Svetlana Zavadskaya, wife of the missing ORT cameraman Dmitry Zavadsky, claims that a few plain-clothed men in two vehicles were watching over her house in the Danily Serdicha str. in Minsk. Svetlana Zavadskaya told BelaPAN that she learnt this from her neighbors, who noticed two vehicles parked at her house on May 20 at 7.30a.m.-15p.m. The cars were parked in two opposite corners of the yard, blocking the exits from it. The only vehicle, which was between them was Zavadsky’s car. According to the neighbors, people from both cars periodically walked across the yard and chatted. One of the female tenants claims that one of them had a gun, hanging from beneath his coat.

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Tomorrow Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov will pay a one-day visit to Belarus as head of the governmental delegation of Moscow. He will meet with Alexander Lukashenko and heads of the Cabinet. The Moscow mayor will also engage in the liturgy, carried out by the Belarus’ Archbishop Filaret in the Minsk Holy Temple Cathedral. Luzhkov plans to take part in the opening ceremony of the Moscow days in Belarus.

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The news was announced at the May 22 press-conference in Minsk by the director general of “Horizont” Yuri Predko. According to him, at the companies, which are part of a bigger amalgamation, they already held conferences of labor teams, which unanimously determined to become joint stock, reports BelaPAN. At the initial stage all 100% of “Horizont’s” shares will remain with the state. “We want to make sure that the privatization process has inasmuch as possible small impact on the company’s economy, retaining the planned positive production parameters. We’d like to carry out privatization without losses,” – explained the director general. The association, which involves 11 affiliated companies, whose number of personnel exceeds 6,5thsd, will be made privatized as one whole.

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On May 23, 2002 the “Belneftehim” concern established new prices on the petroleum products, sold via the gas stations network and retail prices on gasoline. In accordance with the “Belneftehim’s” ruling the prices on fuel will undergo a 5% increase owing to the growth of prices on oil and unprofitable operation at the interior market of petroleum goods.

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Over the four months this year the production volume at the “Belshina” tyre-making manufacture constituted 84% of the concomitant last year’s level. In April 2002 the fall in the production volume as compared to the level of April 2001 constituted almost 80%. The major reason for that is the deficit of turnover assets. Belarus Prime Minister Gennady Novitsky decided to correct the situation and earmark to “Belshina” a $6mln loan under 12% interest rate a year.

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Belarus sophisticated the legislative regulation of the tobacco market and seriously simplified the transportation of tobacco products from importers to the final consumers, Alexander Lukashenko was told by his charge d’affaires Galina Zhuravkova and the Minister of trade Alexander Kulichkov.

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The number of crimes in Belarus has grown almost by 10 %. According to the Ministry of the Interior in the period from January till April 41, 105 crimes were registered, which is by 9.7% more than for the same period of 2001. The largest rate of crimes is in Mahilyou region – 48 crimes per 10,000 people. Then go Homel region (46 crimes), Minsk (44 crimes), Vitsebsk region (43 crimes), Minsk (44 crimes), Vitsebsk region (43 crimes), Minsk region (39 crimes), Brest region (32 crimes) and Hrodna (30 crimes).

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Second World War veteran Sergei Gotovchikov died in the town of Zhodino from starvation. Here’s what the Radio Saboda correspondent learnt about the demise of a 83-year old war veteran from the employee of the local “ambulance”, deputy of the Zhodino town hall Alexander Volchanin: “I got an inquiry. A lady, well in her 70ies, came to me and almost kneeling down begged: “Alexander Vasilievich, go with me, I’ll show you my war veteran, who can’t get his pension for six days. By the evening time he may die.” When Volchanin arrived to the place of the incident, he realized that the old man was in agony. He didn’t eat enough all of spring, as far as 150thsd rubles, which the elderly couple received together, had to be shared with the state, to which they paid public utilities and their adult handicapped sons.

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In Minsk it was not allowed to build new McDonald’s restaurants, MIG news informs. The city authorities of Minsk do not allocate land for them. The ban was introduced after the Ministry of Health named the cuisine of McDonald’s “unhealthy and even risky” for the Belarusians. As an alternative to American fast foods the Ministry calls the citizens to be clients of national fast foods, which “offer citizens and the guests of the country traditional cooking”.

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The day before the meeting with the head of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry Mikhail Khvastou the PA OSCE special working group on Belarus headed by Uta Zapf stated that the main question of the imminent visit to Minsk would concern the head of the OSCE group in Belarus. After the meeting the Belarusian FM stated that the mandate of the group should be revised. However the deputy of the Latvian parliament Helena Demakova, who together with Uta Zapf met minster Khvastou, informed Radio Racyja the following: “He was not speaking about the mandate at all. He said: why should be speak about it, this question is insignificant. And expressed a great hostility to this group”. Mrs Demakova supposes that Andrew Carpenter, who heads the OSCE group in Minsk now, and whose visa expires on June 1, would not be given a new one.

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Not so long ago these people enjoyed great authority and respect not only among their fellowmen but also among the high-ranking statesmen. Now they all face investigation. What’s new in their case files?

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Yesterday about 50 women, workers of Minsk medicine factory, protested against delay of salary payment. They picketed the entrance to the factory. As the Belorusskaya Delovaya gazeta informs, the women and some men demanded receiving their money immediately. Otherwise the desperate people threatened to block the street by the Cherviensky Market. As said by the protesters, the salaries were not paid on time before as well, but now they where not given even April salaries. From May 1 to 15 the workers were sent to holidays without giving them their money, in spite of the harsh instructions of the head of state.

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Exporter of the Lithuanian electricity – Russian company “Inter RAO EES” signed on May 21 an agreement with the Belarusian energy concern “Belenergo” on the transit of electric energy via the territory of Belarus. The Lithuanian newspaper “Lietuvos rytas” was told in the “Inter RAO EES” that the “Belenergo” pledged to ensure the transit of Lithuanian energy into Poland, Ukraine and Russia. The company experiences lack of understanding with the Belarusian Ministry of energy concerning the export of electricity into Belarus, as far as Belarus is dissatisfied with the price on the commodity and the Russian monopoly in the market. Belarus at present doesn’t import electricity neither from Lithuania nor from Russia. Lithuanian electricity is supplied only to Kaliningrad.

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The number of schoolchildren is reducing in connection with unfavorable demographic situation. It was said at the sitting of the Education Ministry board of Belarus in Minsk on May 22. In 2001-2002 school year the number of schoolchildren dropped by 57 thousands than the year before, and in the future year 52 thousands less are expected.

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