VZCZCXYZ0016
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSK #0683/01 1801111
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 291111Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY MINSK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4617
INFO RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 3501
RUEHKV/AMEMBASSY KIEV 3347
RUEHVL/AMEMBASSY VILNIUS 3724
RUEHRA/AMEMBASSY RIGA 1714
RUEHWR/AMEMBASSY WARSAW 3366
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 1197
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK

UNCLAS MINSK 000683 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/UMB 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV BO
SUBJECT: GOB Mocks U.S. Financial Sanctions But Responds In Kind 
 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED; PROTECT ACCORDINGLY 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: The GOB has threatened to freeze the assets of 
President George Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in 
response to the financial sanctions imposed by the U.S. on 
President Lukashenko and nine other members of his regime. 
Affected Belarusian officials have denied the existence of assets 
in the U.S. and Lukashenko suggested that any assets found in the 
U.S. be donated to the USG to help care for needy Americans. 
Responses from state media representatives and affected GOB 
officials have ranged from laughter to outrage.  One member of 
Parliament called on the international and American communities to 
"curb Bush" and demanded that President Bush be tried before an 
international tribunal.  End Summary. 
 
Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better: GOB To Freeze U.S. Assets 
--------------------------------------------- ----------------- 
 
¶2. (U) During an interview with Belarusian Television (BT) on June 
25, State Secretary of the Belarusian Security Council Viktor 
Sheiman stated that in response to U.S. asset freezes, Belarus will 
"freeze the accounts of George Bush and Condoleezza Rice in 
Belarusian banks" in addition to introducing "additional adequate 
measures against other officials in the Bush Administration." 
Sheiman denied the existence of Belarusian accounts in the U.S. and 
ridiculed the U.S. action, saying "Washington has been looking for 
these accounts for ten years" but has not found anything.  Sheiman 
recalled President Lukashenko's earlier statement that any funds 
found abroad should be donated to needy Americans.  He dismissed 
U.S. financial sanctions as an "irritated reaction to Belarus' 
independent and sovereign policies," including the construction of 
a Belarusian-Russian Union State and the political-military 
activities of the Collective Security Treaty Organization. 
 
 
Response from GOB Officials Ranges from Laughter to Outrage 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
 
¶3. (U) On June 20, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Andrei 
Popov ridiculed the executive order, saying it "makes a judicious 
person not just smile but laugh."  He stated that the executive 
order pursues the "old objectives" of misinforming the 
international community about Belarus and discrediting its leaders. 
Popov denied that Belarusian officials have U.S. accounts but 
suggested that any "mythical funds" that the U.S. administration 
finds should be used to support poor Americans. 
 
¶4. (U) On June 20, Chairwoman of the Central Election Commission 
Lidiya Yermoshina called the U.S. financial sanctions a violation 
of her civil rights.  Denying that she has any assets in the U.S., 
she stated that such infringements on private property should only 
be possible if "George Bush brought a lawsuit against me." 
Yermoshina added that she would not appeal her case to the U.S. 
Supreme Court due to lack of money to cover the legal fees. 
 
¶5. (SBU) On June 27, the chairman of the Committee on International 
Affairs and National Security of Belarus' Upper Chamber of 
Parliament, Nikolai Cherginets (who is on both the travel 
restriction and asset freeze lists), suggested convening an 
international tribunal to try President Bush.  According to 
Cherginets, the objective of the forum would be to call on the 
world and American public to "curb Bush."  Cherginets claimed that 
certain lawmakers in Belgium, the Netherlands, Russia, several 
countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and the United 
States have welcomed such a tribunal.  Cherginets noted that 
Vladimir Zhirinovsky, a vice speaker of Russia's State Duma, wants 
to serve as the main rapporteur.  He said that the conference could 
take place in Belarus and Venezuela because of the countries' 
similar views about U.S. foreign policy.  Earlier, Cherginets 
commented that "it should be noted the `black list' is drawn up by 
a `black woman'." 
 
 
State Media Blasts U.S. Decision to Impose Financial Sanctions 
--------------------------------------------- ----------------- 
 
¶6. (U) BT commentator Yuriy Prokopov derided the U.S. decision to 
implement sanctions, stating that U.S. Congress was too tempted by 
the tales from Belarusian opposition leaders about "multibillion 
dollar treasures" of Belarusian political leaders to resist trying 
to seize the fictitious assets.  Prokopov also intimated that the 
U.S. was searching for these fabricated funds because the 
"impoverished" U.S. Congress needs money to fund the War in Iraq 
and the Belarusian opposition. 
 
¶7. (U) State weekly "Seven Days" proposed outlandish responses to 
U.S. implementation of financial sanctions on members of the 
Lukashenko administration.  One article suggested that the 
Belarusian authorities freeze the U.S. accounts of Belarusian 
opposition leaders who "regularly go to Washington to report [on 
their activities]."  In a separate article, Seven Days asserted 
that leaders of other corrupt regimes were able to keep their money 
so long as they maintained their friendship with the U.S.  The 
article cited former Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos, who 
according to the author is currently residing in the U.S. and has 
USD 10 billion in his bank accounts.  [Note: Marcos died in 1989.] 
 
 
"Union State" Expresses Concern Over Anti-Belarus Statements 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
 
¶8.  (U) On June 22, the Belarusian-Russian Union State 
Parliamentary Assembly issued a statement expressing "serious 
concern" about the frequent strongly worded statements from western 
countries about the Lukashenko regime.  According to the 
proclamation, such statements question the legitimacy of a 
democratically and popularly elected president of a sovereign 
nation.  The Parliamentary Assembly noted that since all 
parliamentary observers from CIS countries positively assessed the 
conduction of the presidential elections and referendum in Belarus, 
it is "obvious to unbiased observers that the legally elected 
president enjoys the support of Belarus voters." 
 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) Despite public dismissals of the sanctions by prominent 
officials, the GOB reaction shows that the officials are incensed 
by U.S. financial sanctions.  We do not know if Sheiman's comments 
about freezing U.S. assets in Belarus are more than hortatory. 
 
 
KROL