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“Narodnaya Volya” In Court Again 17:35, 13/06/2005

Today in the court of Lenin district of Minsk the examination of the suit of the chairman of pro-presidential Belarusian Liberal Democratic Party, MP Syarhei Hajdukevich to “Narodnaya Volya” continues. The leader of the BLDP is seeking almost $93,000 in moral damages from the paper “Narodnaya Volya”. Today the results of expert examination of the copy of a fax published in the newspaper were announced. 
Czech FM Hails “Civil Belarus” Foundation 16:46, 13/06/2005

Foreign Ministry of the Czech Republic greets creation of International Association “Civil Belarus”, founded by Senate deputy chairman Jan Ruml, senator Karel Schwarzenber and deputy ombudsman Anna Sabatova. 
Fiscal shakedown 16:45, 13/06/2005

The Ministry of Taxation and Dues sent to district tax inspection a circular letter informing about an oncoming control of all independent editions of the country. The Ministry demands “all links with pseudo-structures” being exposed. The Ministry’s decree explains the necessity of the complex control by “facts of violating the legislature” by this organizations elicited by the Ministry of Information and law-enforcement agencies, “Nasha Niva” reports. 
Georgian Parliament will not strain relations with official Minsk now 16:37, 13/06/2005

Since Aliaxandar Lukashenka refuses from the idea of introducing the visa regime for the citizens of Georgia, the Georgian Parliament will reject the resolution that criticizes the plan of the Belarusian authorities, as Chairperson of the Georgian Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs Konstantin Gabashvili announced to journalists, June 13, “News - Georgia” news agency reports. 
Hramada’s Party Structures In Hrodna Liquidated 14:01, 13/06/2005

The head of Hrodna branch of Belarusian Social Democratic Hramada has received a letter from justice department of regional executive committee, signed by head of the justice department A.N. Senkevich. It is stated there that owing to the fact that Hrodna city branch of the Belarusian Social Democratic Hramada, and the primary organizations of the BSDH of Leninski and Kastrychnitski districts of Hrodna are registered in apartment blocks, these party structures’ registration is annulled. The leadership of Hrodna party structures of Hramada is proposed to give back registration papers and other party documents before June 15, human rights center “Viasna” informs. 
Propaganda is stepped up 13:49, 13/06/2005

On June 10 Alyaksandr Lukashenka issued a decree on “substituting and including new members to the republican informational and propaganda groups in connection with the new appointments and considering the results of these structures’ work”. According to the information of the press service of the head of state, the decree binds high officials, members of the government, deputies of the so-called “national assembly”, heads of republican organizations to organize common monthly informational days in labour collectives and at the places of residence “in order to explain the most important questions of state building, internal and foreign policy”.

Andrei Sannikov: “Georgia Started to Speak to Lukashenka In Language He Understands” 13:36, 13/06/2005

On June 10 Belarusian Foreign Minister Syarhei Martynau (Sergei Martynov) stated that Lukashenka had not decided to impose visa requirements with Georgia. According to Martynau, Georgian Parliament used unverified and legally invalid information when recommended the authorities to consider A.Lukashenka persona non grata in Georgia. Why Minister Syarhei Martynau and Natalya Pyatkevich, representative of presidential administration, had to negate the previous official information about imposing of visa requirements on Georgian citizens? “Georgian parliament and Georgia in general, have started to speak to Lukashenka in a language he understands. Immediately corresponding steps have been taken, the entry ban for Lukashenka had been proposed. And at once this fuss started and rather lame statements were made, as if nothing had been imposed and there had been no intention of visa requirements’ enforcing. Once again it has demonstrated that the Belarusian authorities understand only this kind of language,” told coordinator of civil initiative “Charter’97”, former deputy head of Foreign Affairs Andrei Sannikov. 
30th Day Of Syarhei Skrabets’ Hunger Strike In Brest Remand Prison 12:54, 13/06/2005

Today is the 30th day of hunger strike of former deputy and head of the deputy group “Respublika” Syarhei Skrabets. From the moment of detention on May 15 in the morning, he is drinking only water and continues hunger strike. S.Skrabets protests against arrest and charges against him, which he found groundless. 
Sergey Markov: Georgian Parliament treated Lukashenka correctly 11:53, 13/06/2005

The Georgian Parliament took the right decision prohibiting Lukashenka to enter the territory of their country, as the president of the Institute for Political Researches Sergey Markov told a Rosbalt correspondent. According to him, “any respectable state should not let ambitious and impudent dictators cross its frontiers.” 
Valiantsin Stsiefanovich: If 50, 100 thousand people come to the streets - the people will decide 11:52, 13/06/2005

“Today there is a tendency in Belarus when any demonstration, any civil protest in the center of Minsk is regarded as a violent breach of the peace, actions are brought against organizers. Although the actions that Statkevich, Seviarynets, Klimau were accused of, were peaceful and did not comprise formal components of a crime. But this lasts till a definite moment. A demonstration with 5-10 thousand people can be broken up easily and criminal proceedings can be taken against some of the participants, but with 50-100 thousands the people will make decisions. The people, who have the right to choose, to change the leadership of the country in a peaceful way, if this leadership contradicts the demands of the people,” - the lawyer of the human rights center “Viasna” Valiantsin Stsiefanovich commented to the Charter’97 press center on the recent trials of the Belarusian opposition leaders accused of organization of mass protest actions. 
In Europe, division among old and new 11:51, 13/06/2005, By Judy Dempsey, International Herald Tribune

When 10 new countries were admitted to the European Union on May 1 last year, there was a real sense that the divisions of Europe created by the big powers after 1945 had finally been overcome. During that sunny afternoon in Dublin, few of the 25 leaders of the enlarged EU could have imagined that, 12 months later, the Union would plunge into one of its deepest crises for many years. 
The Czech Republic to introduce the payment-free visa regime for Ukrainians 11:48, 13/06/2005

Czech prime minister, Jiri Paroubek, stated that his country would make visa granting for Ukrainians free of charge. It was one of the results of the negotiations in Poland between Ukrainian premier, Julia Timoshenko, and her Czech colleague, Radio Freedom reported. 
Soros: CIS has no future 11:48, 13/06/2005

At a June 3 press conference held in Kiev, billionaire-philanthropist George Soros declared the united economic space including Russia, Ukraine, Byelorussia and Kazakhstan will not be effective and has no future, The Messenger reported. Soros explained that the united economic space cannot function because of differences among the political regimes of its member countries. 
Lukashenka Frightened by Saakashvili 11:46, 13/06/2005, collage lenta.ru

Officials of the administration of Belarusian president and Foreign Minister of Belarus Martynau energetically started to refute the information that Alyaksandr Lukashenka had made a decision to introduce visa requirements for Georgian citizens. It is obvious that the Belarusian authorities had been worried by the reaction of Georgian authorities: on Friday Foreign Relations Committee of Georgian Parliament proposed a draft statement in response to the Belarus President’s decision, which recommends the authorities to consider Alexander Lukashenko persona non grata in Georgia. Speaker of Georgian parliament Nino Burdzhanadze stated that Lukashenka’s decision “demonstrates the agony of Belarusian regime”. 
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