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RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSK #0150/01 0601346
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 291346Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY MINSK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6965
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHUB/USINT HAVANA
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 0051
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 1855
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK

UNCLAS MINSK 000150 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ECON ENRG IR BO CU
SUBJECT: EMBASSY MINSK WEEKLY POL/ECON REPORT - February 29, 2008 
 
¶1.  The following are brief items of interest compiled by Embassy 
Minsk. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
Civil Society 
------------- 
 
- Opposition Leader Undertakes Brief Speaking Tour (para. 2) 
- Opposition Youth Cleared of Criminal Charges (para. 3) 
- Business Activists Barred From Kozulina Funeral (para. 4) 
- Small Business Activists Heavily Fined (para. 5) 
- Population Down, Divorce Up (para. 6) 
 
Domestic Economy 
---------------- 
 
- Output from Free Economic Zones Increases (para. 7) 
 
International Trade 
------------------- 
 
- Belarus, Russia Agree on 2008 Energy Export Levels (para. 8) 
- Automotive Exports up 42.6 percent (para. 9) 
 
International Relations 
----------------------- 
 
- Iranian Ambassador Notes Progress in Relations (para. 10) 
- Cuban Delegation Visits Belarus (para. 11) 
 
Quote of the Week (para. 12) 
----------------- 
 
------------- 
Civil Society 
------------- 
 
¶2.  Opposition Leader Undertakes Brief Speaking Tour 
 
"For Freedom" (FF) movement leader Aleksandr Milinkevich held an 
open-air meeting with 60 supporters in Vitebsk February 22 after 
authorities denied his request to hold the meeting in a movie 
theater there.  Over 150 people attended another meeting with him in 
eastern Minsk February 27.  Milinkevich also visited the towns of 
Gorodok and Novopolotsk the same day.  People expressed their 
concerns to the activist over hikes in food and utility prices, 
newly enacted small business regulations, and nuclear power plant 
construction, and talked about upcoming parliamentary elections. 
Brest-based FF activists appealed the denial of a meeting to be held 
there February 26.  Milinkevich commented on the denial saying it 
was the "authorities' problem, not mine." 
 
¶3.  Opposition Youth Cleared of Criminal Charges 
 
Malady Front (MF) opposition youth Andrey Tenyuta learned February 
24 that the Gomel BKGB office closed its criminal case against him. 
Tenyuta was charged in September 2007 with acting on behalf of an 
unregistered organization, but investigators found it "impossible" 
to finish the investigation.  Tenyuta presumed there was not "enough 
evidence of his destructive activities." 
 
¶4.  Business Activists Barred From Kozulina Funeral 
 
On February 27, Svetlogorsk small business activist Anatoly 
Zmitrovich and his two colleagues were stopped on their way to the 
funeral of Irina Kozulina by road police 20 miles outside Minsk. 
Police alleged that the driver of the vehicle had been driving 
drunk.  The driver was ordered to appear at a district police 
department, but was later released without charges. 
 
¶5.  Small Business Activists Heavily Fined 
 
A Minsk district court sentenced small business activists Aleksandr 
Tsetsuro and Viktor Krival each to BYR 1,750,000 fines (USD 820) 
 
SIPDIS 
February 27 for alleged disobedience of police orders.  Tsetsuro's 
wife and son were also each fined BYR 1,050,000 (USD 490) on the 
same charges.  Krival, sentenced to 15 days in jail for distributing 
leaflets on February 19, could not attend the trial.  The police 
detained the four activists January 10 on their way to an 
entrepreneur picket in Slutsk. 
 
¶6.  Population Down, Divorce Up 
 
The Ministry of Statistics and Analysis reported February 26 that 
the population of Belarus declined 0.3 percent during 2007, leaving 
Belarus with a total of 9,689,700 inhabitants as of January 1.  In 
2007, 52.8 percent of all deaths resulted from circulatory diseases, 
13.7 percent from tumors and 10.8 percent from causes not related to 
illness.  Divorces increased by 13.6 percent, with 403 of every 
1,000 marriages ending in divorce. 
 
---------------- 
Domestic Economy 
---------------- 
 
¶7.  Output from Free Economic Zones Increases 
 
Belarus' Statistics Ministry announced February 25 that the 260 
businesses registered in the country's six free economic zones 
increased output by USD 1.7 billion or 21.1 percent in 2007. 
Exports -- primarily furniture, food products, plastics, packaging, 
and aluminum materials -- rose 19.5 percent and totaled USD 998.7 
million, including USD 776.9 million in exports to Russia. 
 
------------------- 
International Trade 
------------------- 
 
¶8.  Belarus, Russia Agree on 2008 Energy Export Levels 
 
The Council of Ministers of the Union State announced an agreement 
February 22 on oil product exports for 2008 as part of the Union 
State fuel balance.  Belarus will export 2.018 million tons of 
gasoline, 3.887 million tons of diesel fuel, 4.164 million tons of 
heating oil and 249,000 tons of fuel for jet engines.  In 2008, 
Russian gas exports to Belarus will increase by 400 million cubic 
meters from the 2007 level to 21.6 billion cubic meters.  Russia 
will also deliver 140,000 tons of black coal and 21.5 million tons 
of crude oil to Belarus this year.  Discussions on electric power 
supplies are still underway. 
 
¶9.  Automotive Exports up 42.6 percent 
 
According to the State Customs Committee, Belarus experienced a 
significant increase in automotive exports last year.  The Committee 
announced February 25 that Belarusian automotive exports rose to USD 
2.1 billion, an increase of 42.6 percent.  Tractor exports rose 51.8 
percent to USD 900 million, hauler exports increased 45.8 percent to 
USD 334 million, and truck exports went up 34 percent to USD 955.626 
million.  Exports of parts/components and combustion engines rose 27 
percent and 54 percent respectively. 
 
International Relations 
----------------------- 
 
¶10.  Iranian Ambassador Notes Progress in Relations 
 
At a news conference February 27, Iranian Ambassador to Belarus 
Abdulhamid Fekri noted "significant" progress in relations between 
the two countries over the last four years, noting the exchange of 
head of state level visits in 2006 and 2007.  He cited the beginning 
of joint operations in oil fields in Iran, noting that the 
Belarusneft oil production enterprise opened an office in Teheran 
and was developing projects.  He expressed conviction that 
cooperation in oil exploration, development and production was "very 
beneficial," and that the two countries could also establish 
cooperation in the natural gas and petrochemical spheres. 
Ambassador Fekri also announced that Iran Khodro Industrial Group 
was ready to invest between "USD 30 million and USD 40 million" in 
the Belarus-based plant that started assembling Iran's Samand cars 
in the summer of 2006, and that work was under way to open a bank 
with Iranian capital in Belarus. 
 
¶11. Cuban Delegation Visits Belarus 
 
A delegation from Cuba led by Minister of Government Ricardo 
Cabrisas visited Belarus February 26 to 28 to discuss ways to 
strengthen ties between the two countries.  In a meeting with 
Belarusian Prime Minister Sergey Sidorskiy, Cabrisas expressed 
interest in "boosting three-party cooperation" among Cuba, 
Venezuela, and Belarus.  During the visit, the Cuban representative 
signed an agreement to purchase 100 buses manufactured by the Minsk 
Automobile Factory (MAZ) and discussed possible purchases of 
Belarusian farm machinery and trucks. 
 
---------------------- 
¶12.  Quote of the Week 
---------------------- 
 
Justice Minister Viktor Golovanov discussed the need to review laws 
governing psychics, presumably to protect the reputations of 
legitimate practitioners of the profession: 
"We are not seeking to ban their activity.  But I would like to say 
that among this category of individuals, there are simply plenty of 
fraudsters who cheat people." 
 
Stewart