On March 1 the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs of the US Department of State released its regular report on the situation with narcotics around the globe. Following comes an extract on Belarus.

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A director of the marketing firm of the association “Belaruskalij” was arrested on charges relating abuse of office, Interfax agency informs. As the BelaPAN agency was informed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the head of the firm, lobbying the interests of the Lithuanian firm “Arvi”, allegedly bought 280 tons of oil on high prices, and caused a damage equal to USD 232 thousands. The investigation is under way.

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Former Speaker of the Belarusian parliament Stanislav Shushkevich intends to get his name recorded in the Guinness Book f Records. He nominated himself as the former head of state, getting the lowest pension in the world – it has never been recalculated since 19996 and constitutes now less than 2 dollars. Shushkevich sues the Ministry of labor and social protection and upon the procedure’s termination, intends to forward all the necessary documentation into the Guinness Book, reports “Echo of Moscow”.

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The Supreme Rada of Ukraine upheld the deputies’ request to the Ukrainian prosecutor general Mikhail Potebenko, touching upon the institution of criminal proceedings against the incumbent Leonid Kuchma. The MPs demand that legal action be opened against the president “for committing actions, which helped the Premier Pavel Lazarenko plot assassinations of Ukrainian deputies Evgeny Sherban and Vadim Getman.”

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Zhodino-based organization “Fellowship of the Belarusian language” was banned to hold survey in educational institutions. Such a decision was passed by the local department of education. The organization’s activists intended to find out the town residents’ attitude to the situation with the national language in the educational institutions.

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54% directors of industrial companies of Belarus believe that in the next two-three days the economic situation of their companies won’t change for the better, Around a third of the respondents predict deterioration and only 13% - improvement. 3% of the polled residents aren’t so sure. These are the outcomes of the survey, conducted in January by the scholars from the scientific research economic institute of the Ministry of Economy, reports BelaPAN.

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This year the Belarusian cargo transportation will undergo reformation, whereas the international transportation companies will face stronger control, said the Minister for transport of Belarus Mikhail Borovoi during his meeting with the journalists, at which he drew the conclusions of 2001 and set the goals for the year 2002. Strengthened control will be imposed on the license-issuing stage and throughout the term of its operation. Among the first ones to be denied license for cargo transportation are individual entrepreneurs, unable to ensure the proper technical care of their transportation vehicles. Moreover, Borovoi stressed the following: only “mature” companies may count on quotas for the international transportation, especially those, which have been working for years at the domestic market, writes Avtotransinfo.

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According to the Ministry of statistics of Belarus over the three weeks of February the consumer prices in the country rose by 2,8% (during the first week – by 1,6%, second – 0,9%, third – 0,3%), reports BelaPAN. For matters of comparison: over the first three weeks of January the prices went 4,2% uphill; over the first three weeks of February 2001 – by 2,4%. Since the beginning of this year the consumer prices in Belarus soared by 9,1% (over the analogous period last year – by 7,3%).

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By the beginning of March the salary indebtedness in the Mogilev region constituted 9bln635mln rubles. 1bln40mln of them stands for December underpayment. According to the official statistics, reports BelaPAN, the largest indebtedness was developed in agriculture: in this sphere the debt amounts to 3bln900mln rubles. Around 3bln are the debts in industry, 988mln – in construction business. The budget organizations have no salary debts before their employees.

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On February 25 the Ministry for communications received for approval a draft contract between the companies “Mobile TeleSystems” and “Siemens” on the supply of equipment for building the second GSM network in Belarus. In order for the MTS to launch the second GSM network into operation before the April deadline, the contract has to be signed no later than on March 1. However, due to the fact that MTS company hasn’t yet passed registration (which must precede the signing of the contract), the second cellular operator’s coming to Belarus may well get delayed.

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A visit to Belarus of the human rights organization “Reporters Without Borders” started on March 4. The institute carries out monitoring of the situation in the sphere of mass media all over the world, and the “Belarusian question” is frequently mentioned in the reports of the organization. Several times the Belarusian government denied entry visas to the representatives of the “RWB”, who wanted to present in Minsk accounts on freedom of speech violations in Belarus. Many times the organization sent statements of protests to different official institutions on facts of pressure on independent press. They all were ignored.

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Zheleznodorozhny court of Vitebsk finished judicial proceedings on the case of the Vitebsk member of the Conservative-Christian party BPF Vladimir Pleschenko. Judge Svetlana Tufan fined him for illegal picketing 2mln Belarusian rubles, which is approximately $1200. Therefore, Vladimir Pleschenko was punished for taking to the streets of Vitebsk with a banner “We need new extra-curricular presidential elections under the protectorate of international organizations”. The event took place on January 22, when Vitebsk was visited by the Interior Minister Vladimir Naumov.

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The Belarusian procuracy refused to investigate into the circumstances of burglary of the office of the Belarusian entrepreneurs union. A few weeks ago some unidentified burglars penetrated into the union’s office and stole the equipment – including two PCs with important archives. The union’s president Alyaxandar Potupa deems that the law-enforcement bodies are simply unwilling to embark on any investigation activities. This means that our public organizations aren’t protected and our police don’t even bother to produce an illusion of guarding its citizens.

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The Brest regional court opened deliberations on possible liquidation of the local Center for public initiatives’ support “Vezha”. On the basis of previous reprimands the region council’s lawyers demand that they liquidate one of the most influential organizations in all of Brest region.

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American experts will visit Ukraine in order to help investigate into the murder of journalist Georgy Gongadze, said the counselor to the US president for security issues Condoleezza Rice in an interview to the “Studio 1+1” Monday night, reports Interfax-Ukraine. “The USA are thoroughly watching over the investigation of Gongadze’s case,” – stressed she: “We deliver political and technical aid in order to get the case solved.”

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The financial condition of the Ministry of industry’s enterprises remains quite troublesome. The Ministry sources report that over the 11 months of last year the growth rates of expenditures exceeded the level of income rates growth from products sales by 55,1 points and, consequently, the profitability amounted to 10,7% (as compared with the planned 16,0%).

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The new tariff will enter into power in Belarus on April 1 this year, said at the session of the Capital’s business club head of the department of non-tariff measures of currency-export control of the State Committee for Control Sergei Aleinikov. In his opinion, reports IA “EKOPRESS”, the new tariff rates will be almost totally unified with the Russian ones. The only exception will be made for a few positions. For instance, there’ll be differences in taxes on TV sets (Belarusian manufacturers’ demand) and some other equipment.

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