Grodno process on the case of the independent “Pagonya” journalists ended in judicial lawlessness. Our colleagues Mikola Markevich and Pavel Mozheiko were found guilty of having honestly executed their professional duties. The journalists will be sent for involuntary labor for 2,5 and 2 years accordingly. A monstrous punishment, which smells like inquisition and Stalinist terror. They have already defined the next victim of article 386 of the Penal Code “Libeling president of Belarus” – editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Rabochy” Viktor Ivashkevich. We declare our decisive protest to the Belarusian authorities. Nobody has the right to persecute a person, who has an alternative viewpoint. No one can rid the journalist of his liberty for the work he’s doing. No to political repressions in Belarus!

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Russian president Vladimir Putin resumed today his public dialogue with the Belarusian leadership on the integration between the two states. After many years of uncertainty and speculations, Moscow has finally determined to settle down this highly delicate issue. Last week Putin for the very first time voiced strong-worded statements on Lukashenko, literally commanding him to define forms of unification of the two states. Today, during the big press-conference, he said more on the problem. Those, who watched him speaking, said that his voice sounded categorical and harsh. The president said once again that integration is possible, but only after his scenario. Lukashenko will either have to yield to his terms or give up his pan-Slav illusions. Following is the transcript of his reply to the journalists’ questions on Belarus:

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Today, June 24, at 2.30p.m. the Leninsky district court of Grodno will pass sentence to the “Pagonya” journalists Nikolai Markevich and Pavel Mozheiko. Such court proceedings are being held in the country for the first time. The reporters are charged with publishing a libelous article on Alexander Lukashenko. Neither of the convicts admits his guilt. The prosecutor demanded that the jury sentence the newspaper’s editor-in-chief Markevich to 2,5 years of jail and journalist Mozheiko – to 2 years.

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Europe’s most authoritarian ruler Alexander Lukashenko got into an even greater isolation after his dramatic dispute with his most powerful ally, president of Russia Vladimir Putin. Daily Telegraph writes that the tensions between the two leaders escalated into an open conflict during the deliberations on Lukashenko’s favorite subject – merger between the two states into one. Boris Eltsin, during whose rule they raised the issue for the first time 6 years ago, rendezvoused with Lukashenko yesterday in Minsk, but his mediation had been originally meaningless.

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Belarusian Foreign Minister Mikhail Khvostov said on Friday that he sees no sense in the planned OSCE leaders’ visit to Minsk. “We believe that there’s no reason to discuss the OSCE mission’s staying in the country. The Foreign Ministry never declined negotiations, but meeting for the sake of meeting is inadmissible,” – said Khvostov at the press-conference.

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Sensational detail of Minsk talks between Lukashenko and Putin has finally been revealed: Russian president proposed to insert amendments into the “union” treaty on the cancellation of single currency in Russia and Belarus. It wasn’t the Russian president who made this thing public, but rather the Belarusian Foreign Minister. This is quite understandable: Belarusians can’t survive without Russian rubles.

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“Lukashenko is left by himself in the cold,” – under such heading the British newspaper “The Guardian” published an article about the conflict between the Belarusian leader and Moscow. Here come a few typical quotations from the Jan Treinor’s article: “anachronistic authoritarianism”, “Europe’s sole dictator”, “nostalgia for Soviet superstate”, “megalomaniac” etc.

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Sudden cooling off in relations between Minsk and Moscow made Kremlin embark on a very audacious step – Boris Eltsin went on a visit to Belarus. Having arrived at destination, he immediately offered Lukashenko to forget about the union with Russia “after the USSR model”.

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The Iranian president Khattami’s coming to Belarus will take place late this year – early next year, said the Belarusian Foreign Minister Mikhail Khvostov. According to Khvostov, the relations, built between Belarus and Iran, don’t touch upon international issues. Belarus intends to develop trade and economic relations with Iran, while Iran will increase export to Belarus. The sides will also regulate problems of visa character and air flights.

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Draft decree on urgent measures to stabilize the state pension fund was placed on Alexander Lukashenko’s desk for final approval. The draft decree implies revision of the social insurance system for individual entrepreneurs.

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Presidium of the Federation of trade unions of Belarus ruled to speed up the implementation of an extra-curricular congress by scheduling it for July 31- August 1. The journalists were told by Frants Vitko that the move was provoked by “the anti-trade union campaign run by the authorities”.

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