The Dutch Presidency of the EU has released a statement testifying to its `disapproval` and `regret` over moves to close down the European Humanities University in Minsk, Belarus, by the national government.

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“Relations between Belarus and Syria will be intensified,” told Alyaksandar Lukashenka at the meeting with the speaker of Syrian parliament Makhmud Al Abrash, who has arrived for a visit to Minsk. “We want these agreements reached during the meeting with Syrian president Bashar Asad to be realized in the near future. If there some agreements that have lost their urgency, they should be revised and their realization abandoned,” underlined Lukashenka. At the same time the Belarusian leader assured that “all agreements will be realized by the Belarusian side, if they are in the interests of Syria and there is a will for their fulfillment”.

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The administration of European Humanities University (EHU), which was stripped of its license by the education ministry`s July 26 directive, plans to appeal to the Supreme Economic Court of Belarus. Independent lawyers believe that the ministry`s decision to cancel the license was based on legally incorrect conclusions of the ministry’s certification commission and the tax authorities, Sergei Pankovsky, adviser to the EHU rector for international cooperation, told BelaPAN on Monday.

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The preliminary results of forming the election committees in constituencies show that generally the authorities have ignored the applications of the democratic parties. For example, in Mahilyou region none of the nominees proposed by the coalition “Five Plus” had been approved. In Minsk only one member of the Belarusian Popular Front was included to the committee, but none of the United Civil Party members. In Brest the authorities let one member from each party, the Belarusian Popular Front, the UCP and the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Narodnaya Hramada), into the committee. In Homiel region only three members of the UCP, five of the Party of Communists of Belarus (PCB) and one member of the PA Belarusian Popular Front “Adradzhennie”.

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Some 70 students of European Humanities University (EHU) amassed on Oktyabrskaya Square in central Minsk on Monday evening in an effort to attract public attention to the government’s recent decision to cancel their university`s license. The demonstrators sat on the pavement reading books for some 15 minutes. Many of the students had stickers saying, “Bring EHU Back.” Such stickers later appeared in nearby underpasses and subway cars. The crowd dispersed as soon as it started raining.

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A UK citizen and professor at Kingston University, Alan Flowers, has been expelled from Belarus, without explanation, the Itar-Tass news agency reports.

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All the 1,430 places on Belarus’ 110 electoral district commissions were expected to be filled by Monday evening, Nikolai Lozovik, secretary of the central election commission, told BelaPAN. After all district election commissions are formed, the election authorities will hold a series of training seminars for their members. The first seminars will be held in Minsk and Vitebsk on August 4, and other regional capitals are expected to host such events before August 11, according to the official.

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Officers of the court tried to distrain the possessions of the editorial office of the newspaper “Narodnaya Volya” on August 2. According to the decision of the court, the newspaper is to pay more than 15 millions Belarusian rubles to entrepreneur Syarhei Atroschanka for insult of honor and dignity. Together with the court expenses the sum is more than 17 millions (more than 6 thousnd Euro). The editor-in-chief of the “Narodnaya Volya” Iosif Syaredzich refused to sign the resolution of the court, as he hopes to controvert the decision of the court in the Supreme Court, Radio Svaboda informs.

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On August 2 the Supreme Court of Belarus met a claim of the Ministry of Justice and liquidated the Belarusian Labour Party. The Justice Ministry accused the party of systematical violation of the Civil Code of Belarus, the law “On Political Parties” and their own Statute. In particular, according to the Ministry, the leadership of the party has repeatedly provided incorrect information about its legal address and number of branches to the Justice Ministry. Besides, according to the Justice Ministry, the BLP has violated its own Statute stipulations regarding periodicity of general assemblies. The congresses carried out in March and May of 2004 were found illegitimate by the Justice Ministry, as the delegates allegedly were nominated with violations of party Statute and law’s stipulations.

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Activists of the Belarusian Popular Front (BPF)’s organization in the Minsk region on Monday started a five-day tour of villages located in the vicinity of a Russian early warning radar near Gantsevichi, Brest region, to warn their residents about possible radiation hazards.

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