A Draconian new law has `clamped down on everything` MINSK, Belarus: In the last four months, Tatyana and Sergei Akadanovy have been arrested twice, sent to jail for 10 days and fined more than $1,000, an unimaginable sum in impoverished Belarus.

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Russian political pundits believe that nothing new will happen during Alexander Lukashenko’s November 27 visit to Kremlin. According to Anrei Piantkovsky, the Belarusian leader will again learn the “traditional claims, which are secret for Lukashenko alone”. Piantkovsky said that the visit would be a mere liability test. Kremlin will reiterate its demands one more time, namely “to let Russian capital flood into Belarus, privatize Belarusian objects, and also to put an end to the confrontation with the West and NATO, not promote too hastily unification processes and keep to the diplomatic lexicon in foreign relations”.

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On November 27 Paris will host special PACE Commission for investigating into the politically motivated disappearances of Belarusians, reports the official CoE website. As you know, the Commission has been set up by the Committee for legal affairs and human rights of PACE. The Commission is headed by Russian deputy Sergei Kovalev, while deputy chairman is the British politician from the Labor party Kevin McNamara. The group is composed of 10 deputies, representing Belgium, Great Britain, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine.

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Rise in the trade turnover between Belarus and Iraq over the past 9 months constituted 40% of the last year’s period, despite all sanctions and resolutions, passed against Iraq, said during the Tuesday meeting with the Iraqi plenipotentiary ambassador in Minsk Daif Ahmed, chairman of the “house of representatives” Vadim Popov. The Speaker highly estimated what he called a “courageous decision” of the Iraqi nation to let international inspectors inside the country. Nonetheless, he noted, “USA will use any pretext to embark on the military operation in Iraq”.

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November 25 saw a visit to Minsk by the World Confederation of Labor delegation. The goal of the visit is to study the situation in all different spheres of the Belarusian society: political, social-economic, trade unions and their relations with the authorities. The WCL delegation previously visited our country back in 1995 after the notorious strike in the Minsk subway. Then the WCL representatives, together with their colleagues from ICFTU, informed about the events unfolding in Minsk the international trade union public and contributed to a large degree to the reinstatement at work of the previously dismissed train drivers.

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After the EU decision to deny entry visas to Alexander Lukashenko and his officials, the CoE also mounted pressure on the official Minsk. Rapporteur for Belarus of the PACE Wolfgang Behrendt announced in the end of last week the commission’s trip to the East European country in order to clarify the destiny of the missing opposition members. Upon the decision of the Council of Europe the commission will have to set off for Belarus in the near future.

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US and British pundits published on Monday the report on the inspection, carried out in Ukraine, into the supposed consignment of “Kolchuga” missile launchers to Iraq. In their report the experts noted that they deem it quite plausible that the Ukrainian authorities, in breach of the UN sanctions, shipped to the regime of Saddam Hussein a few “Kolchugas” through unidentified mediators, reports Associated Press.

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Summit of the North-Atlantic Treaty Organization inserted corrections into the activities of the tourist firms, operating in the Czech direction. The last sightseeing group left for the Czech Republic on November 10. After that the consulate ceased issuing visas to the Belarusian citizens. Some said that this is directly linked with the visa “number one” denial. In response, the Belarusian side recalled back to Minsk for alleged consultations ambassador Vladimir Belsky. Offended Belarusian incumbent declared that our relations with the Czech Republic are spoiled if not forever, then at least for a long time. The Belarusian Foreign Ministry didn’t rule out a possibility of the diplomatic relations rupture. What is it fraught with for the Belarusian tourist, for whom Prague has become a favorable route, while Prague – the real tourist Mecca?

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The state plans to spend 10bln559mln600thsd rubles on the forthcoming local elections. The concomitant expenditure list, as well as the calendar plan of the organizational events on preparing and conducting elections were approved by the members of the central Commission for elections and national referenda at the session, held on November 25 by chairwoman Lidya Ermoshina.

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Best optical devices and targets are manufactured in Belarus, deems the Defense Minister of Armenia Serge Sarkisyan. Armenia is greatly interested in cooperating with Belarus, underscored the Armenian Defense Minister during his meeting with the Belarusian colleague Leonid Maltsev, who arrived in Erevan on November 25.

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Prosecutor general Viktor Sheiman claims that the detention of the lieutenant-colonel Dmitry Pavlichenko had nothing to do with the vanishings of the Belarusian opposition politicians, reads the response, received yesterday to the inquiry of the deputy of the “house of representatives”, general Valery Frolov.
Prosecutor general doesn’t rule out the fact of the “preventive detention of the commander of the operative brigade 3214 Pavlichenko” on November 22, 2000. The lieutenant-colonel was detained upon the command of a then KGB chief of Belarus Vladimir Matskevich.

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Alexander Lukashenko gave his permission to the “Federation of trade union Belarusian” to call itself the Federation of trade union of Belarus. Decree #584 on the matter, permitting to use the official name of the country in the Federation’s title, was signed by Alexander Lukashenko on November 25, which, as noted by the presidential press-service, testifies to the state’s respect of the organization and its input into the country’s life.

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Belarus will step up analogous measures in response to Lithuania’s decision to raise the cost of entry visas, said deputy head of the Belarusian FM Alexander Gerasimenko. As has been previously reported, from November 16 the cost of a one-time visa to Lithuania will constitute 20 euros (previously - $15). Special visa will now cost 60 euros ($50), transit – 10 euros ($8). Group visa also grew costlier – 15 euros per capita. These measures have been caused by Lithuania’s soon accession into EU and change in the country’s currency policy.

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“Belenergo” concern cut off from energy supplies 780 companies, which failed to pay. As said at today’s press-conference, dedicated by the energy issues, the counselor to the president of the concern Vladimir Kordub, this involuntary measure was applied to the consumers, who continually accumulate debts before the energy system over an extended period of time. Over 3thsd companies are limited in their energy consumption as well.

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