Release political prisoners and sleep a peaceful sleep
7
8:58, — Politics
That’s the essence of the address by the US and the whole civilized world to the Belarusian regime. Belarusian officials forget that sanctions against Lukashenka’s regime have been introduced because of cruel crackdown on opposition, massive violations of human rights and non-fulfillment of the 12 proposals of the EU aimed at normalization of relations between Belarus and the civilized world. According to human rights activists, dozens thousands people have been repressed over the years of Lukashenka’s rule. It means several thousands people a year are arrested, beaten up, fired, expelled from universities; their families are intimidated. The main requirements of the EU are to release political prisoners and stop repressions.
A representative of one of Belarusian oil refineries has stated to Interfax that sanctions against the state concern Belneftekhim imposed by the US Treasury has laid down at stake handling accounts for Russian oil. “In case the US sanctions apply not only to Belneftekhim and its affiliated firms, but to other enterprises of the concern, system of dollar payment for Russian oil will be at risk,” an oil refinery representative said.
He explained that in the long run all payments in dollars are made through correspondent accounts in American banks, and according to the mechanism of the sanctions Belneftekhim actives in the US are to be frozen. According to him, Belarus should immediately pass to payments via European correspondent accounts as it is done by Iran for instance”.
According to a representative of Belarusian oil trade house (a daughter company of Belneftekhim which carries out 100% of export sales of Belarusian oil products), “if there will be problems with dollar payments, we are to re-execute Euro contracts for buying oil and selling oil products”.
On the initiative of the Russian side payments for oil deliveries from Russia to Belarus, and payments for natural gas and electricity, are carried out in dollars via correspondent accounts of Belarusian banks.
The major oil suppliers from Russia to Belarus are Surgutneftegaz, Rosneft, Lukoil, Russneft, Tatneft, TNK-VR, Gazprom-neft. Imposing US sanctions against Belneftekhim concern and its affiliated organizations could also jeopardize realization of Belarusian projects in the sphere of oil recovery in Venezuela, Belneftekhim representative told to Interfax.
“We wouldn’t like the imposed sanctions to be a preventive measure in the part of realization of Belarusian projects in Venezuela. We have put much effort and money to these projects. Review of work in this country could lead to significant losses of both economic and image nature,” a representative of the concern said.
According to Statistics Minisrty, Belarusian export to the US has dropped by 13% in January – August 2007, which is $255.6 mln. The basis of deliveries from Belarus to the US are products of oil refinery complex, which accounts for almost 90% of Belarusian export to this country.
On Tuesday, November 13, George Bush froze accounts of the Belarusian state-run concern Belneftekhim. The reason for that was that the concern is controlled by Alyaksandr Lukashenka. Sanctions of the U.S. Treasury concern all Belneftekhim offices in Germany, Ukraine, Latvia, Russia and China, and the American branch of the concern Belneftekhim USA. The US demand to stop repressions in Belarus and release political prisoners.
Since 2006, the Treasury has blocked personal assets of Lukashenka and other high-ranking officials in the Belarusian government.
Canadian government was the first to impose harsh economic sanctions against Lukashenka’s government. The world community shows a united front in the question of human rights violations in Belarus.
