President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus probably does not need to rig the vote directly to win next month`s presidential election, says one western diplomat in Minsk. But force of habit, at least among his supporters, may be too strong.

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Arbitrary search in the Grodno headquarters of the potential runner for the president, chairman of the Grodno organization “Ratusha”, was carried out in Grodno by the police from the department for economic criminality. Although they had no right to search “Ratusha” headquarters, they all the same seized the documents, PCs and other equipment. No explanations of their unlawful actions were provided.

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Resistance movement ZUBR activists summoned KGB chief Leonid Erin. They brought the subpoena to his apartment and mailed it to his working place. KGB chair is proposed to show up at Dzerjinsky’s monument on the Skarina prospect at 12 o’clock on August 13. There ZUBRs will inquire from him about the destiny of the missing Belarusians – Yuri Zakharenko, Viktor Gonchar, Anatoly Krasovsky and Dmitry Zavadsky.

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Warsaw court denied extradition to Belarus of a Belarusian businessman Leonid Volk. Former director general of the joint Belarusian-American company “Metincom” is charged with financial machinations. On these grounds the official Minsk demanded his extradition. Polish side’s refusal was humiliating for Belarusians: they declined to extradite him for there’s no independent judiciary in Belarus, the judges are appointed to their positions and dismissed by personally Alexander Lukashenko.

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On the Russian shooting ground Kapustin Yar they are getting ready for first launches of the modernized artillery complex “Pechora-2”, manufactured by the Russian-Belarusian interstate financial industrial group “Defensive systems”. According to the deputy president of “DS” Igor Meschan, “Pechora-2” is a mobile, highly effective zenith missile launcher, able of fulfilling combat tasks in the conditions of modern war.

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In several kolkhozes and sovkhozes in Gomel region the salary is given in goods, as the salary indebtedness in the agriculture of the Gomel region amounts to 2 billion roubles. But the top officials of the region claim that people have received their salary. The deputy head of the regional executive committee Nikolay Chernysh says that the system of the goods “cashing” was elaborated. The employee signs the pay-roll, where stands that he has received corn instead of the money. The corn is jointly sold to the State procurement. The pay rolls from the kolkhozes are also delivered there. And kolkhoz employees go to the State procurement, where they can receive the money.

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The international mission of inquiry mandated by the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (a joint programme of the FIDH and the OMCT) that went to Belarus from the 14th to the 21st of July 2001, established the existence of serious obstacles to the freedom of association. The mission noticed violations concerning legislation, judiciary and administrative systems, and violations committed by the police.

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On August 8 A.Lukashenko made up his mind to communicate with journalists. Especially independent ones, which was a bold action from is side, though it is a norm in the whole world. But dash it, the world. We have everything our own way, and we are proud of it, because there it nothing else to be proud of. The meeting was held almost “without ties”, in informal atmosphere – not a single Russian channel had been accredited, so Lukashenko felt absolutely at ease. A.Lukashenko even said that it is just a beginning and promised to make these meetings frequent. He must see himself long in presidential position in spite of everything …

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Candidate for the supreme post of Belarus, unique nominee from the wide public coalition FTU chair Vladimir Goncharik is ready to voice new “sensational exposures” on the Belarusian authorities’ involvement in the abductions of opposition politicians. At the Vitebsk press-conference Goncharik asserted: “There are materials which will be made public in the near future.”

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Heads of the US Helsinki Committee urged Belarus to allow the OSCE monitors to be present at the September 9, 2001 elections. “The refusal by the Belarusian authorities to issue mandates to the ODIHR OSCE mission, which sought to monitor presidential elections there, calls into question the fairness of the process,”– declared chairman of the Helsinki Committee senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell.

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Recently the law-enforcement structures have unleashed campaign on the intimidation and discrediting the United Civil Party. Its office in Krichev was left desolate. For setting up a regional CCDF they opened legal proceedings against the head of the Soligorsk UCP organization Larisa Nasanovich. Police attacked the headquarters of the UCP youth mobilization campaign. Physical and psychological pressure was exerted on the party activists in Soligorsk, Krichev, Minsk, Grodno, Dzerjinsk, Vitebsk. UCP considers this cleansing to be a deliberate action – the reaction of the authorities to the UCP campaign “Want to know the truth!”.

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On August 9 the Slonim department of KGB summoned ZUBR activist Ales Masyuk. He received a subpoena without a distinct reason for the call. It appeared that Slonim KGB agents are looking for terrorists. Masyuk was interrogated by local KGB chief Oleg Lavrenko and ranking member Igor Rudakov. They inquired where the bloke was during the bomb attack on the Russian embassy in Minsk on May 31, what he knows about the occurrence and how he regards political extremism.

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Over 250 thousand Belarusian Patriotic Youth Union members will act as observers over the presidential elections in the country. They intend to be present at all polling stations, BELTA was told in BPYU headquarters. Moreover, they will control the course of preliminary voting. Taking into consideration the fact that their rating is close to nothing, such a multitude of young members is unbelievable. If we accept this declaration at its face value, it will turn out that every fortieth Belarusian, babies and pensioners included, will act as a BPYU monitor.

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The idea of the soon tactic military exercise “Neman-2001”, led by Defense Minister lieutenant-general Leonid Maltsev, has been worked out in strict accordance with Lukashenko’s Concept of national security and Military Doctrine, which is under the parliament’s consideration right now. The training will be based around the possible outside military invasion into the country. To pursue this idea, the country will be conditionally divided into two parts – “Red Republic” and “Blue Republic”.

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One of the key problems for the harvesting campaign on the territory of Mogilev region is the gas deficit. On August 9, 206 husbandries had not enough gas reserves even for two days. Last year there were 178 such husbandries. However, assure the local authorities, this hasn’t yet called a halt to the field works in Mogilev.

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