In May the public attention in Belarus was focused on the response of the Belarusian authorities to the decisive demands of the US and the European Union. In the end of April David Kramer, US deputy assistant secretary of state, made an official visit to Belarus. He stated that the US and the EU expect from the Belarusian authorities concrete steps for normalization of the relations with the international community. The first condition which the Belarusian government must implement for improvement of relations is to release all political prisoners and stop politically motivated harassment, including persecution of Young Front activists. ‘The statements of the Belarusian side about readiness for dialogue do not meet their actions’, stated the diplomat. Mr. Kramer also emphasized that the US still does not use all means of influence on Lukashenka’s regime which are provided by the Bill on support to democracy in Belarus.

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The 35th annual meeting of General secretaries of Europe`s Bishops` Conferences started on June 14 with a Holy Mass in St Mary’s Cathedral in Minsk. The topic of the meeting is “Migration – a challenge to Europe”. The Holy Mass was celebrated by Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Martin Vidovich. All Roman Catholic bishops, 34 General secretaries of Europe`s Bishops` Conferences, priests and parishioners of different churches in Minsk, representatives of the official authorities have taken part in the mass.

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Should the Belarusian management be afraid of new rods of the authorities or not? We mean here the ‘corruption ‘amendments to the Criminal Code and the ‘economical’ directive. Much depends on how these documents calling the officials and directorate for working honestly and effectively are to be legally applied.

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Today Belarusian Protestants start a three-day fasting. After it, on June 17, a nation-wide prayer is to start. The aim of the action is to attract attention to violations of rights of religious minorities by the government.

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Deputies of the “house of representatives” are hastily establishing district organizations of the new public association. In Barisau the constituent assembly of 28 initiators was held 31 May, now the process of the primary organizations establishment is on. Its head, deputy director for ideology of the repair enterprise #140 Uladzimir Vasiliev is certain: their registration will not be a problem.

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“The European Humanitarian University is first of all the educational and not political project unlike other Belarusian institutions of higher education. It is free of ideological monitoring” is said in the appeal of the management of the university, which was after being closed in Belarus registered in Lithuania. The press service of the EHU remarks that last week the official Belarusian mass media “started another campaign of discrediting the European Humanitarian University”.

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Minsk city executive committee answered with a denial to the application of the members of the Belarusian Popular Front party Andrus Ihnatovich and Syarzhuk Semyaniuk for holding a picket on June 21. The picket’s aim was to collect signatures against the repeal of benefits.

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At the meeting with the administration of Transneft Semyon Vainshtok Russian president Vladimir Putin has spoken in favor of looking for compromises in relations of Russia with countries transiting energy resources. Putin asked how relations of the company with transit countries are developing. As said by Vainshtok, “the lesson of January when we didn’t surrender to the dictate of the Belarusian side,” was right.

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US President George W. Bush has extended unilateral sanctions against Alyaksandr Lukashenka and nine top officials. President Bush extended a national emergency declaration that enables the U.S. government to freeze any property in the United States owned by Belarus` president and selected other officials. In the letter of the President to the Congress he stated that "The actions and policies of certain members of the government of Belarus and other persons pose a continuing unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States".

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