The local elections can take place in Belarus on March 2, 2003, deems the chairwoman of the Central Electoral Committee of Belarus Lydia Ermoshina. The present deputies’ tenure in office expires on April 4 next year. Under the law, the elections must take place not later than 1 month prior to that date. In order to run the elections the authorities will set up around 7,000 district commissions. The CEC sent an inquiry into the Ministry of finance over the allocation of 15bln rubles for the purpose (last year’s presidential ballot cost 12bln rubles).
127 officials were brought to administrative accountability in Belarus over the salary payment delays to their personnel. Such data are cited in the procuracy’s report, drawn upon the outcomes of the legislation examination, targeted at the timely payment of wages.
In order to implement crucial investment projects at the Belarusian leading petroleum companies – “Naftan”, “Polimir”, “Azot”, “Blshina” and “Himvolokno” – by 2005 they need a minimal amount of $1bln.
According to the Ministry of taxation of Belarus, by May 1, 2002 the companies’ indebtedness before the state budget reached 208,6bln rubles. In comparison with the beginning of the year it rose by 55,4%.
The Ministry of healthcare of the Republic of Belarus has to work out by September 1 a draft state program on the primary medical aid. The project must be developed and submitted for consideration to the Cabinet of Ministers by January 1, 2003.
Today the International Court in Hague will try the former commander of the Bosnian Serbs’ police Darko Mrdya. The man is charged with masterminding the murders of over two hundred civilians in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1992. The massacre took place in the town of Tukovi and nearby concentration camp Tronopolie, where they kept in custody Bosnian Moslems. According to the prosecutors of the Hague Tribunal for war crimes, the prisoners and town’s inhabitants were told to kneel down before the steep hill after which they were shot. There’s no official data on the exact number of victims.
RUSSIA-BELARUS UNION NO MORE? 11:13, 17/06/2002, Putin’s statements create a danger of political isolation for Lukashenko
On June 13 Lukashenko probably received the strongest blow in all of his political career. The far-reaching plans of a leader of the neighboring Belarus suffered severe defeat.
At the recent away session of the commission for legal affairs and human rights of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly, due to take place in Saratov, they removed from the daily agenda an item “Situation in Belarus”. Commentaries on the hearings by the missing relatives of May 17, 2002 in Paris.” As noted by the commission’s chair Eduard Lintner (Germany), this happened because the rapporteur on the issue couldn’t engage in debates this time. The subject will be raised next time.
The first president of the Russian Federation Boris Eltsin is invited by Alexander Lukashenko to pay a visit to Belarus next week. As stressed by the press-service of the Belarusian head of state, it is expected that Alexander Lukashenko and Boris Eltsin will hold a joint meeting, while on June 22 – the day of the Nazi’s invasion into USSR, namely Belarus – they will visit the memorial complex “Heroic Brest Fortress”.
On June 16-18, 2002 the State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus Gennady Nevyglas will pay a visit to Iran. The Foreign Ministry reports that the visit is a scheduled event, which follows the recent official visit to Belarus of the Secretary of the Supreme Council for national security of Iran Hasan Ruhani. It is planned that Gennady Nevyglas will be using his trip to Teheran as a preparatory stage to the upcoming journey to Minsk of the Iranian president Mohammad Hatami.
“We came to seek the expansion of contacts and are returning with our mission fulfilled,” – said the Minister of economy and foreign trade of Syria Gasan Al-Rifai, commenting to the journalists on the outcomes of the second session of the Belarusian-Syrian commission on trade, economic and scientific cooperation. According to Rifai, the sides “came to a mutual consent on most crucial issues”: rise in the trade volumes, scientific and technical cooperation and exchange of technical specialists in various spheres of economy.
According to the results of elections into the chairman of the Young Front, held on June 16 at the scheduled 4th YF Sojm, acting chairman Pavel Severinets claimed convinced victory (53%). His main contender, head of the Grodno YF branch Vadim Saranchukov received 42% of votes. 5% of delegates voted against both. Moreover, they also elected the Central Council, newly formed Political Council and new deputies chairman: S.Bakhun, V.Shlyakhtin, S.Lisichonok, E.Skochko, A.Shein. Vadim Saranchukov turned down the proposal to occupy the deputy chairman’s seat.
On Saturday and Sunday the Catholics, Protestants and Jews of Belarus went on a “common prayer” protesting against the “parliament’s” ratification in the first reading of an amended draft law “On the freedom of faith and religious organizations”. According to the representatives of these confessions, the new version of the law contains a bunch of non-democratic norms. In particular, this has to do with the creation of religious groups, which can be formed “upon the initiative of at least twenty Belarusian nationals of legal age”. Moreover, the believers are dissatisfied over the law’s provision on the necessity to have at least 10 churches in order to make up a religious association. Moreover, they got to be functioning on the territory of the country for 20 years.
Russia does not intend to reconsider the volumes of oil supply to Belarus before late 2002. RBK reports with a reference to a source in the Russian government, that they have not undertaken any attempts to review the amount of oil supplies to Belarus so far nor will they do so in 2002.
Belarus introduced new tariffs on the issue of entry visa for the Lithuanian nationals. The statement on the matter was circulated by the Foreign Ministry of Belarus. The Belarusian side underscores that this step is but a response to the Lithuania’s own actions. Beginning from June 8, 2002 the embassy of Lithuania, based in Minsk, raised the prices of all types of visas by another $5 and transit visas, including the group ones, - by $3.
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