The agreement about launching a united pre-election headquarters was reached on July 24 in the round of consultations by the five contenders for the presidential post, where the unique candidate from the wide public coalition Vladimir Goncharik presided, Goncharik’s press-center informed. The headquarters will be installed in different regions of Belarus, common principles of their formation still to be developed. A united political council is also in perspective.

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Chairman of the Central Electoral Commission of Russia Alexander Veshnyakov set off July 24 on a one-day trip to Warsaw upon invitation of the director of the Bureau for democratic institutes and human rights of OSCE Mr.Studemann. In Poland Veshnyakov will negotiate on various forms of cooperation, as concerns international observation over looming presidential elections in Belarus. The CEC official plans to consider the possibility to dispatch CEC representatives to the OSCE mission in the event this organization determines to forward its observers to Belarus.

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One of the contenders for the presidency general Pavel Kozlovsky refuted the words of the Central Electoral Committee chairwoman Lidya Ermoshina, who said at the July 24 press-conference that he admitted that his territorial committees presented less than 100 thousand signatures needed for registration as a candidate. “This declaration has not been said and will not follow,”— stated Kozlovsky in his interview to BelaPAN. He emphasized that his group collected more than 100 thousand signatures. “We shall fight for recognition of the fact,” – said general Kozlovsky.

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Belarus was visited for the first time in its history by the Commander of NATO European contingent and Commander-in-chief of NATO armed forces general Joseph Rolston. He landed in Gomel but for a few hours in order to initiate the opening ceremony of the new Center of blood-transfusion, built at the expense of US military contingent, deployed in Europe.

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There came into force presidential decree “On a deferment in military conscription to certain categories of people”. The document pinpoints that it was passed “with the purpose to assign young qualified specialists to certain areas, which were subject to radioactive fall-out after the Chernobyl blast”. The decree allows for postponement in military service to citizens of a conscription age, school and university graduates of a pedagogic, medical and agricultural profile, who work upon graduation in radioactively contaminated districts.

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During the first half of this year 96 Belarusian nationals disappeared on the territory of Russia, said chief of the criminal police of Belarus colonel Valentin Prokopovich during his Moscow briefing. He said, in particular, that 65 our countrymen vanished in Moscow district. 57 of the total number set off to Russia in search of a job. Potapovich underscored that their whereabouts remain unknown both to the Russian and Belarusian law-enforcers. In general, he added, 128 Belarusians are now lost track of worldwide.

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On July 24 there took place another price-increase on oil commodity. Previously the “Belneftehim” concern raised by 2,5% free wholesale prices on oil. Thus, from today on one liter of A-76 fuel, sold via gas stations’ network will cost 475 rubles, AI-92 – 585 rubles, AI-95 – 670 rubles, diesel fuel – 410 rubles. The last time the prices soared on July 19 this year.

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The overall debt of economic entities before the state budget exceeded by July 1 101bln rubles. BELTA correspondent was told in the press-center of the State Taxation Committee that this sum equals to 1,7% of the annual income plan.

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82,9% of the total number of economic entities of Brest (531 companies) appear to be unprofitable. The majority of them come from non-state sector. The greatest number of debtors are in industry – 26,9%. These include the electric lamps plant, Brest electro-mechanic plant and chemistry plant.

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Editorial office of the newspaper “Dyen” has fallen pray for a second time in one week to an insolent break-in. The unidentified burglars took away from their office the system blocks and dismantled the computer hardware. It needs special mention that the office is located at the “Belarusfilm” cinema company, guarded by police. The pricey computers and other appliances, even the money, were left untouched. That’s an unprecedented occurrence in the history of “Belarusfilm”, which is so strongly protected from burglary that nobody even dared think about the possibility. The “Dyen” newspaper has recently came up with a rash of scandalous declarations, implicating the regime in human killings. Another confirmation of the fact is today’s refusal by the State Committee for Press to publish the periodical ever after August 1.

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“Dear countrymen! We address you and also the world community in one of the most dramatic moments of our history. The ruling regime reached the climax of cynicism in its actions. The nation is terror-stricken and panicking. The reason is the unaccounted for disappearances of well-known sons of Belarus – Yuri Zakharenko, Viktor Gonchar, Anatoly Krasovsky, Dmitry Zavadsky,” – reads the appeal to the nation and world community, passed July 24 by the political parties of Belarus. Read the full text of the statement on our site.

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“Vesna” human rights center recorded cases of electoral legislation violations that occurred over the period of signature collection. For instance, the director of the Vitebsk bakery recommended his subordinates to spread rumors among the employees that every member of the initiative group gets 5 thousand rubles for every signature he obtains. Chairwoman of the Novopolotsk education department gathered all the headmasters at her office and ordered them to collect 80 signatures each. The principals were told that they are automatically included into Lukashenko’s initiative group.

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Belarusian Helsinki Committee forwarded its address to the so-called parliamentary structures and state procuracy, urging them to convene an extra-curricular session of two chambers of the parliament in order to investigate into Alexander Lukashenko’s alleged implication in political killings within the framework of art.88 of the Belarusian Constitution.

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Washington, July 20 (AFP) - Heart-wrenching tragedies of far away Belarus echoed on Capitol Hill Friday, as four women pleaded for international support in the cases of their husbands, who were jailed, disappeared or died under suspicious circumstances.

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“The authorities hold to a hard-line election variant,” – said in July 23 interview to BelaPAN one of the participants of the presidential race, former Defense Minister, current chair of the International Fund for health rehabilitation of former military Pavel Kozlovsky. On that day general Kozlovsky visited the opening ceremony of the blood-transfusion department of the Gomel ambulance hospital following restoration works, carried out at the expense of the US Defense Ministry. Kozlovsky believes that the government “delivered an adequate blow against the democratic forces, if the Central Electoral Committee declared that only four contenders overcame a 100 thousand signatures barrier – Alexander Lukashenko, Sergei Gaidukevich, Vladimir Goncharik and Syamon Domash”.

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“The United States are ready to normalize relations with Belarus, given the Belarusian authorities stick to the norms, which Belarus bound itself with within the OSCE format,” – declared US Plenipotentiary ambassador in Belarus M. Kozak. He reminded that “after November 1996 one can hardly call the relations between Belarus and USA normal.” “This happens because our possibilities of rendering more significant assistance to Belarus directly depend on the Belarus’ fulfillment of international commitments on human rights, free, fair and transparent electoral process,” – stressed the diplomat.

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The Central Electoral Committee for elections and national referenda issued a reprimand to the official BPSM youth union for an early start of agitation campaign for the acting president Lukashenko. BelaPAN was told by the press-secretary of the Central Electoral Committee Valery Yurevich, the reprimand followed their distribution of calendars for the year 2002, portraying president Lukashenko and reading below “President of the Republic of Belarus”.

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A group of children, whose parents suffered most from persecution in course of mass actions throughout Belarus, and are members of the BPF CCP, free trade unions and other organizations, headed to Poland July 23 for summer vacations. In total 23 kids will spend holidays in the resort Nikolaiki-Mazurskiye near Belostok. The trip was organized by the “Human rights center” with the support of the British embassy in Minsk.

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