The Political Council of Pro-democratic Forces assigned a field of responsibility to each of the co-chairmen at its meeting held in Minsk on May 30, said the press office of the Belarusian Popular Front (BPF).
BPF Chairman Vintsuk Vyachorka will be responsible for information and mobilization work and foreign relations; Anatol Lyabedzka, chairman of the United Civic Party, for "the development of a positive alternative"; Syarhey Kalyakin, leader of the Belarusian Party of Communists, for work with the provinces; and Anatol Lyawkovich, acting chairman of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party "Hramada," for election campaigns..
According to the BPF press office, participants at the meeting also discussed work with the public. The board of the Political Council was tasked with developing an action plan until the end of the week. The 10-member board includes the four co-chairmen and six leaders of the largest groups, which were formed at the Congress of Pro-democratic Forces on May 27.
The Political Council unanimously approved the BPF's proposal to set up an organizing committee for the celebration of the anniversary of the adoption of Belarus' State Sovereignty Declaration, which will be observed on July 27.// BelaPAN
The Belarusian Council of Ministers will raise the rate of the crude oil export duty from $156.4 to $200.6 per ton on June 1.
The export duty on light and middle distillates, gasoil, liquefied petroleum gases, benzene, toluene and xylol will be increased from $117.7 to $147.5 per ton and on oils, fuel oils, petroleum coke, asphalt and other petroleum byproducts from $63.4 to $79.4 per ton.
Belarus has changed the rates of the export duties on petroleum products under an agreement with Russia signed earlier this year. Under the accord, the two countries should have the same rates of the duties.
Russia revises the rates of the export duties on oil and petroleum products every two months depending on a change in world oil prices. The rate of Russia's duty on oil exports to Belarus is 29.3 percent of the rate applied to crude exports to other countries.
Representatives of the Belarusian Potash Company (BPC) were elected to the Council and a general standing committee of the International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA), reported the company's press office.
According to it, the election was held at the May 21-23 75th IFA Annual Conference in Istanbul, Turkey. BPC Director General Uladzimir Nikalayenka became a member of the Council and First Deputy Director General Aleh Pyatrow to the Production and International Trade Committee. Representatives of RUP VA Belaruskaly and OAO Uralkaly, stockholders of the BPC, were also elected to the Council and general standing committees.
Attending the conference were representatives of leading manufacturer, suppliers and purchasers of fertilizers, such as PCS, Mosaic, Agrium, APC, OPC, Yara, Canpotex, Trans Ammonia, Bunge, Sinochem, CNAMPGC, and others.
Participants reportedly noted an upward trend in international potash fertilizer prices. "The global consumption of potassium chloride will grow, fueled by rapid economic growth in developing countries," the BPC press office said. "Asian countries, such as India and China, and also Latin American countries will become major consumers of this raw material."
Industrial capacity growth around the world is expected to be slow and demand for potash fertilizers is expected to increase, which will trigger a rise in prices, according to the press office. During the IFA conference, major suppliers and manufacturers of potash fertilizers announced a rise in their products' prices in a number of regions.
The Belarusian Potash Company was set up in April 2005. Belaruskaly and Russia's Uralkaly hold 50-percent stakes in the company. Through the BPC, Belaruskaly and Uralkaly reportedly provide 30 percent of the world's potash supply. Among its importers are African and European countries, India, China, the USA, the Pacific region, Central and South America. The BPC has representative offices in Beijing, New Deli, Singapore, San Paolo and Chicago. //BelaPAN
Alyaksandr Lukashenka, by his May 29 presidential edict, approved a draft Belarusian-Russian agreement on the through transit of goods as the basis for negotiations, said the press office of the Belarusian leader.
According to the press office, the draft agreement specifies the procedure of issuing transit permits by the parties' customs departments, and the procedure of establishing the date and destination of deliveries. Legal entities ranked as "customs carriers" would be entitled to carry goods via the territory of the other country without customs escort and without security of customs duty payment.
The draft agreement specifies the collection of custom duty payments, and the enforcement of outstanding payments.
It also provides for the exchange of information about goods moved vis the other country. The parties would also share data about issued transit permits, transit completion, documents confirming customs duty payments, customs offenses, and money transfers.
Alyaksandr Shpilewski, chairman of Belarus' State Customs Committee (SCC), was authorized to negotiate and sign the agreement, which is expected to boost the transit of Russian shipments via Belarus.
As SCC Deputy Chairman Uladzimir Hoshyn told reporters on Wednesday, the accord will be signed within the next few days.
According to him, the document is, in a way, an equivalent of the European Transit Agreement. The Belarusian customs would recognize Russian customs documents and financial guarantees in the amount of customs duty, excise tax and VAT, and the Russian customs will reciprocate, Mr. Hoshyn said. The financial guarantees are needed to prevent losses by the other party in the event of the loss of a shipment, he explained//BelaPAN
The Committee for State Security (KGB) would not disclose the names of people arrested together with Alyaksandr Barowski, chairman of the Belarusian State Petrochemical Industry Concern (Belnaftakhim), on May 29, KGB spokesman Valery Nadtachayew told BelaPAN.
He said that keeping the names secret was in the "interests of the investigation."
Mr. Barowski is reportedly suspected of corruption and abuse of office. Prosecutor General Pyotr Miklashevich broke the news of his arrest at a news conference on Wednesday.
Mr. Nadtachayew said that Mr. Barowski had not yet been charged. He said that the law gave 10 days to bring charges against a suspect held in custody, noting that in some cases, it provided for the longer detention of a suspect.
The press office of Belnaftakhim refused to comment to BelaPAN on the case.
According to Mr. Miklashevich, the suspects are currently held in the KGB pretrial detention center. Large amounts of cash, valuables and papers related to the investigation were reportedly seized from them.
Mr. Miklashevich said that the arrests were a "result of active joint actions by law-enforcement agencies that are required by the law on corruption to lead the prevention of and fight against corruption." "In April, we held a joint coordination meeting between the chiefs of the interior ministry, the KGB and the Prosecutor General's Office at which we identified a set of measures, and we will be joining efforts to detect and prevent all corruption crimes irrespective of ranks and offices," he added.
The European Union Presidency has welcomed the recent early release of two opposition politicians Pavel Sevyarynets and Mikalay Statkevich.
It said in a statement on Tuesday that the government of Belarus should release all other political prisoners "without delay."
It also called for an end to the "repression" of opposition youth groups. It said that following Tuesday's judgment against five members of an unregistered opposition group called Malady Front, the Belarusian authorities also should release the group's leader, Zmitser Dashkevich, sentenced to 18 months in a minimum-security correctional institution on November 1, 2006.
The Presidency reiterated the EU's offer to enter into a full partnership with Belarus within the framework of the European Neighborhood Policy. However, it stressed that "this cooperation is contingent upon the Belarusian Government professing its strong commitment to democratic values, human rights and the rule of law and initiating democratic reforms."
Alyaksandr Lukashenka warned that Belarus would never agree to its incorporation into Russia.
"We would not like to be anyone's puppets," Mr. Lukashenka said at his Tuesday meeting with a delegation of Russian government officials representing the Siberian Federal District. "And what matters most for us is that we should not become a part of any other country. We don't want to join Poland or Lithuania, which we were once a part of. We will not become a part of the Russian state. This is not necessary, this is harmful. This would create a new Chechnya in the west of the Russian Federation."
"We are ready today not only for a serious dialogue but for a serious union with Russia," Mr. Lukashenka went on to say. "But we want to know clearly what Russia wants from Belarus, what are the reasons for this or that direction and proposal."
The head of state reiterated his objections to the introduction of the Russian ruble in Belarus before the adoption of the Union State's constitution. "Why do they put the cart ahead of the horse? We just want to know this. We may agree to this. But why not a constitution that would provide for everything, including a single currency? And why are they in fact denouncing the Union State establishment treaty today?" //BelaPAN
Around 35,000 children in Belarus are in a "socially dangerous" situation, Ryhor Butrym, a departmental head at the education ministry, said at a news conference in Minsk on Tuesday.
The official said that the November 24, 2006 presidential decree was a "serious and significant step in streamlining work" in the sphere.
The presidential decree allows authorities to remove children from "immoral" or "neglectful" parents without a court order and requires the parents to compensate the government for the maintenance of their children. It has drawn criticism from some experts, who say that Article 32 of the constitution declares that children may be removed from their family against the will of their parents only by a court order.
Mr. Butrym said that following the enactment of the decree, the ministry held meetings in provinces to study the document in detail and discuss an action plan for its execution. He said that the documents had made it possible to identify a "new model for the protection of children in a socially dangerous situation."
According to him, the number of newly abandoned children dropped from more than 5,000 in 2005 to around 4,000 in 2006.
Yury Kulakowski, chairman of the Committee on Human Rights, Ethnic Relations and the Media in the House of Representatives, in his turn, described the decree as a revolutionary act by the head of state aimed at making life "comfortable" for Belarusian children. He added that the decree gave an opportunity to "put a tangible screen" against anti-social behavior. //BelaPAN
Alyaksandr Lukashenka said that the fate of the Belarusian-Russian Union State rested only with Moscow.
While receiving a delegation of officials representing Russia's Siberian federal district on Tuesday, Mr. Lukashenka noted that "absolutely nothing depends on Belarus" as far it concerned its further integration with Russia, official information sources said.
The Belarusian leader stressed that Minsk was ready for a close union with Russia. "We have to quickly find a way out of the current situation and get back to establishing a union that was an example of how one needs to live and work," he was quoted as saying.
Mr. Lukashenka accused Russia of failure to honor an agreement on the removal of restrictions in trade with Belarus. He stressed that Minsk was interested in market economy relations with Russia and the creation of a competitive environment in bilateral trade.
Raising the subject of military ties between the two countries, Mr. Lukashenka said that Belarus shared Russia's opposition to the United States' plans to deploy a missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic. "This is unacceptable and this is taking place near our border, not Russia's border. We may take adequate measures - this is our area of responsibility," he said. //BelaPAN
Miklos Haraszti, the OSCE's representative on freedom of the media, will arrive in Minsk on June 4 and 5, Yury Kulakowski, chairman of the Committee on Human Rights, Ethnic Relations and the Media in the House of Representatives, told BelaPAN.
Mr. Haraszti is reportedly scheduled to meet with Mr. Kulakowski on June 4 to discuss the media situation in the country and the drafting of regulations that would govern the electronic media.
In late March, OSCE media watchdog criticized Belarus' Media Law in his report on print media registration practices.
He slammed Article 11 of the law that "requires outlets to re-register in the event of changes in the founder's details or in the name of the publication, or in the event of two government decisions in one year to halt the activities of the publication." "Outlets are required not just to submit the details of the changes in order to that the data may be updated but instead are required to repeat the whole registration process, which can take months, during which time they may not publish," the report read.
The OSCE media watchdog warned that "the existence of arbitrary registration and re-registration requirements can threaten critical media at any point in time," explaining that "this threat is particularly onerous in the lead up to a significant public event, such as a general election."
Mr. Haraszti recommended scrapping the "arbitrary system of permissive registration" for the print press. "The possibility to refuse registration of print press outlets based on grounds of content, subject matter or intended audience should be removed," he said. "Restrictions on content, where applicable, should be provided for in general legal provisions and not used as a basis to deny the existence of a newspaper."
31 May 2007