VZCZCXRO4249
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHMRE RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHSK #0809/01 2641107
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 211107Z SEP 07
FM AMEMBASSY MINSK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6507
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUCNOSC/ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MINSK 000809 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ECON ENRG BO
SUBJECT: EMBASSY MINSK WEEKLY POL/ECON REPORT - September 21, 2007 
 
¶1.  The following are brief items of interest compiled by Embassy 
Minsk. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
International Relations 
----------------------- 
 
- Syria to Open Embassy in Minsk, Expand Ties (para. 2) 
 
Civil Society 
------------- 
 
- Opposition Youth Arrested, Fined, and Expelled (para. 3) 
- Opposition Warned Over Internet Statements (para. 4) 
- Activist in Rechitsa Sentenced (para. 5) 
- Youth Activist Arrested on Hooliganism Charges (para. 6) 
- Police Search Opposition Activists' Apartments (para. 7) 
- MPs Will Not Discuss Social Benefits Cuts (para. 8) 
- UCP Activist Jailed (para. 9) 
 
Domestic Economy 
---------------- 
 
- IKEA Considers Production in Belarus (para. 10) 
 
International Trade 
------------------- 
 
- Belarus Signs Coal Processing Agreement (para. 11) 
- Belarus' Foreign Debt up 15.9 Percent (para. 12) 
- Belarus' Electricity Imports Down 1.1 percent (para. 13) 
 
- Quote of the Week (para. 14) 
 
----------------------- 
International Relations 
----------------------- 
 
¶2.  Syria to Open Embassy in Minsk, Expand Ties 
 
According to press reports, Syrian Ambassador to Belarus Farouk Taha 
will open an embassy in Minsk next month and will focus on 
developing economic collaboration and deepening political ties. 
Syria's imports from Belarus increased 66 percent on the year in 
January-July to USD 27.4 million while exports rose five times to 
USD 1.8 million. 
 
------------- 
Civil Society 
------------- 
 
¶3.  Opposition Youth Arrested, Fined, and Expelled 
 
A Gomel district court sentenced Belarusian Popular Front (BPF) 
youth activist Dmitry Zheleznichenko to eight days of administrative 
arrest and fined him 620,000 rubles (USD 290) on September 18. 
Zheleznichenko was charged with using profanity in public and 
initially detained on September 17 on suspicion of rape.  The 
activist, a third-year student at Gomel University, was also 
notified of his expulsion on the grounds of "systematic violations 
of the university's internal regime."  Zheleznichenko said he was 
expelled for political reasons and sent a complaint to the Education 
Minister to appeal the decision. 
 
¶4.  Opposition Warned Over Internet Statements 
 
The Prosecutor General's office issued a verbal warning to United 
Civic Party (UCP) Leader Anatoly Lebedko on September 18, after 
summoning him to provide explanation of comments he posted on the 
internet on the suspension of the opposition Communist Party.  The 
leader called the suspension politically motivated and illegal. 
Lebedko said he did not blame the judge for the unjust suspension 
decision, insisting that the Belarusian judicial system is not 
independent from the regime. 
 
¶5.  Activist in Rechitsa Sentenced 
 
A Rechitsa District Court sentenced United Civic Party (UCP) member 
Leonid Nevar to six days in jail on September 19 on petty 
hooliganism charges.  The judge found Nevar guilty of using 
profanity towards a Rechitsa ideology officer and of violating 
public order.  The trial was held behind closed doors, and the judge 
refused to allow Nevar's family in the courtroom.  Nevar's wife 
alleged that authorities sought to isolate Nevar during the annual 
national harvest festival to be held in Rechitsa on September 
21-23. 
 
¶6.  Youth Activist Arrested on Hooliganism Charges 
 
 
MINSK 00000809  002 OF 003 
 
 
A Gomel District Judge sentenced opposition youth Andrey Tenyuta to 
ten days in jail on September 18 on minor hooliganism charges.  The 
police detained Tenyuta on September 14 when he was passing out 
opposition leaflets on his university campus.  The school's 
vice-rector apprehended Tenyuta, and testified at the trial, 
claiming the activist called him "a bandit" and pushed him.  Tenyuta 
was held at a detention center for three days before the trial. 
 
¶7.  Police Search Opposition Activists' Apartments 
 
Police officers searched apartments of 17-year-old opposition youth 
Arseniy Yegorchenko in Svetlogorsk on the night of September 16 and 
of opposition youth Kirill Otomonchuk in Zhlobin on September 18. 
According to Yegorchenko, the police produced a warrant and, despite 
his claims that his parents were away and the search was thus 
illegal, entered his apartment and conduced a three-hour search. 
Otomonchuk stated that officers searched his apartment for two 
hours.  His father and he were later summoned to the KGB office for 
questioning and released without charges.  In both cases, the police 
seized the activists' computers and other equipment, books and 
issues of unregistered opposition group bulletins. 
 
¶8.  MPs Will Not Discuss Social Benefits Cuts 
 
United Civic Party (UCP) Leader Anatoly Lebedko informed the media 
on September 19 that the lower chamber of Parliament refused to 
overtly discuss the bill reinforcing procedures for cutting social 
benefits.  The refusal came in response to United Democratic Forces' 
(UDF) proposal for debate.  In addition, Belarus State TV Company 
Head Aleksandr Zimovsky turned down the idea of holding public live 
debate.  Lebedko maintained that the UDF would continue to seek 
dialogue with the government on issues of public interest and the 
current program of social and other reforms. 
 
¶9.  UCP Activist Jailed 
 
A Minsk district court on September 17 sentenced United Civic Party 
(UCP) member Sergey Klyuyev to 10 days in jail.  Police detained 
Klyuyev on September 14 and seized his European March stickers. 
Although Klyuyev fell ill with a fever at the trial, the judge 
denied calls for an ambulance.  The activist is serving his sentence 
at a detention center in Minsk, where he reportedly received medical 
assistance. 
 
---------------- 
Domestic Economy 
---------------- 
 
¶10.  IKEA Considers Production in Belarus 
 
IKEA is holding talks with the Belarusian Economic Ministry on 
establishing a USD 25 million furniture production facility in 
Belarus.  The company hopes to first receive a logging concession in 
the Grodno region, then establish timber processing, and finally set 
up furniture production. 
 
------------------- 
International Trade 
------------------- 
 
¶11.  Belarus Signs Coal Processing Agreement 
 
Belarus' mine research institute Belgorkhimprom and Luxembourg-based 
Polar Stars Group S.A. on September 18 signed investment contracts 
to process brown and slate coal deposits in the Gomel region, 
estimated at a total of 1.5 billion tons.  The Polar Stars Group was 
established in 2006 and invests in the development of oil, gas and 
mineral resources, mainly in Russia.  The value of the signed 
contracts was not disclosed. 
 
¶12.  Belarus' Foreign Debt up 15.9 Percent 
 
Belarus' Statistics Ministry reported on September 17 that the 
national economy's debt rose 15.9 percent for April-June to USD 9.2 
billion.  In the first six months of the year foreign direct 
investment rose 49.5 percent, commercial banks' foreign liabilities 
increased by 63.1 percent and the debt of other sectors of economy 
was up 26.9 percent.  In 2006, foreign debt increased 33 percent to 
USD 6.8 billion. 
 
¶13.  Belarus' Electricity Imports Down 1.1 percent 
 
The Belarus Statistics Ministry announced on September 18 that 
although the volume of the country's electricity imports was down 
1.1 percent on the year for January-July, the net value of imports 
rose 26 percent.  Approximately 70 percent of all imports came from 
the CIS.  Volume rose 29 percent from Russia, and 49 percent from 
non-CIS countries, and shrank 49 percent from Ukraine. 
 
---------------------- 
 
MINSK 00000809  003 OF 003 
 
 
¶14.  Quote of the Week 
---------------------- 
 
Chairman of the Constitutional Court Grigoriy Vasklevich on the 
Russian-versus-Belarusian language divide and the supposed 
near-absence of discrimination in Belarus: 
 
"The Constitution of the Republic of Belarus forbids discrimination 
on the basis of religion, sex, race, or language.  Except for the 
language issue, everything is going well.  No complaints are being 
received." 
 
Stewart