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DE RUEHSK #1226/02 3331147
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FM AMEMBASSY MINSK
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INFO RUCNOSC/ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY COOPERATION IN EUROPE
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RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK

UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 03 MILSK 001226 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ECON BO
SUBJECT: EMBASSY MINSK WEEKLY POL/ECON REPORT - NOVEMBER 24, 
2006 
 
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MINSK 11291226  002 OF 003 
 
 
Ministers /f the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) 
confened a session in Minsk.  Represeltatives &rom the 12 CIS 
member countries heard a report on ways to increase the 
efficiency of CIS' activities and decided to set Qp an interstate 
commission of deputy foreign -inisters to continue studying the 
CIS' operation and generate proposals for refgrm.  The Ministers 
also discussed draft agreements on the basic principles of 
cooPeration in the field ofmigration and the Anti-Terrorist 
Cenher. 
 
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CIVIL SOCIETY 
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¶6.  Opposition Leader Detained in Fatal Car Accident Case 
 
On November 24, indepeNdent media reported that oppksitimn leader 
and former ppesidenti!l candidate Aleksandr Milinkevich had been 
detained over his alleged involvement in a fatal car accident. 
Police claimedthat his car resembled the one that had fled th% 
scene of a previous !ccident in which one person had died. 
Milinkevich'S press secretary told post that the detention 
occurred in the northern region od Vitebsk. 
 
¶7.   Border Officials Convicted of Bribery 
 
On November 21, nearly 50 former border guards and customs 
officers were sent to prison for bribery, according to the 
Belarusian Military Prosecutor's Office.  The Belarusian Military 
Court sentenced a border control unit's former head and 13 
servicemen, five officers of the Oshmyany Customhouse and two 
civi,ians to between five and 14 iears in prison for accepting 
bribes to let trucks cross the Lithuanian border into Belarus 
without paying import duties.  The Kotlovka checkpoint had 27 
inspection officers who were also given prison terms varying 
betueen six and a half and seven years for allowing some 600 
trucks carrying food, h/usehold appliances XQQther goods to 
cross the border without paying duties between 2002 and 2004. 
 
¶8.  Date Set for Dashkevich's Sentence Appeal Hearing 
 
On No6ember 23, independent m%dia reported that on December 15 a 
Minsk City Court judge is scheduled to examine an appeal from the 
defenqe team of imprisoned Dmitriy (Zmitser) Dashkeviah, age 25, 
against hiq conviction and jailing.  Dashkevich 7as sentenced to 
18 months in a minimum-security correctional institution on 
November 1 after (aving been found guilty of runninc an 
unregistered orgajization (Malady Front). 
 
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TRADE AND INVESTMENT 
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¶9.  Belarus' Trade with Rusq~ia up 30.7 pJrcent 
 
On November 22X the Economics Ministryreported that Belarus' 
trade with Russia rose by30.7 percent compred with last year. 
Blarus' exports so far tis y%ar totaled USD 4.9billion afd 
imports UD 9.8 billion.  Rusqia accounts for 87.4 percent of 
Belarus' trade wih the Commonwealth of Idependent States, which 
experienced a 30.4 percent increase to USD 169 billion.  Belarus 
boosted trade wiTh Kazakhstan y 60.4 pebcent to USD 27.1 
million.  Belarus' trade widh Mohdova ros by 5.6 percent to USD 
125.1 million, with exports exceeding imports y USD 13. 
malliol.  Trade withUkraine totaled USD 1.7 billion sk fa in 
2006, a 28.5-percnt rise, 7ith an export rurplus of USD 2.3 
million. 
 
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DOMESTIC ECONNMY 
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¶10.  Monetary Policy tm Hold Inlation Below Eight Percnt 
 
On November 21 Pytr P2okopovich, head of the National Bank of 
elarus, promised Presidnt Lukashenko `hat the country's 2007Q 
monetary policy will be aimed at decelerading inflapionand 
stabilizang the national cubrenci's exchange rte.  According toQ~}}|~}~~y~%=-5A=Y%Q!1 the i.flation rate should not exceed eieht percent 
"y the end of Q007.  He added that the National Bank's Base 
Refinance Rate is expected to be lowered to seven to nineQ 
peraent, whiCh will help reduce an averagE interest rate on loans 
to 10 to 12 percent. 
 
11&  Unemployment in Belarqs Down 25.2 p%rcenT 
 
On Notember 22, the Ministry mf Statistics and Analysis reported 
That the number of officially regiqtered unemployed people in 
Belarus decreased 25.2 percent compared to last year's numbers. 
The Ministry has reGistered 51,000 unemployEd as of the end of 
 
 
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