“OSCE is a regional structure, which must take greatest interest in the issues of economic development, security and cooperation, rather than focus its attention solely on the human rights,” – pinpointed in an interview to “Interfax” the Foreign Minister of Belarus Mikhail Khvostov. According to the head of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, “the human rights are no doubt a very important issue on the agenda of any organization, but it can in no wise be the corner-stone of such an organization as OSCE”.

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The Central district court of Mogilev considered on January 3 the case of the chair of the Mogilev-based UCP, chair of the local “Lev Sapega” foundation V.Shantsev, charged with violating the notorious Decree#8. The jury recognized the man guilty of violating the decree. They ruled to confiscate his equipment (a few PCs, Xerox, printers etc) and fine him 100 minimal wages. Irrefutable facts, testifying that absolutely all prosecution’s evidences were obtained illegally, and thus cannot be taken into consideration, were taken no heed of.

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The Committee for state control of the Gomel region occupies the leading spot in the country as far as the application of economic sanctions. This was specified at the Committee’s meeting on 2001 outcomes, held on January 4 in the Gomel region. As claimed by the chair of the Committee for the Gomel region Valery Dulebenets, according to the results of the examination of 1351 economic entities, which is 87% of the inspected ones, there had been applied economic sanctions for 2bln830mln rubles.

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Government’s order to cancel the cashless transfer of trade union dues gravely violates the rights of the workers, contradicting both the tariff agreement, the agreement between the Mogilev regional council, regional trade union association and the association of entrepreneurs and industry workers, violating the decision of the Constitutional court “On the order of payment of trade union membership dues”, further leading to the collapse of trade union system, write the members of the Bobruisk open joint stock company “Fandok” in their address to Alexander Lukashenko. The workers plead with the incumbent to cancel the ruling.

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The size of the Belarus’ exterior debt by late 2001 constituted $769mln. The interior debt amounts to 715,5bln rubles or 5% GDP. Specialists of the country’s financial institution note that the country’s economic condition could be better, provided the real sector of the economy fulfilled the planned parameters. However, as far as nothing of the kind took place, the budget never received 190mln of expected profits.

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New dues were introduced since January 2002 on the territory of the Minsk region – the transport due for the renovation and fixing of the state transport and dues to develop the towns’ and districts’ infrastructure.

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Purchase prices on cattle-breeding products rose on January 3 by 15%. Such a decision had been passed by the Ministry of agriculture and foodstuff along with the Ministry of economy. According to the head of the price department of the Ministry of agriculture Ekaterina Pevneva, the growth of purchase prices is a state-by-stage compensation of the agricultural expenses in connection with the increasing prices on resources and the production of industrial and technical designation, used in the agriculture.

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Director of the Minsk tractor plant Mikhail Leonov was detained Monday night when trying to depart from Belarus, reports Reuters with a reference to the procuracy official. Leonov was allegedly detained on a train en route to Russia. Moreover, the law-enforcers found phony documents on him. Over the past two months the procuracy, Committee for state control, KGB and police have been examining the situation at the USSR’s biggest tractor manufacturer.

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Two participants of the action “The chain of those who care”, held in Brest on December 9, were sentenced to 15 days of administrative arrest. Eight action participants received 20 minimal wages fines each. This verdict was passed on January 5 by the court of the Leninsky district of Brest, represented by judge Oleg Mironyuk.

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Grodno region procuracy continued investigation into the libel lawsuit, opened against the independent newspaper “Pagonya” for alleged slander against the president (article 367/1 of the Criminal Code). The action was brought against the newspaper’s editor-in-chief Nikolai Markevich and its correspondent Pavel Mozheiko. The lawsuit was instituted on September 5, 2001 after the newspaper published materials, which, as deemed by procuracy, were defaming the honor of Alexander Lukashenko. Then, on November 12 the newspaper was shut down upon the decision of the Supreme Economic Court of Belarus. The investigation is being carried out by the investigator of the regional procuracy Oleg Kulevich. On January 5 Markevich and Mozheiko were summoned for interrogation to the procuracy. However, the interrogations were all of a sudden put off and the procuracy officer told the journalists that they would receive their subpoenas later.

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Director of the Gomel Radio Plant Anatoly Kirikov was placed into pre-trial confinement. The man is suspected of abuse of power under article 424/3 of the Belarusian Penal Code. The investigation is being carried out by the Gomel region investigative committee.

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Agents of the Mogilev police economic crimes department arrested director of the unitary trade enterprise “Kooperativnaya Zagotovitelnaya Torgovlya” of the Mogilev regional consumers’ union, director of the Zadneprovsky marketplace Anatoly Protosenya. The man is accused of large-scale bribery.

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In 2002 the State Committee for Control of Belarus will concentrate on examining the healthcare and oil chemistry industries, said deputy SCC chair Mikhail Matusevich at the January 4 meeting in the Gomel region. Their choice fell on healthcare for it is in this very sphere that they annually work with 15% of the state budget funds, which stands for 1trln rubles this year. Mikhail Matusevich is convinced that their examinations will be a success. He recalled the last year’s revision, conducted at such a complex state enterprise as the Belarusian railway service, after which they opened 8 legal actions for financial frauds.

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It may well happen that the four banks’ licenses to attract new population’s deposits will be revoked, BelaPAN quotes head of the National Bank’s information department Anatoly Drozdov as saying. These will be the banks, which failed to comply with the requirement to raise the personal deposits level to 10mln euros, which came into force on January 1, 2002.

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“Menacing” called the situation with the growth of creditors’ indebtedness at the Gomel region companies chair of the regional committee Alexander Yakobson, speaking on January 4 at the deputies Council meeting. Yakobson underscored that the companies’ debt constitutes 530bln rubles, by 1,4 times surpassing the size of their debtor’s indebtedness. The most complex is the situation with the Gomel radio plant, whose creditor’s indebtedness reaches 734mln rubles, with “Mozyrselmash” factory and the Gomel engine plant, whose debts on loans average to 500mln rubles.

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According to the preliminary data of the Ministry of statistics and analysis of Belarus, the year 2001 ended in financial losses for 1,403 agricultural companies, operating under the auspices of the Ministry of agriculture and foodstuffs, which is 58,9% of their total amount. The number of profitable husbandries constituted 978, which is 259 (21%) less than in the year 2000.

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