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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 MINSK 000370 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM ECON BO
SUBJECT: EMBASSY MINSK BIWEEKLY REPORT - March 31, 2006 
 
¶1.  The following are brief items of interest compiled by 
Embassy Minsk. 
 
------------- 
Post Elections 
------------- 
 
¶2.  Milinkevich Tells All in Poland 
 
During his March 29 trip to Poland, former opposition candidate 
Aleksandr Milinkevich opined that the democratic movement in 
Belarus will eventually succeed despite President Lukashenko's 
repressive policies.  Milinkevich met with Polish parliamentary 
speaker Marek Jurek and President Lech Kacynski in order to tell 
the Polish Parliament "what is really happening in Belarus." 
Milinkevich also attended a meeting where Polish government 
officials and university rectors signed an agreement to admit up to 
300 students who are expelled from Belarusian universities for 
participating in political demonstrations.  Milinkevich's visit 
followed statements from the Polish Prime Minister that encourages 
visa bans, but not economic sanctions on Belarus. 
 
¶3.  Former Ambassador Transferred from Prison to Hospital 
 
On March 29, authorities transferred Poland's former ambassador to 
Belarus Mariusz Maszkiewicz from the Okrestina detention center-- 
where he was serving a 15-day prison sentence for participating in 
unsanctioned opposition demonstrations--to a local hospital.  Since 
the doctors suspect that Maszkiewicz suffered a heart attack, he 
will remain at the hospital for several more days to undergo a full 
medical examination. 
 
¶4.  New Website Aids Political Prisoners 
 
On March 30, activists launched a website (www.akrescina.org) to 
offer useful tips for people convicted or prosecuted on political 
grounds, as well as to provide first hand accounts, latest news, 
and photographs from persecuted activists and their family members. 
The article reports the website is still under construction, but 
that it currently provides information on permissible items for 
inclusion in prison care packages, links to human rights websites, 
and testimonials from those who have already served their 
sentences.  The activists decided to start the site after sharing a 
prison cell together for several days. 
 
¶5.  Lukashenko's Friends Offer Their Congratulations 
 
Even though little has been seen of President Lukashenko 
following his victory speech on March 20, top politicians from 
friendly nations have sent their congratulations to the 
Belarusian president on his "landslide" victory during the 
elections.  Lukashenko received congratulations from the past 
and current leaders of friendly states, including from former 
Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev, Iranian President Mahmoud 
Ahmadinejad, Tajik President Emomali Rahmonov and Azeri 
President Heydar Aliyev. 
 
 
------------ 
Human Rights 
------------ 
 
¶6.  Russian Political Analyst Ordered to Leave Belarus 
 
On March 27, Belarusian authorities ordered Russian political 
analyst Vladimir Suzdaltsev to leave Belarus within 10 days and 
not return for five years.  This is particularly cruel as 
Suzdaltsev's wife and children are Belarusian citizens.  [Note: 
This deportation appears to contradict the principles of the 
Belarusian-Russian Union State, where citizens can live and 
move freely between both countries.]  Suzdaltsev recently 
received an envelope containing a bullet marked, "You're next." 
He has frequently written on the Union State.  Suzdaltsev has 
lived in Belarus for the last 13 years with his Belarusian wife 
and children.  New Russian Ambassador Surikov repeatedly raised 
Suzdaltsev's case with the GOB, who indicated that Suzdaltsev 
may be allowed to return earlier "if he behaves himself in 
Russia." 
 
¶7.  Students Likely to Face Punishment for Attending Rallies 
 
Although the deputy Education Minister on March 30 denied 
reports that students would be expelled for participating in 
last week's opposition demonstrations, the Ministry of 
Education (MOE) press office promised on March 29 to 
investigate every absence and "if there were offenses, student 
will be punished."  The MOE's refutation followed a leak on 
March 24 from a MOE source, which stated that students would be 
punished for missing classes to participate in opposition 
demonstrations.  Separately on March 30, Polish Prime Minister 
Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz and rectors from Polish universities 
 
MINSK 00000370  002 OF 004 
 
 
signed a declaration allowing up to 300 Belarusian students 
expelled from their home universities for political reasons to 
study at Polish universities.  The European Humanities 
University in Vilnius, the Czech Republic and Slovakia have 
also indicated that they are ready to accept expelled 
Belarusian students. 
 
¶8.  Independent Paper Chooses Online Over Print Version 
 
On March 22, independent newspaper BDG Delovaya Gazeta decided 
to suspend publication of its printed version in order to 
maintain an online version after the Russian printing house it 
has used since 2003 reportedly refused to continue publishing 
the paper.  The newspaper's editor-in-chief, Pyotr Martsev, 
also cited problems with distribution of the printed version as 
a reason to cancel future production, including the 
authorities' refusal to allow the newspaper to use state or 
private distribution networks since last fall. 
 
¶9.  Independent Print-Run Seized, But One Paper Returns to the 
Scene 
 
On March 17, authorities seized 200,000 copies of the 
independent pro-opposition weekly "Tovarishch."  This edition 
contained presidential candidate Aleksandr Milinkevich's 
election program, which was not included in the state 
newspapers due to a missed print deadline.  Editor-in-chief 
Sergei Voznyak stated that volunteers only were able to 
distribute approximately 6,500 copies.  Voznyak believed that 
it is unlikely that the police would return the other copies. 
On the other hand, the independent daily "Narodnaya Volya" 
resumed its printing in Smolensk and distributed its first 
issue since the elections. 
 
¶10. Orthodox Church Ends Relationship with Publishing Company 
 
On March 15, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church in Belarus 
announced that it withdrew its shares from the Minsk-based 
publishing company, Pravoslavnaya Initiativa, which is 
notorious for selling anti-Semitic literature.  The church head 
accused the company of disseminating ideas aimed at causing 
rifts in society, which is inconsistent with Orthodox values. 
The head of the church stated that further cooperation with the 
publisher violates Orthodox canons and has ordered all Orthodox 
parishes to shun its books and to refrain from interacting with 
the company. 
 
------- 
Economy 
------- 
 
¶11. Gazprom to Bring Belarus' Gas Price Up to European Levels 
 
After discussions with Belarusian Energy Minister Aleksandr 
Ageyev and Beltransgaz director Dmitry Kazakov, Gazprom CEO 
Aleksei Miller on March 30 warned that Russian gas prices for 
Belarus would be raised to European levels by 2007.  The GOB 
plans to submit its proposed 2007 cooperation terms to Gazprom 
by April 30.  Beltransgaz held a general meeting of 
shareholders on March 29 to introduce changes to the company's 
charter, a move which many consider to be linked to Gazprom's 
plans to acquire the Belarusian gas company.  [Note: Gazprom 
has been trying for years to acquire a controlling share of 
Beltransgaz, which would cement Gazprom's control over western 
transit routes.] 
 
¶12. BelAZ To Supply Dump Trucks to China 
 
On March 17, BelAZ announced that it was the winner of a 
contract to supply China with 220-ton dump trucks.  BelAZ 
Director General Pavel Mariyev said that the company hopes to 
get a "solid foothold in th Chinese market."  Mariyev said 
that BelAZ plansto submit fourmore id or supply contracts 
in China this year.  BelAZ has sent its first shipmentof dump 
trucks and recently opened a service cener and storage 
facility for them in China. 
 
¶13. Regions Protect Local Goods from Competition 
 
On March 27, the Ministry of Economy announced that economic 
entities and the government violated 81 anti-trust laws on the 
Belarusian market, primarily at the regional level.  In an 
effort to support local producers, nearly all the regions have 
restrictions or bans on sales of other regions' goods, 
including bread, milk, ice-cream, mayonnaise, pasta, beer and 
liquor.  The Ministry of Economy also announced there are 629 
monopolies in Belarus on the local level. 
 
¶14. Number of Individual Entrepreneurs in Minsk Dwindled 
 
On March 30, Minsk City Economy Committee deputy head Aleksandr 
 
MINSK 00000370  003 OF 004 
 
 
Kalinovsky announced that the number of individual 
entrepreneurs in Minsk shrunk 13 percent in 2005 to 
approximately 35,000 as of January 1, 2006.  The number of sole 
proprietors in Minsk has been falling since 2001.  Last year, 
the private sector supplied 48 percent of the city's tax 
revenues; individual entrepreneurs' tax payments constituted 
only 2.5 percent of the private sector's share. 
 
----------------- 
Foreign Relations 
----------------- 
 
¶15. Canada Limits Relations with Belarus 
 
On March 28, Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay announced 
that Canada will limit its official relations with Belarus to 
human rights, consular assistance, clearing landmines and 
democratic development.  This decision was prompted by Belarus' 
flawed presidential elections and followed the imprisonment of 
Canadian journalist Frederick Lavoie, who was arrested during 
the opposition demonstrations following the presidential 
elections.  Canada does not have an embassy in Belarus. 
 
¶16. Polish Diplomat Stopped at the Belarus Border 
 
On March 26, Belarus customs officials stopped Polish consul 
Janusz Dombrowski at the Belarusian-Polish border when, under 
the protection of diplomatic immunity, he refused to allow the 
border guards to search his vehicle.  On March 27, Belarusian 
Television alleged that the border guards stopped Dombrowski 
after they received a tip that he was trying to smuggle 
subversive literature into Belarus.  [Note: Dombrowski opened 
his trunk to show Polish reporters that he was only 
transporting food.]  Dombrowski claimed that he was detained at 
the border for 24 hours without food and water and treated like 
a criminal.  When Dombrowski promised to leave his car behind 
in Poland on March 28, he was allowed to cross the border into 
Belarus.  Dombrowski claimed a Polish-Belarusian bilateral 
agreement offered him more protection than does the Vienna 
Convention and shielded him from being searched.  There is also 
a report that a Polish diplomat was beaten up in his apartment 
in Grodno.  Furthermore, the Belarusian ambassador to Poland 
was recalled for "consultations" last week after a row over 
remarks he made to the Polish press. 
 
¶17. No More BTV in Lithuania 
 
On March 30, the Lithuanian Radio and Television Commission 
(RTC) barred cable television companies from retransmitting 
Belarusian Television (BT) into Lithuania.  [Note: BT is 
notorious for airing anti-Western and pro-Lukashenko programs.] 
RTC said that this decision was in response to BT's 
misinformation campaigns, including BT's allegations that 
Lithuania interfered in Belarus' internal affairs, coordinated 
opposition protests, and used its embassy in Belarus as an 
operation center for the opposition movement.  Lithuania's 
media law bans misinformation and RTC maintains that its 
decision is only to stop companies from spreading lies, not to 
restrict Lithuanians' rights to watch BT.  Belarus' Information 
Minister accused Lithuania of being "afraid of unbiased 
information about the situation in Belarus and its own 
characteristics." 
 
-------- 
Military 
-------- 
 
¶18. NATO Reviews Relations Post Elections 
 
On March 29, a NATO spokesman announced that in light of the 
recent flawed presidential elections in Belarus, NATO is 
reviewing its relationship with Belarus.  Since Minsk signed 
the "Partnership for Peace Pact" in 1995, cooperation between 
NATO and Belarus has consisted of low-level meetings between 
military officers on border control as well as NATO funding for 
landmine removal.  The NATO ambassadors will review their 
options for Belarus in the coming days.  The decision to review 
relations with Belarus follows a March 25 NATO Parliamentary 
Assembly declaration which condemned the way the Belarusian 
presidential elections were conducted and applauded the EU and 
U.S. decision for impose sanctions on Belarus. 
 
------ 
Sports 
------ 
 
¶19. World Champion Bicyclist Banned for Steroid Use 
 
On March 11, the national cycling federation banned former 
Belarusian world champion Zinaida Stahurskaya for two years 
after she tested positive for steroid use before and after 
 
MINSK 00000370  004 OF 004 
 
 
several races last year.  Stahurskaya won the world road race 
title in 2000 and the women's version of the Tour de France in 
¶2002. 
 
----------------- 
Quote of the Week 
----------------- 
 
¶20. On March 27 on a Belarusian blog, an opposition member 
commented on state television company Belarusian Television's claim 
that two of its journalists suffered concussions after allegedly 
being beaten by an opposition mob during Milinkevich's March 25 
demonstration: 
 
"It's true that we [i.e. protestors] threw snowballs at them [i.e. 
/BT journalists] and one person booted a journalist in the rear end. 
But, this leads to the obvious question where are BT journalists' 
brains located, if kicking them in the rear end leads to a brain 
concussion?" 
 
KROL