14 long-term and around 150 short-term observers from the Office of democratic institutions and human rights of OSCE intend to monitor the course of presidential elections in Belarus. These figures were made public today at the session of the Consultative Council of opposition political parties, OSCE AMG head in Belarus Hans-Georg Wieck said.

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All-Ukrainian public organization “Committee of Ukrainian voters” disseminated information concerning the upcoming visit of Ukrainian president Kuchma to the “Slav Bazaar” festival in Minsk:

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Members of the Russia’s Central Electoral Committee intend to coordinate the issue of monitoring the presidential elections in Belarus together with other international structures, declared to Interfax Russian CEC head Alexander Veshnyakov. Negotiations are being held in order to “include CEC people into OSCE mission.” According to Veshnyakov, they will “coordinate the viewpoint on the elections evaluation and those possible recommendations, which will be worked out by the world community.”

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Nikolai Mekeko filed in his withdrawal to the Central commission for national elections and referenda. He declared that his initiative group ceases the signature collection and he refrains from further involvement in the electoral process. According to CEC secretary Nikolai Lozovik, such a final could well be predicted beforehand. Many tended to think that Nikolai Mekeko’s group (135 people) wouldn’t be able to get the necessary 100 thousand signatures.

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Commander-in-chief of the united NATO alliance forces in Europe general Joseph Rolston will pay a visit to Belarus on July 23. The US embassy in Minsk pointed out that he wouldl be coming in capacity of a US official. Alongside with NATO troops, Rolston also heads the European US contingent. Rolston will open a hospital in Gomel, reconstructed within the framework of a humanitarian American project.

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The number of entrepreneurs is proportionate to the degree of economic freedom in this or that country. In this light it is interesting to learn that according to the “Heritage Foundation” data – authoritative international organization – Belarus ranks 129 among 150 countries of the globe as far as this criterion.

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THE EVIDENCE is growing that the president of Belarus, a nation in the center of Europe, is using murder to maintain himself in power. This week a former senior aide to President Alexander Lukashenko told a Belarusian newspaper that it was "obvious" Mr. Lukashenko`s regime was behind the disappearance and presumed death of four political opponents in the past several years. Confirming the account of two state investigators who recently fled to the West, the aide, Ivan Titenkov, said the chief prosecutor and head of the state police were on the verge of locating the bodies of the disappeared when they were fired by Mr. Lukashenko late last year. Mr. Titenkov himself has taken refuge abroad; his interview surfaced this week despite the refusal of the state printing house to publish the newspaper that carried it.

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Yesterday Valery Skvortsov was appointed new head of the Belarusian tele-radio company. Viktor Chikin’s successor is a former communist secretary and leading member of the Union of writers of Soviet Belarus. Before his last appointment Skvortsov worked in chief department of public and political information of the Administration.

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Over the first six months of the year, reports “Rabochaya Solidarnots” newspaper, they fired 235 employees and 93 more had been notified of the future dismissals. At the moment the administration has prepared to sack another 300 staffers.

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On the day when the temperatures in Minsk averaged 30 degrees, Alexander Lukashenko welcomed German ambassador Horst Winkelmann… with a turned-on electric furnace! Why did he need to switch it on in the heat of a summer, I wonder? “What do you marvel at after the ski race in early July?” – we were told by an informed source from the presidential administration.

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Materials, proving government’s involvement in the activities of a “death squad”, eradicating Alexander Lukashenko’s political opponents, were made public on Tuesday by the trade union federation leader, potential candidate for the presidency Vladimir Goncharik. Among the documents – report by police major-general Lopatik, submitted to the Interior Minister Naumov, in which Lopatik claims that the order to annihilate former Interior Minister Yuri Zakahrenko was personally released by the Security Council chief Viktor Sheiman and then Interior Minister Yuri Sivakov. Major-general Lopatik was dismissed from criminal police department post simultaneously with the sacking of the prosecutor general Oleg Bozhelko and KGB chief Vladimir Matskevich. Read on our site the report by major-general Lopatik.

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Schukin’s beard, shaven against his will, symbolizes violence against human dignity in today’s Belarus. 60-year old grandfather of seven grandchildren got his arms twisted behind his back in Zhodino prison, after which they shove his beard with a knife. Recollecting one of his previous imprisonments political dissident Schukin wrote: “In Belarusian Bastille – confinement center for minor hooligans – everyone was amazed at seeing before the New Year eve an arrested “Santa Claus” – during those pre-holiday days my beard was considered an attribute of Santa Claus.”

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На апошнім кангрэсе Саюзу габрэйскіх арганізацыяў і абшчынаў Беларусі найбольш жывое абмеркаваньне выклікала праблема ўзмацненьня антысемітызму, якое назіраецца апошні час у рэспубліцы. Так, у Гомлі ў адну з красавіцкіх ночэй падвергся нападу будынак мясцовай габрэйскай кангрэгацыі. Невядомыя намалявалі на фасадзе свастыку і накарабалі па-ангельску фразу з грубымі памылкамі, якая павінны была азначаць штосьці накшталт: “Сьмерць жыдам”. Зблізу на той вуліцы знаходзіцца будынак банка, які ахоўваецца крыглыя суткі спэцыяльнай узброенай службай, аднак зламысьленікі засталіся незаўважанымі.

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53% of Minsk residents believe results of the approaching presidential election in Belarus will be falsified. This is the outcome of the opinion poll organized by sociologists of “Zerkalo” service, an information company of BelaPAN on June 10-13. 500 Minsk residents aged 18 and older were inquired. In comparison, a month ago 42% of Minsk dwellers held the same opinion.

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The newspaper “Volny Gorad” was convicted of violating the presidential Decree N8 by a Krichev court. The editorial staff was charged with the Decree N8 infringement, to be exact, with the use of the equipment presented by the USA Embassy as a humanitarian aid, on purposes other than those for which it had been allocated. The editor Sergey Nerovny was a defendant.

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A chairman of the People’s Republic of Chine is arriving in Minsk today at 17.45 in Minsk with the state visit. A ceremony of the official meeting of Jiang Zemin and A.Lukashenko will take place on July 19, in the morning in the working residence of the Belarusian leader. Their negotiations will take place first in person, and then with a wider circle of officials.

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Russian brewing company “Baltika” has started a reconstruction of the Minsk brewery “Krynitsa”, which costs 50 million dollars. Press-service of the company informed that after the fulfillment of the first stage of the investment program, the output of the brewery would be equal to 10 millions decalitre a year. The final realization of the program will make it possible to produce 15 millions decalitre a year.

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