On May 14 in Minsk consolations between Minsk region representatives of the European coalition “Free Belarus” and the People’s coalition “Five Plus” took place. The European coalition was represented by Dzmitry Barodka, member of the election bloc “Free Belarus”, the head of the Minsk regional branch of the Social Democratic Party (Narodnaya Hramada) Kanstantsin Maroz, the head of the public association “Talaka’ (Maladzechna) Andrei Asmalouski. The People’s coalition Five Plus was represented by the head of Minsk regional branch of the United Civil Party Maryna Bahdankevich, the leader of the public association “Run” Pyotr Holasau, the head of Minsk regional branch of the Party of Belarusian Communists Valery Ukhnalyou. At the meeting the evaluation of the situation before the parliamentary elections was made. The working group on carrying out a Round Table of a wider format has been created. It is planned to invite all candidates, representatives of all democratic forces of the country. At the round table it is planned to discuss the issues of common vote observation, nomination of election commissions members, the questions of regional branches work relating to the danger of referendum for prolongation of presidential power of Aleskandr Lukashenka, and so on.
Representatives of Belarusian major mass media are visiting Moscow on invitation of the Russian information news agency “Novosti”. For the first time not only state mass media reporters (newspapers “Sovetskaya Belorussia”, “Respublika” and BelTA news agency), but also ones of independent mass media were invited (the Belorusskaya Delovaya Gazeta, Narodnaya Volya, Belorusskij Rynok newspapers, the BelaPAN news agency). It is worth mentioning that at the first appointment the Belarusian journalists met with “Gazprom” director Alexei Miller. Besides, meetings in the Russian President’s Administration, Russian government and in the State Duma are planned. There have never been such visits in the history of modern Belarusian journalism.
On May 15 activists of Nootdorp branch of the reputable human rights organization “Amnesty International” (The Netherlands) held a collection of signatures under a petition to Alyaksandr Lukashenka. As the participant of the action Erik Kissing told to the Charter’97 press center, In a petition we asked the public to undersign Amnesty International`s call to reopen the investigation in the disappearances cases.
“Belarus is too far from meeting criterion of the Council of Europe,” told at a press conference Council of Europe Secretary-General Walter Schwimmer on May 15. As the Rosbalt news agency informed, he underlined that “there no signs that Belarus has any improvements in the situation with human rights and observance of the law”.
The term of administrative arrest of the leader of the All-National Strike Committee of Businessmen and member of the European coalition “Free Belarus” Valery Levanewski was extended by tree days. It has become known on May 14, the day before Levanewski was to be released from prison, where ha had spent 15 days for dissemination of leaflets. The reason for protraction of the term was allegedly founding out some new facts, the press service of the All-Nation Businessmen Strike Committee told.
Last summer, when President Alyaksandr Lukashenka suddenly decreed the introduction of new compulsory ideology courses in secondary and higher education, the Belarusian teaching profession was completely unprepared. No dedicated textbooks had been readied, nor even course notes for the instructors. Indeed, the final tender for textbooks appears to have closed only on 15 February -- the day before the courses were due to begin.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Rihards Piks` (People`s Party) visit to Strasbourg continues today, where he is participating in a meeting of the Council of Europe`s Committee of Ministers. The committee is to hear Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Bernard Bot`s report today on what has been achieved in the past six months when the Committee of Ministers was chaired by the Netherlands. Piks will address the Committee of Ministers today to speak about reform of the European Court of Human Rights and the importance of promoting cooperation between the Council of Europe and the European Union. Piks will also touch upon the pre-election situation in Belarus, and call on the international community to watch developments in Belarus and support democratic forces in this country.
On May 12, SIBUR and BELTRANSGAZ signed an agreement to buy 168 million cu m of gas which will suffice until May 18. This year Minsk bought 7.9b cu m of gas from independent producers and the 8.2b cu m quota is to be used by May 25 under an intergovernmental agreement. Who will supply gas to Belarus if BELTRANSGAZ fails to conclude a contract with GAZPROM remains unclear. The Belarussian and Russian companies are waiting for the decision which is to follow a meeting between presidents Vladimitr Putin and Alexander Lukashenko on May 21 and 22.
The Homel regional police directorate has initiated a criminal case on disorderly conduct against four underage residents suspected of beating up two Sudanese doctors on 9 May. "The investigation has determined that four residents of Homel aged from 15 to 17 were involved in the incident on 9 May. They have been detained and are being kept in custody, waiting to be officially indicted," Lyudmila Panamaryshkina, an investigator from the Homel regional police directorate, told Interfax today.
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