Opposition activists in Brest on Wednesday distributed more bulletins featuring the opposition coalition’s Anti-crisis Platform.
The members of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party “Hramada” passed out more than 500 bulletins in downtown Brest between 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., Ihar Maslowski, chairman of the party’s city organization, told BelaPAN.
The bulletin contained the text of the platform, a message by the United Pro-democratic Forces, as well as information about activities of the Hramada party’s local organization.
“People of different ages, students and elderly people, took them eagerly,” Mr. Maslowski noted. “Someone even took them for their friends and neighbors, which shows that the material featured in the bulletin is topical.”
Local opposition activists distributed similar bulletins in the city on June 24 and are set to pass out more to familiarize people with the opposition’s proposals for overcoming the impact of the global economic crisis on Belarus.
Prime Minister Syarhey Sidorski met with German Gref, CEO of Sberbank, in Minsk on Wednesday to discuss the Russian bank’s involvement in the privatization of Belarusian companies.
“We would like to discuss matters that concern both privatization and the development of relations between Sberbank and Belarusian enterprises,” the Council of Ministers’ press office quoted Mr. Sidorski as saying.
He suggested that Sberbank could provide loans and advice to Belarusian enterprises.
Mr. Gref, for his part, described Belarus as a priority market for the Russian bank. “Our development strategy says that Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan - are the top priority partners with which we will develop business,” he said.
Sberbank currently has subsidiary banks in Ukraine and Kazakhstan. “We will take efforts to have worthy representation in the Belarusian market of financial services, in particular in these difficult times when few investors express an intention to expand their business,” Mr. Gref noted.
The executive described Sberbank’s relations with Belarus’ government and National Bank as constructive.
“Since February we have reached considerable progress on an overwhelming majority of issues specified in the memorandum of cooperation. Today we are ready for a conversation on specific projects. We will put all agreements into practice in the near future,” Mr. Gref said.
Earlier this year, Sberbank announced that it was considering the acquisition of Belprambudbank.
The Belarusian government, which holds 95 percent in Belprambudbank, and the National Bank of Belarus have repeatedly said that they are ready to consider offers to buy stakes in the bank.
Founded in 1923, Belprambudbank is one of Belarus' oldest and largest banks. It offers a full range of services to corporate clients in key economic sectors. Its assets rose by an estimated 24.5 percent in 2008 to 4,450 billion rubels. //BelaPAN
Belarus hopes to become a major long-term trading partner for Venezuela, Viktar Sheyman, co-chairman of the joint High-level Commission, told the visiting Venezuelan minister of energy and oil, Rafael Ramirez, in Minsk on July 2.
Mr. Sheyman noted the “dynamic” development of relations between the two countries within the framework of their “strategic alliance.”
Two-way trade increased fourfold last year, he said but noted the need to step up efforts to maintain the trade growth and carry out large-scale projects amid the global crunch.
The Belarusian-Venezuelan High-level Commission, which is co-chaired by Minister Rafael Ramirez, is scheduled to hold a meeting in Caracas in August.
“The commission’s work should produce specific results that will allow starting assembly processes at joint companies – Ven-BelAZ Camiones, MAZ Ven and VeneMinsk Tractores,” Mr. Sheyman said. “We should use the commission’s meeting to speed up the implementation of other joint projects that will benefit both Belarusian manufacturers and Venezuelan consumers.”
“Belarus is ready to fully satisfy Venezuela’s demand” for machines, electric devices, industrial machinery, quarry and road equipment, he said, noting that joint projects would help Venezuela boost its “technological level.”
Mr. Ramirez expressed satisfaction with the current level of bilateral cooperation in the energy sphere.
“The projects that we have started jointly with Belarusnafta, as well as in the sphere of natural gas and seismic measurements fully satisfy us,” the minister said. “They are a sign of not only political proximity and readiness for cooperation but also a high level of your equipment.”
The meeting between Messrs. Sheyman and Ramirez was scheduled to yield the Venezuelan oil ministry’s statement on the transfer of three oil fields to Petrolera BeloVenezolana, a Belarusian-Venezuelan oil company; a memorandum on the joint development of a natural gas project in Venezuela; a memorandum of intent to set up a joint company that will provide services in the oil sphere; and an agreement on technological cooperation between the Belarusnafta oil company and Intevep, a subsidiary of National Oil Company of Venezuela. //BelaPAN
The United States welcomes the release of American lawyer Emanuel Zeltser from Belarus’ prison, said Ian Kelly, spokesman for the US Department of State, said in a statement.
Mr. Zeltser who was imprisoned in murky circumstances in Bealrus last year was freed from Mahilyow’s prison on the evening of June 30 after being pardoned by Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
"We welcome this news," the AFP quoted Mr. Kelly as telling reporters in Washington.
But Mr. Kelly said: "We still have other concerns of course with some of the actions of the Belarusian government."
He added that Washington was still reviewing policy toward Belarus.
Mr. Lukashenka signed the presidential edict pardoning the ailing lawyer on June 30 after meeting with a visiting delegation of senior US lawmakers.
“I never thought that this person could become an issue in relations between our states,” the Belarusian leader’s press office quoted him as telling the US lawmakers. “It is true that I may pardon Emanuel Zeltser in accordance with Belarusian laws and the constitution. You have requested me to do this, haven’t you? If it is very important to America and our relations and may contribute to the normalization of our relations, I’ll sign the edict today.”
“We welcome the release of Emanuel Zeltser on humanitarian grounds,” US Senator Benjamin L. Cardin who met with Mr. Lukashenka on Tuesday said in a statement. “However, we made it clear to President Lukashenka today that the only way to improve the relationship between our countries is for him to increase political freedom and respect for human rights. Belarus should make progress on the conditions laid out in the Belarus Democracy Act if the country is to see any changes in US sanctions here.”
Mr. Zeltser’s defense counsel had repeatedly said that his client had been fully eligible for release under this year’s amnesty law.
The Belarusian authorities, however, delayed a decision on his release. The 55-year-old Zeltser went on hunger strike on June 7 in protest against the foot-dragging. He suspended the strike some 20 days later.
In August 2008, Mr. Zeltser was sentenced to three years in prison on charges of "attempted industrial espionage" and the use of fake documents. His secretary, Russian citizen Vladlena Funk, was sentenced to one year in prison on the same charges. The Minsk City Court held the trial behind closed doors and no details of the case were disclosed to the public.
The pair were arrested upon their arrival in Minsk in March 2008. Ms. Funk was released from a Homyel correctional institution on March 12 after fully serving her sentence. She left Belarus after being held in a local detention center for more than a week. //BelaPAN
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is planning to visit Belarus at the end of August or at the beginning of the next month, Venezuelan Ambassador Americo Dias Nunes said at a news conference in Minsk on July 1.
Mutual visits at the highest level have become traditional, the ambassador said, noting that the Belarusian leader was expected to pay a return visit to Venezuela in December 2009.
“It is quite possible that new joint plants will be opened in Venezuela during the visit,” Mr. Nunes said.
Mr. Chavez visited Belarus three times in the past -- in July 2006, June 2007 and July 2008.
Mr. Lukashenka visited Caracas in December 2007. A joint oil production company named PetroVenBel was inaugurated during his visit.
On June 20, Mr. Lukashenka had a phone conversation with his Venezuelan counterpart.
“They had a detailed discussion on issues concerning the implementation of large-scale projects in various areas ranging from construction to machine building and petrochemistry,” the Belarusian leader’s press office said in a written comment. “A particular attention was paid to progress on a Belarusian-Venezuelan oil production project in Venezuela.” //BelaPAN
2 July 2009
3