VZCZCXRO0463
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHSK #0904/01 2991448
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 261448Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY MINSK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6603
INFO RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI 0118
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 1709
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MINSK 000904 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ECON ENRG BO
SUBJECT: EMBASSY MINSK WEEKLY POL/ECON REPORT - October 26, 2007 
 
 
¶1.  The following are brief items of interest compiled by Embassy 
Minsk. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
Civil Society 
------------- 
 
- Opposition Party Establishes Youth Wing (para. 2) 
- Activists Protest Expulsions (para. 3) 
- Activist Re-Arrested Immediately Following Release (para. 4) 
- Commemorative Rallies Banned in Gomel (para. 5) 
- "For Freedom" Denied Registration Yet Again (para. 6) 
- Activists Rally for Political Prisoner (para. 7) 
 
International Relations 
----------------------- 
 
- Belarus Expands Cooperation with UAE (para. 8) 
 
 
Domestic Economy 
---------------- 
 
- New State Monopoly for Tobacco Products (para. 9) 
- Inflation Rises in September (para. 10) 
 
International Trade 
------------------- 
 
- Belarus to Invite Nuclear Power Plant Bids (para. 11) 
 
- Quote of the Week (para. 12) 
 
------------- 
Civil Society 
------------- 
 
¶2.  Opposition Party Establishes Youth Wing 
 
The United Civic Party (UCP) held the founding conference for its 
youth wing Young Democrats (YD) on October 21.  The 49 delegates 
elected Aleksandr Shumkevich to lead the organization.  UCP Leader 
Anatoliy Lebedko maintained that his party would always be "a 
reliable partner for YD."  YD members plan to participate in the 
2008 parliamentary elections. 
 
¶3.  Activists Protest Expulsions 
 
On October 19, the Ministry of Education turned down a complaint 
filed by Gomel-based opposition youth leader Dmitry Zheleznichenko, 
who was challenging his expulsion from university.  In a separate 
case October 23, Grodno University administrators expelled civil 
society activist Ekaterina Bychek.  Both activists were expelled on 
the grounds of violating internal school policies, though they 
describe the expulsions as politically motivated and plan to appeal 
in court.  Bychek has been an active participant in campaigns for 
Grodno historic and architectural protection, and was arrested in 
May 2006 on administrative charges. 
 
¶4.  Activist Re-Arrested Immediately Following Release 
 
A Minsk district judge sentenced youth opposition activist Pavel 
Yukhnevich to 15 days in jail on minor hooliganism charges October 
19, just one day after Yukhnevich was released from a 7-day jail 
sentence.  The judge had earlier found Yukhnevich guilty of using 
obscenities during his arrest at an underground theater show on 
August 24. 
 
¶5.  Commemorative Rallies Banned in Gomel 
 
On October 19, Gomel city authorities banned proposed rallies 
commemorating Stalinist terror victims.  The demonstrations were to 
be held October 27 at the site of the executions.  Local Belarusian 
Christian Democracy (BCD) party coordinators Konstantin Zhukovsky 
and Svyatoslav Shapovalov asserted that authorities were attempting 
to conceal facts of mass executions just outside of Gomel. 
 
¶6.  "For Freedom" Denied Registration Yet Again 
 
The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) denied the human rights and 
educational NGO "For Freedom" movement (FF) registration October 22. 
 The MOJ claimed that FF's founders violated the law by holding a 
convention at a closed children's camp in the woods.  FF deputy 
chairperson Yuras Gubarevich argued that the laws do not provide 
detailed descriptions of permitted venues for conferences, and noted 
the NGO plans to appeal the MOJ's denial to the Supreme Court.  NGO 
members plan to submit a complaint to the UN Human Rights Committee 
if they are denied again. 
 
MINSK 00000904  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶7.  Activists Rally for Political Prisoner 
 
Belarusian Social-Democratic Party Gramada (BSDP-G) activists staged 
an authorized three-hour picket in Minsk on October 24 calling on 
authorities to release party leader Aleksandr Kozulin.  Ten 
activists, including Kozulin's daughter Olga, displayed BSDP-G flags 
and signs urging Kozulin's release and collected signatures for a 
petition to President Lukashenko.  Police officers and 
plainclothesmen confronted the demonstrators and tore up a 
protester's sign.  Picket organizers said they would file a 
complaint against the police behavior. 
 
----------------------- 
International Relations 
----------------------- 
 
¶8.  Belarus Expands Cooperation with UAE 
 
Viktor Sheiman, State Secretary of Belarus' Security Council and 
co-chairman of the Working group on Belarus' bilateral relations 
with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), visited the UAE October 23-24. 
He met with senior officials, including Sheikh Mohammed ben Zaid Al 
Nakhaim, Crown prince of Abu-Dhabi and Deputy Commander in Chief of 
the UAE Armed Forces.  The parties discussed cooperation in oil 
processing, investment in real estate and industrial enterprises, 
construction projects, and joint work in IT and defense.  Though 
trade between the states remains negligible, Belarus' concentration 
on the UAE has intensified following President Lukashenko's official 
visit there in March.    The UAE plans to open an embassy in Minsk 
and the crown prince may make an official visit. 
 
 
---------------- 
Domestic Economy 
---------------- 
 
¶9.  New State Monopoly for Tobacco Products 
 
On October 19, President Lukashenko signed Decree Number 4, making 
the GOB the official monopoly importer of raw tobacco and tobacco 
products.  Belarustorg, owned by the Presidential Administration, 
will be the sole importer of cigarettes starting in January 2008, 
replacing the four current importers.  Russia is set to greatly 
increase its export of tobacco products to Belarus under an 
interstate trade agreement which obligated Belarus to abolish import 
quotas on Russian-made tobacco products starting October 1. 
 
¶10.  Inflation Rises in September 
 
The Belarusian Statistics Ministry reported on October 22 that the 
one-percent monthly core inflation rate for September was the 
highest increase since December 2004.  Cumulative inflation for 
January-September 2007 was 5.1 percent, compared to 4.9 percent in 
2006 and 6.4 percent in 2005.  The producer price index rose 1.1 
percent for the month of September.  January through September, the 
PPI increased 13.4 percent, versus 8.5 percent for the same period 
in 2006 and 10.2 percent in 2005. 
 
------------------- 
International Trade 
------------------- 
 
¶11.  Belarus to Invite Nuclear Power Plant Bids 
 
Following his meeting with Russian Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov 
October 19, Belarusian Prime Minister Sergey Sidorsky told reporters 
that Belarus will invite bids to build a nuclear power plant next 
year.  The project has already been approved by President Lukashenko 
and is a key element in the country's future energy plans.  Prime 
Minister Zubkov said his country is interested in the project and 
hopes to participate in power plant construction. 
 
---------------------- 
¶12.  Quote of the Week 
---------------------- 
 
Former assistant to President Lukashenko and current Belarusian 
Ambassador to Israel Igor Leshchenya, trying -- and failing -- to 
mitigate the fallout from Lukashenko's anti-Semitic statement: 
 
"[I] never heard him utter an anti-Semitic sentiment....  He used to 
say that we need to be as clever as Jews are to build a prosperous 
state." 
 
Stewart