The Committee for State Control of Belarus has published the results of the check of the economic activities of concern “Belneftekhim”. According to the information of the Committee, which was revealed by “Soiuz-Info”, at the petrol stations owned by this company the prices for petrol are the highest in the country. At the same time the concern is freed from taxes by selling oil products for export. However, because of ineffective management, almost 27 mln US dollar profit have been lost in the last two years. At the same time, as the Committee for State Control noted, “salaries of some top managers are 5-6 times as big as the prime minister’s one”. 64 criminal actions were instigated on the results of the check.

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The Belarusian children, infected with the inborn metabolism malfunction urgently need medication, which is stored at the Belarusian customs. The pills were received in early April but can’t be passed over to the addressees due to the change of its code. The medication was transferred into the food supplements category, which falls under 5% of customs duty and 20% VAT. The customs is ready to return it to where it belongs granted they pay the taxes.

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In the next couple of days Belarus may pass a new law, regulating religious process and relations between the church and the state. This law, as compared to the existing one, restricts the freedom of faith rather than ensures it. Owing to this fact many have already named the law “politically motivated”.

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Over four months of 2002 the Belarusian army recorded 155 crimes, while during the analogous period last year – 112. This figure was announced during the May 20 session in Minsk of the joint commission of the Belarus’ Defense Ministry and the Belarusian Military Procuracy. The event attracted the state secretary of the Security Council of Belarus Gennady Nevyglas.

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Alexander Lukashenko hopes to pay an official visit this year to Kyrgyzstan, during which the sides will sign a political Treaty on friendship and cooperation. The head of state noted this during his Tuesday meeting in Minsk with the speaker of the Kyrgyzstan upper chamber of parliament Altai Borubaev. Lukashenko pointed out that they had already reached the agreement with the Kyrgyzstan president Aslan Akaev “to define concrete directions and spheres of trade-economic cooperation”.

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The journalists were told this on May 20 by the director general of the Latvian television. “Eho Moskvy” quotes the director who said that the Czech government wants to take away the headquarters of the radio-station in Prague and so they might move into the building of the Riga TV center building. The Latvian Premier has already forwarded the concomitant invitation to the radio-station’s crew.

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Mogilev region failed to fulfill the planned production growth parameters, stated the participants of the May 20 meeting of the Mogilev region council, who drew the conclusions on the country’s social-economic development over the four months this year.

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Additional energy bloc at one of the Russian atomic stations will be build with the assistance of Belarus, “Vremya Novostei” quotes Alexander Lukashenko as saying. According to the director general of the Institute of energy and nuclear research Alexander Mikhalevich, the Belarusian side offers to help launch construction works at the Smolensk, Kursk or Kalinin stations. At the moment the Belarusian government is looking in the heat electric stations’ construction projects. The cost of works may well total to 20mln BLR and will be likely included into the union budget.

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Fifth price-increase on white vodka this year happened in the country. According to the long formed tradition the value of this alcoholic beverage rose by 2,5%. From now on the retail price on half-liter of “Kristal-100” vodka will cost 2310 rubles (before – 2260), “Belaya Rus”, “Kristal-lux” – 2390 (2330), reports BelaPAN. Since the beginning of this year vodka rose by 13,1% in price, while the average consumer prices in the country soared by 16,4%.

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The European Bank for reconstruction and development will accept new strategy in relation to Belarus, which envisages the curtailment of the Bank’s programs to the minimum on the territory of Belarus. Radio Svaboda quotes the Bank’s representative as saying that they will stick to the similar police with regard for Belarus as with Turkmenistan. Within the framework of this strategy the Bank doesn’t give loans to the country if the government refuses to pursue certain political and economic reforms. At the same time they continue to finance small and medium businesses. Strategy towards Belarus has to be first approved by the Bank’s leadership.

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Trial over the former Belarusian Prime Minister Mikhail Chigir was scheduled for May 21 in the Frunzensky district court of Minsk. The process will be presided by judge Natalya Varenik, the BelaPAN correspondent was told by Mikhail Chigir’s spouse, who’s also acting as his legal attorney.

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Ebergard Haiken’s appointment as head of the OSCE Advisory-Monitoring Group in Minsk will become one of the main issues on the agenda of today’s negotiations between the OSCE PA delegates and the official Belarus’ authorities, said Uta Tsapf during her conversation with the journalists in the Minsk airport. In her opinion, Haiken’s candidacy is quite appropriate for working in Belarus and she sees no reasons for denying him accreditation and not letting to do the job.

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Helena Demakova, Lithuanian Parliament deputy and member of a special OSCE PA working group for Belarus, who had been granted Belarusian entry visa one day before her voyage to Belarus, told Radio Svaboda that the Russian ambassador in Minsk refused to meet her and the head of the working group Uta Tsapf, having sent a lower ranking official instead.

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Head of the working group for Belarus of the PSCE PA Uta Tsapf deems “absurd” some accusations against the former head of the AMG Hans-Georg Wieck, voiced by the Belarusian authorities. The government charged him with pursuing political goals and interfering in the country’s domestic affairs.

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The Minister of sport and tourism Evgeny Vorsin strongly criticized the activities of the organizations, which are subdued to the Ministry of sport, during the May 20 extra-curricular session of the Ministry’s board. The root-cause for his utter dissatisfaction were the claims, put forth to the Ministry by Alexander Lukashenko during the April 29 meeting, dedicated to the country’s social-economic development in the first quarter 2002.

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Seemingly, the second national channel ONT won’t appear on air within the expected time frames. In late March its initiators declared the start of broadcasting as mid-May but right now they still have to do some equipment installation, reports Radio Ratsya.

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