The Foreign Minister of Belarus Mikhail Khvostov welcomed the deputy Foreign Minister of Syria Siba Naser. The sides expressed readiness to further exchange visits on the top level. Mrs.Naser handed in to Mikhail Khvostov personal greetings from his Syrian colleague Faruk Al-Shar, containing an official invitation to visit Syria, which got recently blacklisted by the US among other “Axis of Evil” states, which are potentially able to spread the weapons of mass destruction.

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The journalists, sentenced on 5 April by the Leninsky district court in Grodno to periods of imprisonment between three and ten days, were recognized by the authoritative international human rights watchdog Amnesty International as “prisoners of conscience”. As you remember, a group of the Grodno journalists protested against penalty charges of up to five years in prison, faced by their colleagues Nikolai Markevich and Pavel Mozheiko for allegedly slandering the Belarusian President, Alyaksandr Lukashenka. Amnesty International condemned the arrests as a crack-down on the rights to peaceful assembly and free expression and adopted the imprisoned journalists as prisoners of conscience.

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In no time after Lukashenko fired the president of the “Belgospischeprom” concern Viktor Kazeka, the man was arrested by the economic crimes police unit, reports Radio Ratsya.

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Russia’s investigative bodies instituted legal action against the vice-president of the “Slavneft” company Yuri Sukhanov. “Interfax” was told by the sources from the law-enforcement agencies, that legal action is being investigated under article 159 part 3 of the Russian Criminal code – large-scale embezzlement via fraudulent actions.

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Session of the Political Committee of the Council of Europe, at which the floor was given to the Luxemburg Vice-Premier and Foreign Minister Lydia Polfer, came to an end yesterday evening. The Belarusian topic was one of the priority issues during Luxemburg’s six-months chairmanship in the CoE Cabinet of Ministers. The event attracted PACE special rapporteur for Belarus Wolfgang Berendt. Meeting of the Political Committee was closed for the press and the texts of the speeches weren’t made public. Nonetheless, Radio Svaboda managed to learn that the session participants discussed the possibility of sanctions’ application against Belarus, which has been unable to resolve its six-year long conflict with the European organizations, which dates back to the notorious 1996 referendum.

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On May 7, which marked three years after the disappearance of the ex-Interior Minister of Belarus, general-major Yuri Zakharenko, the United Civil Party within the framework of their campaign “Want to know the truth!” held an action “Chain of those who care”. The protesters lined up in one chain with the general’s portraits in hands along the Skarina prospect. The passer-bys were handed in flyers, reading about the mysterious vanishing of Alexander Lukashenko’s opponent.

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May 16 will see the trial proceedings over the journalists of the “Pagonya” newspaper Nikolai Markevich and Pavel Mozheiko. As you know, the correspondents of the closed newspaper are charged under art.367/2 of the Criminal code (libeling the president of Belarus). The men may get up to five years in prison. The case consideration on the matter had been twice put off in the past.

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In Gomel town center during the protest action, run by the United Civil Party members, police apprehended “Vesna” human rights center representative Anatoly Poplavny, who passed out the bulletin “Right for freedom” and attempted to photograph the chain. Chair of the Central police station Ivan Smolikov, dressed in civilian clothes, radioed to the police patrol, which delivered Poplavny to the confinement.

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On May 7 in Minsk About 30 disabled persons on wheelchairs held a protest meeting against the present social policy of the Belarusian authorities. The action was organized by the Belarusian association of disabled persons on wheelchairs, which unites more than 600 people. Protesters held slogans: “President! Who should answer for disobeying the law on social defense of the disabled?”, “Democracy meanss equal rights and opportunities”, “Release us from home arrest”.

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The government of Belarus intends to attract into the country’s economy this year $400mln of foreign investments, including in the first six months – at least $100mln. RIA “Novosti” reports that during the Tuesday session of the Cabinet of Ministers it was announced that the Belarusian authorities hope to get a $200mln loan on the security of the bonds of the state-owned petroleum company “Slavneft”, as well as to sign by late May an agreement on getting from the government of Russia a technical credit worth $40mln.

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Total investments into the infrastructure of the “Velcom” network will exceed by late 2002 $100mln, BelaPAN was told in the Mobile Digital Communications administration office. During the company’s operation on the market it invested into the Belarusian economy over $75mln. At the moment the cellular operator caters for the needs of more than 176thsd clients countrywide. “Velcom” covered with its cellular network the territory of Belarus, inhabited by 83% of its residents.

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