Lukashenko Blames Private Entrepreneurs Over Sabotage :: Charter'97 :: News

Export-import operations with lucrative commodity don’t bring enough profit to the Belarusian manufacturers, the nation and the state in general due to the chain of numerous intermediaries, where the majority are private entrepreneurs, said Alexander Lukashenko at the Monday meeting, dedicated to the sophistication of external trade activities.

Alexander Lukashenko demanded to ensure starting from April 1, 2002 a perfect scheme of Belarusian tractors’ consignment to Russia via a unique state dealers’ network. According to the Belarusian incumbent, this “will help reduce penetration to the market of illegal tractors and increase monetary influx to the state budget”. As deemed by the Belarusian leader, due to the mediators, who are for the most part non-residents, “Belarus loses $50mln in export of the mineral fertilizers, whereas these means could well go to cover the purchase of medical equipment and childcare programs”. In this connection Lukashenko demanded that they set up by the end of the year a “transparent business scheme”, which would prevent the state from incurring such losses.

Alexander Lukashenko also insisted that beginning with “January 1, 2003 the share of barter operations in the country should not exceed 25%”, while all barter operations can be carried out only on the basis of the concrete decision of the Belarusian Cabinet of Ministers. “Government members bear personal accountability, criminal one included, for the fulfillment of this task, for the state suffers tremendous losses”, - underscored Alexander Lukashenko.