VZCZCXRO0186
RR RUEHAST RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHLA RUEHMRE RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHSK #1317/01 3631325
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 291325Z DEC 06 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY MINSK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5483
INFO RUCNOSC/ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY COOPERATION IN EUROPE
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MINSK 001317 
 
SIPDIS 
 
C O R R E C T E D COPY (REF LINE REMOVED) 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ECON BO
SUBJECT: EMBASSY MINSK WEEKLY POL/ECON REPORT - DECEMBER 29, 2006 
 
 
MINSK 00001317  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1.  The following are brief items of interest compiled by Embassy 
Minsk. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND INVESTMENT 
---------------------------------- 
 
- Russian Bank Acquires Belvneshekonombank (para. 2) 
 
ELECTIONS 
--------- 
 
- Lebedko Denied Permission to Meet With Voters (para. 3) 
- Authorities Drop Charge Against Oppositionist (para. 4) 
- BPF Deputy Bhairman and Youth Activist Sentenced (para. 5) 
- Address by Opposition Candidate Not Broadcast (para. 6) 
 
CIVIL SOCIETY 
------------- 
 
- Judge Adjourns New Life Church Hearing (para. 7) 
 
GOVERNMENT 
---------- 
 
- Central Election Commission Chair Reappointed (para. 8) 
- Lukashenko Makes End-of-Year Government Appointments (para. 9) 
 
DOMESTIC ECONOMY 
---------------- 
 
- Main 2006 Economic Targets To Be Met (para. 10) 
 
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 
----------------------- 
 
- Belarus, Cuba Interested in Joint Projects (para. 11) 
 
- QUOTE OF THE WEEK (para. 12) 
 
---------------------------------- 
INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND INVESTMENT 
---------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶2.   Russian Bank Acquires Belvneshekonombank 
 
On December 22, Vneshekonombank chairman Vladimir Dmitriyev 
stated that the Russian bank intends to increase its share in 
Belvneshekonombank's authorized capital to have a controlling 
stake in the Belarusian bank.  According to Dmitriyev, 
Vneshekonombank sees increasing their presence in the Belabusian 
banking sector as a priority toward strengthening integration 
processes between Belarus and Russia. 
 
--------- 
ELECTIONS 
--------- 
 
¶3.   Lebedko Denied Permission to Meet with Voters 
 
On December 27, independent media reported that Minsk city 
authorities denied senior Belarusian opposition leader and United 
Civic Party chair Anatoliy Lebedko permission to hold election 
rallies in Minsk.  Lebedko had applied for permission to hold 
several meetings with voters to inform them about the situation 
in the country, promote the party's program and the European 
Union's new strategy toward Belarus.  Lebedko indicated that he 
would defy the city authorities' ban and hold unauthorized 
meetings with voters. 
 
¶4.   Authorities Drop Charge Against Oppositionist 
 
On December 26, Mogilev's Oktyabrsky District Executive Committee 
dropped charges against opposition activist Kristina Shatikova 
finding that her actions were legal.  Shatikova had been detained 
by police officers while carrying 4,000 copies of several 
newspapers in her bag on November 30.  The activist was charged 
with the distribution of illegal printed materials and the 
newspapers were seized. 
 
¶5.   BPF Deputy Chairman and Youth Activist Sentenced 
 
On December 26, Minsk's Sovetskiy District Court sentenced 
Belarusian Popular Front deputy chairman and candidate for the 
Minsk City Council Ales Mikhalevich and young opposition activist 
Vasily Lepesh to five days in jail on a disorderly conduct 
 
MINSK 00001317  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
charge.  Mikhalevich was arrested on the night of December 22 
while hosting a Christmas party at his residence. 
 
¶6.   Address by Opposition Candidate Not Broadcast 
 
On December 28, independent media reported that the Gomel 
election commission alleged that Conservative Christian Party 
member and candidate in Rechitskiy Electoral District No. 27 
Vladimir Ivanovich Shitikov violated the Electoral Code in his 
radio address.  The five-minute pre-recorded address to air on 
December 28 was never broadcast.  Shitikov told independent media 
that he had spoken about how the current regime violates human 
rights, falsifies elections and destroys the language and culture 
of Belarus. 
 
------------- 
CIVIL SOCIETY 
------------- 
 
¶7.   Judge Adjourns New Life Church Hearing 
 
On December 22, Supreme Economic Court Judge Yekaterina 
Korotkevich adjourned the New Life Church's lawsuit against the 
Minsk City Executive Committee's decision to take away a building 
and an adjacent land plot that the Protestant community bought in 
2002 to conduct worship.  Korotkevich cited the need to review 
the five new petitions filed by the church that day.  Korotkevich 
agreed to consider three petitions after January 7, 2007, 
including requests that authorities grant the building the status 
of a house of prayer and compensate the New Life Church for court 
costs estimated at USD 855. 
 
---------- 
GOVERNMENT 
---------- 
 
¶8.   Central Election Commission Chair Reappointed 
 
On December 27, Aleksandr Lukashenko reappointed Lidiya 
Yermoshina as chair of the Central Commission for Elections and 
National Referendums.  He also reappointed Nadezhda Kiselyova, 
Marina Kozlovich, Nikolay Lozovik, Valery Mitskevich and Vladimir 
Kholod as members of the commission. 
 
¶9.   Lukashenko Makes End-of-Year Government Appointments 
 
On December 26, President Lukashenko made several government 
appointments, including:  Raisa Savritskaya as Deputy Chair of 
the State Control Committee; Sergey Baranovskiy as Chief of the 
State Customs Committee's Financial Investigations Department; 
Aleksandr Binetskiy as Deputy Chairman of the Belarusian State 
Radio and Television Company; Vladimir Malets as Deputy Minister 
of Construction and Architecture; Marianna Shchetkina as Deputy 
Minister of Labor and Social protection; Vladimir Amarin as 
Deputy Finance Minister; Aleksandr Bileychik as Deputy Justice 
Minister; Ivan Shcherbo as Deputy Minister of Transport and 
Communications; Aleksandr Lyakhov as Director General of the 
Belorusneft oil company; and Vladimir Zametalin as Director 
General of Belarusfilm. 
 
---------------- 
DOMESTIC ECONOMY 
---------------- 
 
¶10.  Main 2006 Economic Targets To Be Met 
 
On December 26, Prime Minister Sergey Sidorskiy stated that all 
2006 economic development targets would be met, creating a basis 
for a successful economic performance in 2007.  Sidorskiy also 
emphasized the importance of science in increasing industrial 
output. 
 
----------------------- 
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 
----------------------- 
 
¶11.  Belarus, Cuba Interested in Joint Projects 
 
On December 28, Cuban Ambassador Omar Medina Quintero stated that 
Cuba and Belarus are interested in joint projects that would 
involve other Latin American countries.  He noted that Belarus 
and Cuba would continue developing bilateral cooperation in 
education, healthcare and transportation.  Belarus and Cuba 
concentrate on cooperation in the manufacturing of vaccines and 
medicines based on Cuba's experience in the sphere of 
biotechnologies.  According to Quintero, such cooperation could 
be established with Venezuela, Bolivia, Brazil and Nicaragua. 
 
----------------- 
QUOTE OF THE WEEK 
----------------- 
 
MINSK 00001317  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
 
¶12.  GOB Promotes Russian Idea 
 
On December 22, during a convention of the pro-GOB Union of 
Writers of Belarus, Russian Writers Union representative Larisa 
Baranova-Boychenko lauded the Belarusian government for promoting 
"the Russian idea": 
 
"The two main components of this idea -- Orthodoxy and 
authoritarianism -- exist here.  That's why they love your 
president as a brother in Russia." 
 
MOORE