The head of the Belarusian prison system's medical service revealed that a lengthy hunger strike had taken its toll on Aleksandr Kozulin's health.
While talking to reporters on the sidelines of a conference in Minsk on Friday, Vasily Zavadsky, chief of the medical service of the interior ministry's Penal Department, described the fast as the opposition politician's "personal choice." "He took medical tests last week. There are certain [health] problems," he said.
"He is examined by a doctor every day. He refused from hospitalization," the official added.
Mr. Zavadsky noted that the administration of the correctional facility where the politician is held would not make attempts to force-feed Dr. Kozulin. "This not only threatens Dr. Kozulin's health but also is banned by Belarusian laws," he explained.
The former presidential candidate has been on hunger strike since October 20. The administration of the correctional facility has provided little information about his condition. Opposition politician Sergei Skrebets, who was released from the same prison last week, said that Dr. Kozulin had lost 20 percent of his weight and his condition was "near critical." //BelaPAN
Education Minister Aleksandr Radkov said that all 4,000 Belarusian orphans would spend the forthcoming Christmas/New Year vacation in Belarus.
They will spend it "in our health resorts, our families and at their places of stay," the official told reporters at the National Assembly's House of Representatives on Friday.
Earlier this fall, the Belarusian authorities banned orphan children from staying in Italy for recreation with families, allowing them to stay in the country for recreation at institutions only.
The decision came weeks after an Italian couple refused to send an orphan girl back to the boarding school for children with serious speech disorders in Vileika, Minsk region, this past September, saying that the 10-year-old had been physically abused there. The family kept Vika Moroz hidden for almost three weeks. The Belarusian authorities issued an official protest denouncing the move as a deliberate abduction.
Mr. Radkov confirmed that the ban on orphans' trips to Italy had been issued. He said that children grew attached to their host families prompting them to commit "offenses and provocations," as had been the case with Vika Moroz, which he noted was not a single incident.
The official said that orphans would be allowed to travel to Italy if the latter offered "prepared places under control of the Belarusian and Italian sides," as well as guarantees that Belarusian children would undergo "quality health treatment" there and return to their home country.
He added that the education ministry was seeking to fulfil Aleksandr Lukashenko's demand that Belarusian orphans should undergo medical treatments at Belarusian health resorts. //BelaPAN
Three opposition parties, the Belarusian Party of Communists, the Belarusian Social Democratic Party "Hramada" and the Belarusian Women's Party "Nadzeya" on Wednesday signed a document declaring their intention to form an alliance of left-wing parties.
At the ceremony, Sergei Kalyakin, leader of the Belarusian Party of Communists, said that talks about an inter-party alliance had begun after this past March's presidential election.
He said that the three parties shared basic Social Democratic values, such as freedom, equality, solidarity and justice.
The alliance will aim to return the country to the rule of law and democracy, carry out gradual political and economic reforms, tackle poverty and improve the country's image in the international arena.
Yelena Yeskova, leader of the Belarusian Women's Party "Nadzeya," emphasized the need for the alliance to combine efforts to democratize the country. She said that the alliance would make the parties stronger and their work easier.
Anatoly Levkovich, acting head of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party "Hramada" (BSDP), called on the parties to jointly struggle for the release of Aleksandr Kozulin, former presidential candidate who leads the BSDP.
He said that the alliance was not being formed in opposition to the coalition of united pro-democratic forces. He said that it would be open to all political groups sharing Social Democratic values. //BelaPAN
Aleksandr Lukashenko suggested diversifying Belarus' export destinations while receiving Nikolai Maksyuta, governor of Russia's Volgograd province, on November 20.
According to him, the country's GDP annually grows by eight to 10 percent, which is evidence that Belarus manufactures more and more products and the diversification of export destinations becomes an increasingly more important task.
"We cannot confine ourselves to even the friendliest brotherly country, supplying our goods to Russia only," the Belarusian leader's press office quoted him as saying. "At the same time we are not going to abandon our traditional markets. And this visit of the head of the Volgograd province is important for us from a trade and economic viewpoint."
Mr. Lukashenko noted that Belarus is interested in the development of good relations with Russia in all areas. "Whatever they say about our relations with Russia, we have more than identical views on global processes, and the processes in the development of our nations and our states," he said. "Despite all criticism, our Union exists," he stressed.
Mr. Lukashenko noted that this year's Belarusian-Russian trade was expected to reach $20 billion.
Trade between Belarus and the Volgograd province has exceeded $100 million this year, which tells a lot, Mr. Lukashenko said. //BelaPAN
Kyoto Protocol signatory states gave their consent to including Belarus into the environmental treaty's Annex B at UN climate talks in Kenya earlier this month, giving the country access to emission quota trading.
As Vladimir Tarasenko, a departmental head with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, told BelaPAN, Belarus will now have to observe its commitments regarding carbon dioxide emissions. Since Belarus is allowed to emit more than it actually does, it can sell its unused emission quota to industrialized nations whose emission levels exceed the limits set by the treaty.
An amendment to the Kyoto Protocol formalizing Belarus' inclusion into Annex B has to be ratified by Minsk and at least 75 percent of the signatory states before the country is allowed to trade in greenhouse gas emissions.
The Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change requires industrialized countries to cut their combined greenhouse gas emissions to five percent below 1990 levels by 2008-2012. Each country that signed the protocol has its own specific target.
The Belarusian government committed itself to reducing its carbon emissions to five percent less than 1990 levels, which amounted to 120 million tons.
In 2004, Belarus' emissions reportedly totaled 60 million tons.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has ordered a fund to be set up to finance the establishment of Belarusian-Venezuelan joint ventures, official information sources said on Monday.
The fund reportedly totals $500 million at present.
Official information sources said that the matter had been under discussion at Aleksandr Lukashenko's meeting with Nikolai Maksyuta, governor of Russia's Volgograd province, on Monday.
This past September, Belarus and Venezuela reportedly agreed to establish several manufacturing enterprises and cooperate in many other areas, including gas and oil production. //BelaPAN
The European Union has released a document outlining benefits that the 25-nation bloc is ready to offer Belarus in exchange for Minsk's steps to democratize the country, respect human rights and rule of law.
The document was made public by Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the EU's commissioner for External Relations and European Neighborhood Policy, in Brussels on November 21.
The document was expected to be delivered to representatives of the Belarusian authorities both in Brussels and in Minsk on Tuesday, according to the European Commission's Delegation to Ukraine and Belarus.
"Due to the current political conditions, it has so far not been possible for the EU to offer to Belarus the full advantages of the ENP [European Neighborhood Policy], which are already enjoyed by other countries in the region including Ukraine and Moldova. The paper makes clear that "the people of Belarus are the first victims of the isolation imposed by the country's authorities, and will be the first to reap the benefits on offer to a democratic Belarus," the delegation said.
"The people of Belarus have a right to know what they are missing," Ms. Ferrero-Waldner said at Tuesday's ceremony. "Our message is that as soon as the country indicates a willingness to move towards true democracy, human rights and rule of law, we will be ready to enter into a full partnership with Belarus within the framework of the ENP. That would mean a significant increase in assistance - to bring a host of improvements to Belarusians' quality of life."
"I hope the people of Belarus will see this paper as a chance to look towards a democratic future, and that the government of Belarus will take this opportunity to begin the reforms their people need, and end their isolation," the commissioner noted.
The European Commission described the ENP as "a special relationship between the EU and its neighbors, which supports political, economic and social reform in partner countries, and seeks to share the prosperity and stability enjoyed by EU member states with those on the EU's borders."
The EU promised that Belarus would become a full participant of the ENP if Minsk respected human rights, democracy and rule of law. If that is the case, the EU and the Belarusian government "would work together to achieve improvements in people's lives." In particular, the EU offers assistance in creating new trade opportunities to boost the Belarusian economy and create more and better job opportunities, improving the quality of healthcare and education, improving transport and energy networks, and the management of environmental problems, as well as reforming the legal and judicial system.
The European Commission said that Minsk needs to "respect the right" of Belarusian to "elect their leaders democratically, express themselves freely and have access to independent information, set up associations, and enjoy fair and transparent treatment by the judicial system.
"No one should be imprisoned for having expressed their opinion and no one should be denied the right to participate fully in the determination of their countries' future," the European Commission noted. //BelaPAN
First operator in Europe to use Head-up Guidance System on Bombardier Dash-8/300 and Bombardier Dash-8/400 aircraft
Just in time for the beginning of the adverse weather season, the newly installed Head-up Guidance System or HGS was unveiled in Innsbruck today. Tyrolean Airways, which operates under the brand name of Austrian arrows, becomes the first airline in Europe to use this revolutionary precision approach system on board the Bombardier Dash-8/300 and Dash-8/400.
Tyrolean Airways has already played a pioneering role in European aviation, back in 1996, when the Innsbruck-based carrier became the world’s first airline to receive the necessary authorization to operate HGS on Canadair Regional Jets. Now, thanks to close cooperation with American manufacturer Rockwell Collins, Tyrolean has also succeeded in gaining this authorization to use the system in Europe on both the above-mentioned types of turboprop aircraft. Tyrolean is currently the only client using the system on the Dash-8/300, and has played a leading part throughout the development and authorization process. Some 1,100 metres of cable per aircraft had to be used to physically install the system, while some 2,000 employee hours of work were invested in the installation and check-out of the new system during 20 days of idle time.
Although the Head-up Guidance System (HGS) is up to six times more precise than previous flight management systems during the approach, it is simpler in structure and less maintenance-intensive than standard ‘precision approach equipment’ currently authorized for all-weather flight operations. The system makes safe landings possible even under adverse weather conditions, for example during landings under so-called ‘Cat IIIa’ conditions (200 metres minimum runway visual range, 15 metres decision height), while minimum runway visual range of just 75 metres is needed for take-off from suitable airports. As a result, Tyrolean will be able to improve its impressive levels of reliability and punctuality furthermore.
Unlike adverse weather approaches with automatic landing, the approach using HGS is manually operated. With head-up guidance, the pilot no longer looks at the primary flight display on the instrument panel during the approach, but at a holographic screen located at eye-level instead. The virtual image of the flight data relevant to the approach and the reality of the surroundings are superimposed on this screen. This enables the pilot to follow the displays of the system whilst maintaining the outside world, and later the runway, within his field of vision at the same time.
The use of the Head-Up Guidance System therefore ensures that the switch from instrument-based approach to landing by sight is smoother. As a result, the pilot no longer needs to direct his concentration from the instrument panel to the runway shortly before touchdown. Instead, he has both the runway and all key data within his range of vision throughout the approach and until the landing roll. The system provides a range of other improvements in operational usage in addition to this.
Tyrolean Airways has already equipped five of its ten Bombardier Dash-8/400 aircraft with HGS, with the remaining five scheduled to follow by mid-2007. The Head-up Guidance System is also installed in all the 13 Canadair Regional Jets and 10 Bombardier Dash-8/300 in the Tyrolean fleet. As the Fokker 70 and Fokker 100 jets are equipped with Cat IIIa Autoland System, Tyrolean Airways is one of the very few operators in Europe, which is authorized to operate both its jet and turboprop fleet under Cat IIIa weather conditions.
With a fleet of 54 aircraft, Tyrolean operates on behalf of the Austrian Airlines Group and under the Austrian arrows brand, providing more than 2,000 flights a week to 80 destinations throughout Europe.
The Austrian Airlines Group has been flying to Belarus on a regular basis since 1992. Austrian flies Vienna-Minsk-Vienna twice a day at the moment.
Aleksandr Lukashenko said on November 17 that he had tasked the government with looking for "compensatory reserves" to use them if Russia raised its gas price for Belarus.
This money should not be taken from enterprises or the population, the Belarusian leader warned while visiting OAO Belshina, a tire company in Bobruisk, Mogilyov region. "It is necessary to look for other sources," he suggested. //BelaPAN
Aleksandr Kozulin's two daughters on Saturday will join a hunger strike staged in solidarity with the former presidential candidate.
Yuliya and Olga Kozulin will replace Nadezhda Baturo and Oleg Volchek, activists of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party "Hramada" (BSDP), in what is termed as a "relay hunger strike," BSDP member Ales Streltsov told BelaPAN.
Opposition activists have spent short spells without food since late October to display solidarity with Dr. Kozulin, the imprisoned BSDP leader who went on an open-ended hunger strike on October 20, saying that he was protesting the illegal reelection of Aleksandr Lukashenko for a third term this past March.
"We get phone calls from people who announce their intention to become a member of the solidarity hunger strike every day. We include them in a list and arrange the protest's schedule. Thus, the chain of hunger-strikers is not broken. As soon as one starts taking food, he or she is replaced by another. This will continue as long as Aleksandr Kozulin is on hunger strike," Igor Maslovsky, leader of the BSDP chapter in the Brest region, told BelaPAN earlier this month.
Among those who joined the protest are residents of Brest, Baranovichi, Grodno, Minsk and the Ukrainian town of Kovel, and two Belarusians studying in Poland.
The solidarity hunger strike was started by Anna Kanyus, leader of the BSDP chapter in Brest, on October 30. She withdrew from the protest on November 3. //BelaPAN
24 November 2006