The United States and our coalition partners are creating a more secure situation in Iraq and the region for the long term in fulfillment of relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions. Recent Belarusian leadership’s comments to the press concerning American policy toward Iraq reflect a misunderstanding of the situation in Iraq and American motives.

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Gazprom will proceed to negotiate with Belarus as to the terms and dates to set up Beltransgaz-based joint gas transport enterprise. The respective issue as well as Russia`s -Belarus gas cooperation have been discussed at today`s meeting of Gazprom Board Chairman Alexei Miller and Belarus Vice Premier Vladimir Semashko over today`s meeting, Gazprom said. The parties have also decided to advance signing of 2003 contract to deliver gas at market prices. 2003 contract sets forth 10.2 bcm of gas to be delivered to Belarus.

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On Thursday prime minister of Russian Federation Mikhail Kasyanov had a meeting with his colleague from Belarus Syarhei Sidorski. As the Department of governmental information has specified, the prime ministers discussed the possibilities of further development of Russian-Belarusian integration. Speaking at the final press conference, Mikhail Kasyanov named the negotiations on the introduction of Russian roubles as a common currency of the two states to the category of missed opportunities of the year 2003, NTV informs.

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Autumn session of the “chamber of representatives’ ended without introducing a new bill on mass media. “It is evident that the bill is to be introduced for consideration of the spring session. We are getting ready for discussing it”, said the head of the Center of Legal Assistance to Mass media by the public association “Belarusian Association of Journalists” Mikhail Pastukhow.

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The police detained the circulation of the local issue of Smarhon’ of independent newspaper “Mestnaya Gazeta”. At 5 p.m. a patrol police car made a mini bus Volkswagen stop in the outskirts of Smarhon’. The mini bus was transporting 5700 issues of the newspaper.

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According to the decision of the administrative commission of the Moscow district of Brest, the chairman of Brest branch of the Belarusian Popular Front Nina Davydowskaya is to pay a penalty amounting to 49 thousand roubles for dissemination o leaflets on the International day of Human rights.

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Alyaksandar Lukashenka has accused the USA that they “openly state their special rights for using military force against the states which dare to perform independent foreign and internal policy”, NEWSru.com informs.

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