The collation of signatures for nomination of the leader of democratic forces Alyaksandr Milinkevich as a candidate in the presidential race is to finish today, at 7.00 p.m. The initiative group of the leader of democratic forces A. Milinkevich continues to submit signature sheets to territorial election commissions for verification. It is known now that the number of signatures submitted by initiative group members exceeds 100,000 that are necessary for registration. However, the absolute number of signatures is to be told tomorrow by the initiative group head Alyaksandr Bukhvostau at 11 a.m. at a press conference in Minsk.
Radio “Ratsiya” is reviving. Yesterday late at night two commissions of the Polish Seim - the Commission on Foreign Affairs and the Commission on Mass Media - appealed to the Polish Government demanding to do everything possible to restore the broadcasting of the radio. As Radio Svaboda reports, the date of the first transmissions is defined - February 15.
The first observers of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) are expected to arrive in Belarus on February 6 to monitor the country`s presidential campaign, Nikolai Lozovik, secretary of the central election commission, told BelaPAN on Friday.
“It is impossible to overlook the situation in Belarus now, since everyone realizes - the election will be dishonest. The PACE should not limit itself to resolutions; it must urge Russia to adequate actions. Lukashenka will drop us again with “Beltransgaz”, and common ruble, and Constitutional act. The last talks of Lukashenka and Putin resulted in a collapse. How long can we be cheated?” - Counsellor of the President of Ukraine, member of the political council of the Union of Right Forces (URF) of Russia Boris Nemtsov told the newspaper “Kommersant” commenting on the harsh resolution calling to impose sanctions against Lukashenka’s regime that was adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Svetlagorsk District (Gomel Region) authorities refused to give premises to the regional organization Association of the Belarusian Language n.a. Frantsysk Scaryna (ABL).
As the Charter’97 press center was informed, on Jnauary 26-27 without explanation of reasons the TV channel Euronews was not broadcast. It could be linked with the fact that the Euronews was covering the session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and in particular, about passing a harsh resolution of the PACE with a demand to impose sanctions against Lukashenka’s regime. Besides, a speech at the PACE session of Belarusian democratic candidate for presidency Alyaksandr Milinkevich was showed.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has passed a resolution on Belarus. The resolution advocates isolation of Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s regime and calls upon support of democratic opposition. As the Radio Svaboda informs, Special Rapporteur on situation in Belarus, Estonian MP Andres Herkel is satisfied by the reaction of his colleagues in the PACE to his report. He stated that discussion and voting on resolution passed well too.
January 26, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a recommendation urging the Ministers Committee of the Council of Europe to coordinate their efforts on the Belarusian issue with the European Union. The recommendation was adopted basing on the resolution on the pre-election situation in Belarus denouncing the present state of the country. In the interview to a BelaPAN correspondent, Chairperson of the Sub-Committee on Human Rights of the PACE Christos Pourgourides said he set hopes that coordination of the efforts of all these institutions “will give signals to Russia of the complete necessity to cease support for the Government of Lukashenka”. “The position of the Council of Europe regarding the country is too mild and Russia, in its turn, is not willing to meet the obligations of a CU member”, - Christos Pourgourides emphasized.
“We regard the way chosen by the PACE to have no perspective”, - acting head of information department and press-secretary of the Belarusian Ministry for Foreign Affairs Andrei Papou commented on the resolution “on the Belarusian issue” adopted by the PACE at the session in Strasbourg.
On January 26 in Strasbourg in front of the building of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, where the Belarusian question was discussed, about ten Belarusians from Belgium and France held a picket. AT the picket they disseminated printed materials about the disappeared Belarusian professors.
On January 26 the editor-in-chief of the “Magazyn Polski” In Exile” Andrzej Poczobutt was summoned to the regional prosecutor’s office and asked to provide explanations. He was told that expert examination of information in two issues of the magazine “Magazyn Polski” In Exile” was held. But Mr Poczobutt refused to give explanations.
In Astravets, a search was held in the apartment of Ivan Kruk, who collected signatures in support of Alyaksandr Milinkevich. A sanction for the search of Ivan Kruk’s apartment was received y an investigator, as Ivan Kruk’s son, a 10-grade schoolboy, is suspected of stealing money from a pensioner, the Radio Svaboda informs.
On January 26 for an hour several policemen were trying to get into Brest city branch of Alyaksandr Milinkevich campaign. At that moment verification of 10,000 signatures collected in Brest in support of Alyaksandr Milinkevich’s nomination as a candidate in presidential race was taking place.
Campaign managers of Aleksandr Milinkevich, united opposition forces` presidential contender, called on the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) to deploy a large-scale observation mission for the March election while meeting with an ODIHR technical team in Minsk on January 26.
Zenon Poznyak, leader of the nationalist Conservative Christian Party (CCP), announced that his nomination group would not submit ballot-access signatures to the election authorities despite having collected way more than required for official registration as a presidential candidate.
Belarus` foreign ministry has condemned Warsaw`s support for an opposition presidential contender as interference in the country`s internal affairs. The statement comes in response to Aleksandr Milinkevich, united democratic forces` candidate, meetings with Poland`s president and lawmakers the previous day.
The European Union has bolstered its support for the Belarusian opposition before the upcoming presidential elections in March. The European Commission today announced the award of a new media contract allowing for independent pre-election broadcasts into the country. EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner also confirmed that opposition leader Alyaksandr Milinkevich will meet with EU foreign ministers in Brussels next week.
Russia has asked Belarus for confirm the acceptability of its new ambassador Alexander Surikov, a Belarussian Foreign Ministry source told Interfax on Thursday.
There were no explosions on the territory of Belarus that could provoke an earthquake. It would have been impossible to conceal such an event. Such was the commentary of the Belarusian Ministry of Emergency on the information edited by several Mass Media, according to which an explosion in Belarus was one of the most probable reasons for the earthquake (three points of Richter scale) that had taken place at night, January 24, in the north-east of Poland.
The city of Mogilev has experienced an anti-Semitic upset, as two local newspapers – "Vecherniy Mogilev" and "Mogilevskiye Vedomosti" – have published spiteful and offensive articles calling on citizens to boycott the production of `Bluminskiy` kosher bread, which is manufactured by the city`s Thrid Bakery since October 2005.
As Vice Prime Minister of Belarus Uladzimer Siamashka said yesterday, the 50 per cent shareholding of “Beltransgaz” can be sold to “Gazprom” only at the market price. “The privatization of “Beltransgaz” involves the market price of the company, not the balance price. “Gazprom” planned to continue selecting the evaluator”, - Mr. Siamashka said. But, according to “Kommersant”, the key negotiators on Belarus are engaged in the Ukrainian crisis and do not intend to arrive in Minsk before the end of the month.
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