary Boris Berezovsky. (ITAR-TASS November 25)

  FRIENDSHIP IS OVER?
  Victor Ilyukhin, the chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on the National Security, sent a letter to Yevgeny Primakov, Russian Prime Minister, and Alexander Lukashenko, as the chairmen of the Russia-Belarus Union, with a proposal to dismiss Boris Berezovsky, Executive Secretary of the CIS, from his post "the sooner the better". According to Ilyukhin, Berezovsky "does not fulfill his duties, using his office for commercial purposes." Berezovsky was appointed the CIS Executive Secretary in April, 1998. His last trip to Minsk on November 24 apparently ended in a fiasco -- Alexander Lukashenko refused to receive him. (ITAR-TASS November 25)

  MOSCOW MAYOR VISITS BELARUS
  Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov paid a one-day visit to Minsk on November 27. He met with Alexander Lukashenko, toured the MAZ automobile plant , the Oncology and Medical Radiology Research Institute, and met Vladimir Yermoshin, Chairman of the Minsk City Council. (ITAR-TASS, November 27)

  LUKASHENKO MEETS ALTAY TERRITORY GOVERNOR
  Further development of trade and economic cooperation between Belarus and the Altay Region was the focus of a meeting between Alexander Lukashenko and Alexander Surikov, the head of this Russian region's administration. The meeting was held on November 19 at the residence of Belarusian President. According to Alexander Lukashenko, bilateral trade and economic relations can develop more intensively. As to the political views of the two leaders, Alexander Lukashenko thinks that there is complete understanding on political issues between himself and Alexander Surikov. According to Surikov, the Altay Region leadership has already taken certain steps to make Belarus-Altay collaboration more dynamic. (BBC, November 21)

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  -- DROZDY DEVELOPMENTS--
  "EU PERPETUATES PROBLEM OF AMBASSADORIAL RESIDENCIES"
  "The European Union is unwilling to come to an understanding with Belarus on the need for ambassadors to leave their personal cottages in Drozdy, where the presidential residence is located," Alexander Lukashenko said as he visited factories in Minsk on November 24. "The EU official visited Minsk, an understanding was reached, an agreement signed, but now they are raising other issues. The United States pressured them into torpedoing our agreements, Still, the door is open to diplomats who wish to work in Belarus," Lukashenko said. (Interfax, November 24)

  BELARUS TO DISCUSS ROW OVER DIPLOMATS' HOMES
  Belarus will discuss a housing row with foreign ministers of the member countries of the OSCE, Nina Mazai, Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus, said on November 26. "The issue will be discussed on December 2 in Oslo," she told a news briefing. A Belarusian delegation will be headed by Foreign Minister Ivan Antonovich."(Reuters, November 27)

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  -- INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS --
  SATELLITES LINK JAPANESE AND BELARUS HOSPITALS
  A spokesman of the Shinshu University Hospital in Nagano (Japan) said on November 21 that hospital started a "tele-medicine" project which uses a satellite link to help doctors at a hospital in Gomel to exchange information about treating leukemia patients. The university hospital has been sending medicine and doctors to the Belarus hospital since 1991 to help treat victims of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster. (Japan Economic Newswire, November 21)

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