Representatives of the Perspektyva small business group are expected to visit the Czech Republic between June 25 and July 1 at the invitation of the Civic Belarus association and the Czech foreign ministry.
As Perspektyva leader Anatol Shumchanka told BelaPAN, this will be the first visit of the association's delegation abroad. "For the first time sole entrepreneurs have not been just invited as a delegation but also have a visit schedule focusing on entrepreneurs' movement issues," he said.
The delegation is expected to meet with representatives of the Czech foreign ministry and upper parliamentary chamber, as well as hold talks with the leaders of several small business associations.
"Sole entrepreneurs are above all interested to learn about small business conditions in the Czech Republic: the opening and closure of businesses, rent, ownership types, licensing, paperwork, etc," he said.
The delegation will include 10 Perspektyva members resident in Minsk, Brest, Homyel, Mahilyow and Vitsyebsk. //BelaPAN
Freedom House has included Belarus in the 10-country list of "the worst press freedom abusers."
In its survey looking at the situation in 195 countries, the US-based global human rights watchdog has blasted the Belarusian government's move to pass a bill criminalizing efforts to "discredit Belarus in the eyes of international organizations and foreign governments" and introducing a two-year prison sentence as punishment for the offense. "The same prison terms apply to those convicted of distributing "false information" about Belarus' political, economic, social, or international situation," Freedom House says.
The watchdog also has accused Minsk of moving to control the Internet, in particular regularly block the websites of independent media outlets, opposition parties and non-governmental organizations.
Members of the Brest regional chapter of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party "Hramada" (BSDP) have applied to the Brest government for permission to stage a rally in the city on July 10.
The purpose of the rally is to attract the attention of Brest residents to the stance of the international community that demands the immediate release of BSDP leader and former presidential candidate Alyaksandr Kazulin, Ihar Maslowski, head of the regional chapter, told BelaPAN.
"The international public, the governments of various countries are not indifferent to the fate of Alyaksandr Kazulin," he stressed. "We're not alone in our struggle for the release of our leader. The campaign of solidarity with the former presidential candidate is underway in dozens countries. We want as many citizens of our country as possible to know this."
Dr. Kazulin, rector of Belarusian State University between 1996 and 2003 who has recently been reelected in absentia as BSDP chairman, was arrested during a police crackdown on a peaceful post-election opposition march on March 25, 2006. On July 13, he was sentenced to 5 1/2 years in a minimum security correctional institution on charges of hooliganism and the organization of group actions disturbing the public peace.
More than 100 people, mostly opposition activists, gathered at the Maskowskiya cemetery on the evening of June 22 to commemorate the fourth anniversary of Vasil Bykaw's death.
The admirers of the renowned writer's talent, with many holding Belarus' historically national white-red-white flags, laid flowers at his grave and sang "Mahutny Bozha" (Oh, Lord Almighty), a Belarusian-language anthem.
Uladzimir Ramantsaw, a member of the Conservative Christian Party, said that, four years after his death, "Vasil Bykaw is still looking at this world through our hearts, souls and eyes." "He hopes that Belarus will remain a normal independent country that will love its mother tongue, its national culture and will have respect for Man, regardless of his or her age and socio-economic status," Mr. Ramantsaw stressed.
Vital Rymashewski, an activist of Alyaksandr Milinkevich's Movement for Freedom, said that Vasil Bykaw is called the conscience of the Belarusians, while his works are seen as the voice of conscience. "And this voice calls on us to be his worthy successors and to fight for his ideals," Mr. Rymashewski suggested.
Vintsuk Vyachorka, leader of the Belarusian Popular Front, noted that the genius writer was not afraid to take to the streets to make his courageous voice heard even when all Belarusians were unable to hear it. "I'm convinced that Vasil Bykaw's words that 'freedom alone will give us independence, however, only independence can ensure freedom' should stay in our hearts and on our flags," the politician stressed.
Ales Pashkevich, chairman of the Union of Belarusian Writers, said that in the years following Vasil Bykaw's death true Belarusians were able to fully appreciate the extent of the loss.
Mario Andrea Rigoni, special rapporteur on Belarus at the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), will visit Minsk in October, the press office of the Council of Europe told BelaPAN.
On June 21, Mr. Rigoni met in Rome with Syarhey Haydukevich, the Belarusian foreign minister's special representative for relations with European parliamentary organizations.
According to the press office, Mr. Rigoni reiterated his concern about the existence of political prisoners in Belarus. Mr. Haydukevich argued that there are no political prisoners in Belarus, but there are criminals who call themselves political prisoners. Mr. Rigoni asked for the lawmaker's assistance in arranging meetings with these people during this forthcoming visit.
Mr. Haydukevich reportedly noted that the Belarusian government is ready to cooperate with the European Union. Mr. Rigoni stressed that Europe does not expect Belarus to become a democratic country overnight, but the government could start with reforming its Criminal Code and legislative system.
In an interview with BelaPAN, Mr. Haydukevich, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party, described his meeting with Mr. Rigoni and talks at the Italian foreign ministry as "very fruitful, positive and useful."
"I'm sure that the content of my conversation with the foreign ministry's representatives would be reported to their leadership," he said.
According to Mr. Haydukevich, he will have a meeting with PACE President Rene van der Linden in Strasbourg on June 23.
Belarusian border guards apprehended 12 illegal migrants from Pakistan in the Kobryn district on June 19, Dzmitry Dzevyataw a senior officer with the Brest Border Control Group, told BelaPAN.
According to him, the border patrol pulled over two cars not far from Kobryn, finding the 12 Pakistanis inside.
Three Belarusians are suspected of planning to illegally take the migrants across the border into Ukraine.
The migrants, who had arrived from Russia, were put in a detention center pending a decision on their deportation.
The Brest Border Control Group has reportedly seized a total of 88 cross-border offenders since the beginning of the year.
Alyaksandr Lukashenka, by his June 21 presidential edict, added some types of school attire to the list of children's goods subject to a reduced,10-percent, VAT rate, the Belarusian leader's press office said.
According to it, the extended application of the reduced rate will bring down the prices of children's goods and help improve the living standards of families raising children, the press office said.
The edict also authorized the agriculture ministry and the State Standardization Committee to decide on ranking food items as delicatessens, which will help resolve disputes over the application of the 10-percent rate, the press office said. //BelaPAN
Ukrainian electricity imports were halted because Belarus had used up its allowance for the first six months, Uladzimir Karduba, chief engineer with national electric power utility Belenerha, explained to BelaPAN on June 21.
"We haven't received electricity from Ukraine since the end of May," he said, adding that Belarus "has not experienced any electricity shortages following the suspension of the Ukrainian supplies." Mr. Karduba did not specify when the supplies would resume.
On June 20, the Ukrainian government's UNIAN news agency reported with reference to a source at the energy ministry that Ukraine had suspended electricity supplies to Belarus because of a shortage of nuclear-generated electricity in the domestic market. Ukraine had contracted to supply Belarus with 62 million kilowatt-hours of electricity in June, the news agency said.
The shortage of nuclear-generated electricity occurred after four units at the country's four nuclear power plants had been shut down for routine summer repairs, the press office of the Ukrainian fuel and energy ministry explained to BelaPAN.
Ukraine suggested that Belarus should buy electricity at a market price for the time being, but Minsk rejected the offer because it "wants to receive the cheaper nuclear-generated electricity," the press office said.
Ukraine's electricity exporter, Ukrinterenerho, reportedly supplied Belarus with only half of the amount that it was to supply in April and May under the contract.
Belarus is a major consumer of Ukrainian electricity. The country was said to have imported about 2.5 billion kilowatt-hours worth $50 million in 2006 and expected to import up to 3.5 billion kilowatt-hours in 2007.
Martin Hecker, the German ambassador to Belarus, on Friday presented his country's state awards to the chairman and the deputy chairman of Understanding and Reconciliation Fund.
The Belarusian organization has helped arrange compensation payments for former Nazi slave laborers and death camp prisoners resident in Belarus and other ex-Soviet countries.
Valyantsin Herasimaw, chairman of the fund, and Deputy Chairman Kanstantsin Prakharenka were awarded orders honoring their services to Germany, the Minsk-based German embassy's press office said.
The press office said that the awards were meant to express Germany's "gratitude not only for the distribution of individual compensation payments, which were paid out under the most thorough and reliable leadership, but also for active participation in the implementation of projects on providing humanitarian aid to victims."
"Messrs. Herasimaw and Prakharenka viewed the payment of compensation not only as a technical project, but more as a contribution to the cause of reconciliation between Germany and the Republic of Belarus," the press office said. "Thus, their activity contributing to the development of German-Belarusian cooperation deserves high recognition."// BelaPAN
Alyaksandr Myadzvedz (Medved), a three-time Olympic wrestling champion, has invited Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), to attend a wrestling tournament in Minsk this October.
"The IOC president has accepted the invitation but he has to look at his schedule," Mr. Myadzvedz, deputy chairman of the Belarusian National Olympic Committee, told reporters in Minsk on June 22.
Mr. Myadzvedz handed the invitation to the IOC president at a ceremony inaugurating a new office of the world wrestling federation in Lausanne, Switzerland, earlier this month.
The tournament, which bears the name of the Belarusian wrestling legend, has been held annually since 1970.// BelaPAN
25 June 2007