Interrogation of a journalist and Belarusian Helsinki Committee member Sergei Anisko by KGB was put off till 10a.m. tomorrow. Charter’97 press-center was told by his lawyer Garry Pogonailo that Sergei Anisko acts as a witness in the criminal action on the deliberate divulging of state secret.

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Belarusian oppositionists, member of Charter’97 organizing committee Ludmila Gryaznova, NISEPI director Oleg Manaev, deputy chair of the social-democratic party “Narodnaya Gromada” Nina Stuzhinskaya and human rights defender Vera Stremkovskaya were invited by Latvia’s European Movement to Riga to rendezvous with the deputy Foreign Minister Martin Virsis and leaders of most of the Latvian democratic parties.

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Journalist and Helsinki Committee staffer Sergei Anisko was convoyed to the KGB for interrogation, Charter’97 was told by his attorney Garry Pogonailo. Earlier in the day the procuracy agents searched his apartment and vehicle. The search warrant was issued by personally prosecutor general of Belarus Viktor Sheiman, reasons being Anisko’s publications in Belarusian newspaper “Dyen” and “Belarussky Chas”. “BC” came up with Anisko’s article “Diamonds for the president’s dictatorship” (available in English on our site), in which the journalist comes to conclusion that the manufacture of artificial precious stones is yet another means to fill the uncontrolled presidential fund. As concerns “Dyen” newspaper, the procuracy general didn’t like his material “The army of dissatisfied is joined by the military”.

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The United States of America addressed the Belarusian leadership with an appeal to launch an open investigation proceedings into the disappearance case of the former Minister of the Internal Affairs Yuri Zakharenko, Vice-Speaker of the 13th Supreme Soviet Viktor Gonchar, businessman Anatoly Krasovsky and ORT cameraman Dmitry Zavadsky. US State Department official Richard Boucher said that all those, implicated in abductions, must be brought to justice. Boucher insists that the Belarusian authorities must tell the public the truth in order to ease the climate of fear in the society and ensure free and fair presidential elections in September this year.

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The wide public knows little if anything about the results of the opinion poll on the issue “Condition of informational and political work in working groups”, conducted at 8 leading Mogilev plants by the sociological center of the Mogilev regional council. Nonetheless, the data, derived by the sociologists and the conclusions drawn by them are worth mention. The poll was conducted with the only goal – to learn the society moods ahead of the presidential ballot.

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As soon as the exact date of the presidential elections in our country got fixed (Sept.9) interesting things started to happen. The Belarusian Patriotic Youth Union immediately launched their action to uphold Alexander Lukashenko and called it “I’m for Batka!” (Batka – slang for “father”).

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Leading American experts concluded that UN sanctions with regard for Iraq didn’t help stop the purchase of ammunition and arms by Saddam Hussein’s troops. They claim that Iraq bought spare parts from rockets and equipment for manufacturing guns from Belarus, Romania and Ukraine. The equipment was shipped to Iraq via the Jordanian port Akaba.

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Prosecutor general of Belarus Viktor Sheiman issued a warrant to search the apartment and private vehicle of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee journalist and employee Sergei Anisko. The root-cause for the search was his recent articles in the Belarusian papers “Dyen” and “Belorussky Chas”. “BC” came up with Anisko’s publication “Diamonds for the president’s dictatorship” (available in English on our site), in which the journalist comes to conclusion that the manufacture of artificial precious stones is yet another means to fill the uncontrolled presidential fund. As concerns “Dyen” newspaper, the procuracy general didn’t like his material “MILITARY JOIN THE ARMY OF OFFENDED”. Sergei Anisko informed Charter’97 press-center that the law-enforcers already started searching his flat. They don’t let him make phone calls nor answer the incoming ones.

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Belarusian authorities denied entry visas to the experts of the international campaign for the freedom of speech ARTICLE-19. Experts prepared a new report on the freedom of expression in Belarus, entitled “Belarus: repressive tool” and intended to visit Belarus in order to get it published in Russian. ARTICLE-19 executive director was also supposed to arrive in Belarus: “Thus, we planned to protest against harsh and unfavorable conditions, experienced by the independent press in Belarus today,” – Radio Svaboda was told by ARTICLE-19 expert Malkolm Gouks.

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During today’s rendezvous with Russian president Vladimir Putin Alexander Lukashenko intends to analyze reasons for non-fulfillment of “union Belarus-Russia accords”, RIA Novosti quote him as saying on Tuesday at the meeting with delegations, that came to Minsk as part of the action “Poezd Pamyati”.

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The working meeting of two presidents in Moscow was coordinated during the CIS summit in Minsk. The official version of the talks’ theme is to debate on the course of the fulfillment of a treaty on the creation of a union state. Sounds convincing, doesn’t it? Belarus accumulated so many problems in the area of trade-economic cooperation that they badly need Kremlin now.

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National executive committee (shadow government of Belarus) at its June 19 session passed a decision to support the five candidates from the broad civil coalition: Syamon Domash, Pavel Kozlovsky, Mikhail Chigir, Vladimir Goncharik and Sergei Kalyakin. First three potential nominees for the presidency are also part of the shadow cabinet.

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Belarus and Lebanon signed yesterday in Beirut three agreements on cooperation. They touch upon double taxation problem, protection and encouragement of investments, along with the development of the trade-economic cooperation. The official negotiations of the Belarusian delegation, headed by the Prime Minister Vladimir Ermoshin, with the Lebanese authorities, led by PM Rafik Al-Khariri, ended in a signing ceremony. Today Ermoshin also plans to meet with the president of Lebanon Emil Lakhud and Speaker of the Parliament Nabikh Berry.

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At present Belarusian light industry is in heavy financial shambles. Around forth of the companies operate at a loss, whereas over half of all manufactures are insolvent with a negative balance, declared head of the “Bellegprom” concern Vladimir Demidov. According to his computations, the shortage of turnover capital amounts to 45mln rubles.

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