A two-day visit of Belarusian president Alyaksandr Lukashenka to Moscow has finished. The meeting of the Belarusian dictator and Russian president was held behind closed doors. The only official information about the meeting is that the main topic of the negotiations was “questions of further construction of the union state”. Putin and Lukashenka have not held a final press conference summarizing the results of the talks, and have not made any statements. Russian and Belarusian official media are keeping strange silence about these developments. “Firstly, the visit has taken place on the days marking the 11th anniversary of Lukashenka’s power, which is rather symbolic by itself. I do not think that Putin is considering some scenarios of real “union state” with Lukashenka”. On one hand, Putin would like to counter Ukrainian-Georgian revolution with something. On the other hand, Lukashenka is so hideous that with his help Putin can just damage his reputation both inside the country and abroad. Even the well-known supporter of inmerial policy of Russia Karaganov has publicly discredit Lukashenka’s regime,” told the former deputy head of Foreign Relations Ministry of Belarus, international coordinator of the civil initiative “Charter’97”, and one of the leaders of the “Free Belarus” Andrei Sannikov, commenting on the visit of Lukashenka to Moscow.

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Talks which began yesterday between presidents Putin and Lukashenko at the Zaviodovo state residence continued Thursday. During the morning, the Russian and Belarusian presidents continued to discuss issues related to bilateral cooperation. Yesterday, in opening talks with Lukashenko, Putin commented on the importance and timeliness of the meeting, and discussed issues related to developing the Russia-Belarus union (Yeltsin and Lukashenko signed a treaty on forming a union in December 1999).

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Polish authorities have suggested they could toss a Belarusian diplomat out of the country and hinted at visa troubles for Belarusians in the latest installment of a tit-for-tat row that erupted two months ago between those neighboring countries.

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The U.S. House of Representatives voted late Wednesday to earmark $24 million for promoting democracy, development of political parties and independent media in Belarus over the next two years, the RIA-Novosti news agency reported.

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Today marks 10 years of independent radio station in Belarusian language, “101.2”. the radio station was founded on July 21, 1995. It was closed by order of Alyaksandr Lukashenka before the referendum in 1996.

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Transfer of Syarhei Skrabets from Brest remand prison to Minsk depends on his state of health. The wife of the former deputy, Alyaksandra Skrabets, was told about it by investigator for particularly important cases of the Prosecutor`s office of Belarus Vyachaslau Tserakhovich, who is in charge of the case of Syarhei Skrabets for months already. According to the investigator, much would depend on the results of medical examination, which is to be carried out by doctors of Brest remand prison, where the former deputy is kept since May 15.

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According to the direction of the Interior Ministry of Poland, Belarusian diplomat, whose name is not revealed yet, is to leave this country. The Belarusian diplomatic mission in Warsaw has confirmed this information to the BelaPAN.

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Vol. 8, No. 22
July 06-20, 2005
Edited by Maria Kabalina and Olga Tarasov
International League for Human Rights

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Did you see President of Lukashenko and TVC President Poptsov on TV? The wonderful, kind, sincere, and unbiased Lukashenko… An angel, simply an angel. He made an appearance just for the visit. With persistence worthy of the best, Moscow continues to cajole leaders who have no future.

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Within a week Mikola Statkevich and Paval Sevyarynets are to be directed to serve the sentence to a place of a so-called “corrective labour”. The court of Tsentralny district accused the oppositional politicians to three years of personal restraint and corrective labour for organizing street protests on October 18 and 19, during which mass riot allegedly had taken place. The rallies were held as a protest against rigged results of parliamentary elections and referendum. The court has taken into consideration that during the investigation an amnesty had been announced, that is why Mikola Statkevich and Paval Sevyarynets’ term was shortened from three to two years.

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At the evening session on Wednesday the chamber of representatives of the US Congress allocated $24 mln for advancing democracy, development of political parties and independent mass media in Belarus for the next two years. As RIA Novosti was informed in the secretariat of the chamber, such provisions are reflected in the bill on financing foreign policy activities of the USA in 2006-2007, adopted by majority of votes. 351 congressmen supported the bill, and 78 congressmen voted against.

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The formation of a Russia-Belarus Union was the focus of attention at a meeting on Wednesday between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko. Putin, opening the meeting at the Rus residence in Zavidovo, Tver Region, called it "well-timed."

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Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko met with President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday for talks on bringing the two countries closer together. Lukashenko, who has been shunned by the West, thanked Putin for backing stronger ties between Moscow and Minsk, saying he attached "great importance to this support," RIA-Novosti reported.

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The UCP active worker A. Gotovec was brought before the court of the town Kirovsk and was fined 50 minimum wages (1 275 000 rubles). A. Gotovec was recognized guilty in violation of article 167 (1) of the Code on Administrative Offences “Violation of the order of conducting assemblies, meetings, street procession, demonstration and picketing.”

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Russian TV-channel made happy it’s audience with a lengthy interview with Alexander Lukashenko. It’s genre more closely resembled a ceremony of laying a wreath on a living monument of the Belarussian ruler. No prices were named, but the smell of money was in the air. What did Lukashenko speak about?

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President Lukashenko of Belarus arrived in Russia yesterday to promote a reunification plan for the two countries to offset growing Western influence in the former Soviet Union. Some analysts say that the new union would allow Vladimir Putin to stay on as President after 2008, when, having served two terms, he is obliged to step down under the present Russian Constitution.

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11 suicides were entered in 2004 in Belarusian army, and 27 soldiers died last year in total, told Defence Ministry of Belarus to Interfax on Thursday.

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