US embassy cable - 05MINSK1330

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 MINSK 001330 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, ECON, BO 
SUBJECT: EMBASSY MINSK WEEKLY REPORT - October 28, 2005 
 
 
1.  The following are brief items of interest compiled 
by Embassy Minsk over the past week. 
 
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Human Rights 
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2.  Authorities Cancel Youth Forum, Youth Leaders 
Detained 
 
On October 22, authorities prevented a meeting of 85 
leaders of youth organization from all the regions of 
Belarus.  The participants planned to discuss youth 
issues and develop an "Alternative Youth Policy."  The 
police detained three mini-buses carrying participants 
to the forum for administrative motorway violations. 
Police at the site of the forum canceled the meeting and 
told the participants who had already arrived to return 
home.  The organizers blamed the GOB for canceling the 
forum and stated, "This government does not need young 
people who have their own point of view and system of 
values, have leadership abilities and are independent of 
the authorities." 
 
3.  Another Fine for Evangelical Churches 
 
After an October 17 visit by officials from the city 
executive committee, Emergency Situations Ministry and 
the sanitary station to several Evangelical churches in 
Kobryn and Brest, authorities fined Evangelic Faith 
Christians pastor Mikalay Radkovich BYR 25,000 [USD 12] 
for fire violations, including the lack of a fire- 
extinguisher sufficiently large enough to service the 
building.  The pastor added that the inspections occur 
regularly and that the authorities have drawn up reports 
on every member of the church of Evangelic Faith 
Baptists. 
 
4.  Malady Front Activists Sentenced for Carrying 
National Flag 
 
On October 24, a Bobruisk judge in a closed trial 
sentenced Malady Front activists Dzianis Bujnitski and 
Siarhei Latsinski to two days in prison for hooliganism. 
The activists were detained two days before the trial 
for unfurling a Belarusian nationalist red and white 
flag at a rock concert. 
 
5.  Skrebets' Wife Denied Permission to Visit on 
Birthday 
 
On October 25, authorities denied permission for jailed 
former MP Sergei Skrebets to see his wife on his 
birthday.  Not having seen her husband since August, 
Aleksandra Skrebets visited the prison every day for two 
weeks before his birthday.  When her request was 
officially rejected, she left a parcel and a card for 
him. 
 
6.  Police Stop Opposition Gathering in Mozyr 
 
On October 24, police broke up a meeting of opposition 
activists, including representatives of the Warsaw-based 
International Relations Center and former EHU lecturer 
Vyacheslav Pozdnyak.  The police entered the house of 
United Civic Party leader Leonid Orlov, allegedly to 
look for illegal guns.  The police filmed the search, 
photographed the participants and took several people to 
the police station.  The Belarusians were released 
several hours later, and the foreigners were deported 
from Belarus. 
 
7.  Discrepancies in the Status of "Disappeared" Case 
 
On October 24, after the Inter-Parliamentary Union's 
Committee meeting in Geneva, MP Anatoly Solovyov stated 
that the investigation into the disappearance of 
politician Viktor Gonchar has been re-opened "in 
connection with newly learned circumstances."  The next 
day, however, the Minsk City Prosecutor's Office stated 
the investigation was never suspended.  Gonchar's lawyer 
claimed, "Investigative activities are being kept under 
cover if conducted at all.  They give no information to 
us and we know nothing of the investigation." 
 
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Elections 
--------- 
 
8.  Belarusian Union of Officers (BSO) Wants Lukashenko 
to Run for President 
 
MINSK 00001330  002 OF 004 
 
 
 
On October 23, the BSO called for Aleksandr Lukashenko 
to run in the 2006 presidential election.  Citing 
stability, peace, safety, and economic growth, the BSO 
commended Lukashenko on his achievements as president. 
BSO asked retired members of the Belarusian Armed Forces 
to pool their support for the president. 
 
 
9.  Belarusian Popular Front (BPF) Forms Youth Wing 
 
On October 20, the BPF announced plans to form "Moladz 
BNF" (Youth of the BPF).  The youth wing will consist of 
party members and youth from around the country who will 
carry out "human rights, printing, educational, cultural 
and sports projects."  Moladz BNF will support 
opposition candidate Aleksandr Milinkevich's election 
campaign by collecting signatures and distributing 
information. 
 
10. Third Presidential Nominee 
 
On October 21, the New Belarus - Unity coalition 
nominated Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus leader and 
MP Sergey Gaidukevich as a presidential candidate. 
[Note: this is a new coalition, if it exists at all.] 
Gaidukevich, who ran in the 2001 presidential elections, 
has selected his campaign strategy team, but refuses to 
divulge any details about it or "show his cards" so 
early in the campaign. 
 
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Civil Society 
------------- 
 
11. Vitebsk Bombers Arrested 
 
On October 21, authorities apprehended two brothers 
allegedly responsible for the September bombings in 
Vitebsk, which injured over 40 people.  They have been 
charged with attempted murder.  The suspects allegedly 
confessed to the crime and Lukashenko praised the 
authorities for their quick closure of the 
investigation. 
 
12. Belarus "Temporarily" Adopts Death Penalty 
 
On October 26, the GOB amended the criminal code to 
include an amendment saying the death penalty in Belarus 
will be only "temporary."  The amendment, which was 
proposed by Lukashenko, will remain in existence until 
cancelled and can be used as "an exceptional form of 
punishment for particularly grave crimes, such as 
premeditated murder in aggravating circumstances." 
Belarus has for years had a death penalty. 
 
13. Dying to Leave Belarus 
 
On October 23, Belarusian Medical Postgraduate Academy 
announced that Belarus has Europe's third highest 
suicide rate after Lithuania and Russia.  The total 
number of suicides in Belarus (3,295) in 2004 exceeded 
the number of people killed in road accidents in that 
same year. 
 
14. Propagandists To Promote Belarus' Image Abroad 
 
On October 25, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander 
Gerasimenko, at a two-day ideology seminar for 100 state 
propaganda officials and businessmen, told the audience 
to conduct a "preemptive and aggressive" campain to 
improve Belarus' image abroad.  He urged Bearusian 
agencies to unite their propaganda to "gve foreigners a 
comprehensive view of Belarus." 
 
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Economics 
--------- 
 
15. GOB GDP rowth Projections Not So Robust 
 
On October 20, he Ministry of Economy announced Belarus may 
fal short of the projected seven-eight percent GDP grwth 
rate targets for next year after internationl standards for 
calculating the Industrial Producion Index (IPI) are 
implemented in Belarus.  TheIPI downplays industrial 
output, which is a signficant component of the Belarusian 
economy.  In rder to reach the government mandated growth 
rats, Belarus will have to use the old calculation sysem. 
 
16. GOB Tightens Control Over Poultry in Fer of Bird Flu 
 
MINSK 00001330  003 OF 004 
 
 
 
On October 25, the GOB signed an agreement to toughen 
sanitary control at national borders on the production, 
processing and sale of poultry in an effort to prevent avian 
flu from reaching Belarus.  Within Belarus, the GOB 
carefully monitors the access to and the sanitary conditions 
of poultry farms.  The GOB is also considering banning the 
import of fluff, feather, meat and bone flour from all 
countries.  Currently, the GOB bans poultry import from 
Russia (except Kaliningrad), Kazakhstan, Turkey, Romania, 
Iran, and Greece, and is considering banning poultry from 
the U.K. and Croatia. 
 
17. Presidential Decree Cuts Number of Alcohol 
Wholesalers 
 
On October 27, Deputy Tax Minister Vasily Kamenko 
announced the number of wholesale alcohol traders in 
Belarus will fall from 486 to 27 in December 2006 after 
a presidential decree implementing new requirements for 
production, sale, and advertisement of alcohol comes 
into effect.  Kamenko explained, "Belarus tightens the 
requirements to protect consumers' rights and increase 
state budget revenues.  In the 90's, the sector was de- 
monopolized and both consumers and the state suffered." 
 
 
18. Russia and Belarus Strengthen Cooperation in Auto 
Industry 
 
On October 20, Lukoil and the Minsk Automobile factory 
(MAZ) signed an agreement to create a symbiotic 
partnership for the manufacture and advertisement of 
lubricants.  MAZ will promote Lukoil lubricants in 
conjunction with its truck sales while Lukoil will 
develop lubricants in accordance with MAZ technical 
requirements. 
 
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Bilateral Relations 
------------------- 
 
19. Belarus and Venezuela Form Friendship 
 
During Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ali Rodriguez 
Araquewill's October 21-22 visit to Minsk, the two countries 
laid the foundation for economic cooperation, especially in 
the sphere of agricultural machine building, technology and 
power engineering.  The two countries have pledged to 
support each other at the international level since, 
according to Lukashenko, they have "identical views and 
identical goals in politics."  This was the first visit of a 
Venezuelan foreign minister to Belarus since the two 
countries established diplomatic relations in 1997. 
 
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Quotes of the Week 
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20. On October 25, Lukashenko inspected the site for the 
new National Library, which is expected to hold up to 14 
million books and will include a 500-seat conference 
hall, bars, restaurants, a gym, a beauty parlor, and 
enough reading rooms to accommodate 2,000 visitors. 
Lukashenko warned the builders to work quickly but 
carefully: 
 
"If I find out on completion that something is leaking 
or sagging, you will be held responsible.  You must do a 
perfect job....  This library is our country's face so 
the make-up must be done thoroughly.  I'm giving the 
last warning: God save you from faking it." 
 
21. On October 26, Belarus' Foreign Minister threatened 
the EU when the EU Commission proposed to drop economic 
preferences for Belarus: 
 
"The EU will lose the crumbs of respect Belarus still 
has for it if it imposes economic sanctions against our 
country." 
 
22. On October 27, Parliament passed a bill mandating the 
relatives of state servicemen to declare their incomes. 
During the bill's debate in parliament, MP Vasili Khrol 
suggested including mothers-in-law on the list of persons 
subject to the mandatory income declaration requirement: 
 
"How come grandparents and grandchildren must declare 
incomes and property, while the mother-in-law mustn't?  Can 
you imagine what beautiful life mothers-in-law will be 
leading now?  The families will carry them in their arms, 
 
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after all property is registered in their name." 
 
KROL