The President of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus thinks that statements of some representatives of the Parliament on the results of the election in Belarus conflict with the direction of the foreign policy of his county. This assertion was made by the press-secretary of the head of state today.

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A well-known lawyer and human rights defender, the head of the Legal Assistance Center of the Belarusian Association of Journalists, Mikhail Pastukhov is convinced that the court on Zavadsky case should be open to public. Professor Pastukhov said to BelaPAN agency that the authorities deliberately made the court closed, in order to hide from the view of the citizens the details of this case. The Belarusian Association of Journalists nevertheless is going to address the Minsk regional court with the appeal that its representatives of the organization which member Zavadsky is, could attend the proceedings.

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Belarus’ Defense Minister Colonel-General Leonid Maltsev met his colleague from Macedonia Vlado Buchkovsky for the first time. Two Defense Ministers discussed the prospects of development of military cooperation on the basis of mutual advantage. Leonid Maltsev offered assistance in modernization of Macedonian tanks, helicopters and planes “on favorable conditions”. However Macedonian experts are to determine legal framework of this agreement.

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Today more than 800 workers of the Minsk Tractor Plant have blocked the way for traffic in the Dolgobrodskaya Street on the opposite side of the plant’s main entrance. The reason is a two-week delay of payment. First they were promised to receive money on September 13-14, but the workers have not received anything yet. Then money was promised on the morning of September 28. According to the collective contract the administration cannot put off the payment for more than 10 days. So the workers made up their mind to protest. As said by the protesters, such delays became frequent in the last several months. A few police officers tried to induce the workers to break up, but their attempts failed. Administration has understood that the measures should be taken. The representatives of the administration came out with persuasions to stop the rally. Even the deputy chairman of the city executive committee Erokhov arrived. But the workers began to disperse only after they were told that the money would be given today. “Weekend is coming, we need money to feed children. How long can we wait? They should stop taking us for dirt! When we blocked the street, the bosses started the fuss and found money. Where was the money before? They even cannot say us the reason of delay…”, – said resentful workers by cash-desks. The joy of the victory was fleeting as they understand that the problem is solved only for one month. Nobody knows what will happen next month…

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The 13th Supreme Soviet MPs, Anatoly Lebedko and Elena Skrigan, and the deputy chairman of the United Civil Party Yaroslav Romanchuk had a meeting with the Council of Europe Secretary General Walter Schwimmer. It was their last meeting at the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly. At the meeting the representatives of Belarusian opposition emphasized the future cooperation of Belarus with this organization, with the obligatory participation of the wide civil coalition and with the requirement that the political repression in Belarus finished. As Anatoly Lebedko underlined, Walter Schwimmer’s attitude towards Belarus is very warm and he is familiar with the problems of the country. Walter Schwimmer remarked that opposition’s standpoint would be considered in the future strategy of Europe in its contacts with Belarus.

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In the final resolution of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly this influential international organization called on the authorities of Ukraine to form a commission for investigation of the disappearance of journalist Georgiy Gongadze . Anatoly Lebedko, the head of the 13th Supreme Soviet delegation, believes in creates an important precedent, which could speed up creation of the analogous commission for investigation abductions on political grounds in Belarus. The point about creation of such commission in the final PACE resolution means at least that these cases are not just domestic affairs of these countries.

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On September 24 at Geneva Headquarters of the World Intellectual Property Organization the 36th Session of the Assembly General opening took place. “Belarus delegation was headed by the chairman of the Belarusian Patent Committee Valery Kudashov”, -- the press-secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pavel Latushko said at the breefing in the ministry, and added that the delegate of Belarus made a report on the second day of the conference. The most curious thing is that it was on September 24, when A.Lukashenko signed a decree #516, which article 3.3 abolishes the State Patent Committee, and article 3.4 indicates that the decree is valid from the day of its signing.

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