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DE RUEHVL #0198/01 0960850
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 050850Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY VILNIUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2134
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 0028
RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI 0018
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 0198
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 VILNIUS 000198 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AMEMBASSY MINSK SENDS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ECON ENRG BO
SUBJECT: EMBASSY MINSK WEEKLY POL/ECON REPORT - April 04, 2008 
 
¶1.  The following are brief items of interest compiled by Embassy 
Minsk. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
Civil Society 
------------- 
 
- Vitebsk Opposition Activists Jailed and Fined (para. 2) 
- Vandals Attack Opposition Party Headquarters (para. 3) 
- Milinkevich Holds Meetings in Gomel Region (para. 4) 
- Belarusian Poles Suffer Increased Harassment (para. 5) 
- GOB Founds Belarus-Venezuela Friendship Society (para. 6) 
- Gomel Opposition Activists Summoned for Questioning (para. 7) 
 
Domestic Economy 
---------------- 
 
- IAEA Reviews Belarus' Nuclear Bill (para. 8) 
 
International Trade 
------------------- 
 
- Lukashenko to Increase Ties with Gulf States (para. 9) 
- Belarus Raises Oil Duties (para. 10) 
 
Quote of the Week (para. 11) 
----------------- 
 
------------- 
Civil Society 
------------- 
 
¶2.  Vitebsk Opposition Activists Jailed and Fined 
 
A Vitebsk district court April 1 sentenced local opposition members 
Boris Khomayda to five days in jail, Elena Zalesskaya to a BYR 
700,000 (USD 330) fine, and Antonina Pivanos to a BYR 70,000 (USD 
35) fine for participating in an unauthorized event.  The activists 
wearing white and red scarves demonstrated in downtown Vitebsk March 
25 to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Belarusian National 
Republic.  During the hearing, Khomayda refused to answer questions 
in Russian, requested a Belarusian interpreter, and demanded the 
judge be recalled. 
 
¶3.  Vandals Attack Opposition Party Headquarters 
 
Vandals broke two windows and painted National Bolshevik Party 
emblems on the exterior walls of the Belarusian Popular Front's 
(BPF) Minsk headquarters March 30.  BPF member Nataliya Dementey 
discovered the hammer-and-sickle graffiti on the walls early the 
next day.  The BPF's leadership noted their office has been 
vandalized frequently, especially before or after major political 
events, and that police have never prosecuted any vandals. 
 
¶4.  Milinkevich Holds Meetings in Gomel Region 
 
Opposition For Freedom (FF) movement leader Aleksandr Milinkevich 
visited towns in the Gomel region to meet with local residents. 
Several dozen people gathered in Mozyr at the Culture House March 29 
where an ideology officer warned locals not to attend the 
unauthorized demonstration.  When a plainclothes police officer 
instigated a fight with Milinkevich, police reacted by attempting 
detain a Belarusian-speaking youth.  Police also closely observed 
the meetings and followed Milinkevich during his tour.  In 
Kalinkovichiy, local opposition activist and meeting organizer Denis 
Robenok was unable to leave his residence March 28 because the 
police blocked its doors. 
 
¶5.  Belarusian Poles Suffer Increased Harassment 
 
Grodno police raided the local office of the Union of Belarusian 
Poles (UBP) March 29.  Police officers searched the premises 
purportedly for illegal printed materials, but failed to find 
incriminating documents.  UBP activist Andzhey Pochobut noted the 
police did not present a warrant for the search. 
 
¶6.  GOB Founds Belarus-Venezuela Friendship Society 
 
The Belarus-Venezuela Friendship Society held its founding 
conference in Minsk March 27 and elected Presidential Management 
Academy chief Anatoliy Morozevich its head.  Board Chairperson Nina 
Ivanova said that "very many people" expressed interest in 
contributing to the strengthening of ties between the two countries, 
and hoped the Society would receive support from the Venezuelan 
 
VILNIUS 00000198  002 OF 002 
 
 
diplomatic mission in Minsk.  The Cuban Ambassador also expressed 
his intention to join. 
 
¶7.  Gomel Opposition Activists Summoned For Questioning 
 
On March 28 a Gomel district police station summoned nine opposition 
youth for questioning about a March 23 unsanctioned demonstration 
held there.  Police maintained local residents filed a complaint 
alleging the youth staged an illegal march and thus disturbed public 
order.  The activists refused to answer police questions.  Activists 
organized a historical tour March 23 to sites dedicated to leaders 
of the Belarusian National Republic, laid flowers, and carried white 
and red balloons.  Plainclothes police observed and filmed the 
march. 
 
---------------- 
Domestic Economy 
---------------- 
 
¶8.  IAEA Reviews Belarus' Nuclear Bill 
 
Belarus' Lower House Speaker Vadim Popov announced at a March 28 
press conference that the International Atomic Energy Agency is 
reviewing the country's newly drafted nuclear power engineering bill 
to confirm its consistency with international standards.  According 
to Mr. Popov, Belarus' parliament will need to adopt at least ten 
more bills to provide a legal basis for the country's proposed USD 4 
billion, 2,000 megawatt nuclear power plant. 
 
------------------- 
International Trade 
------------------- 
 
¶9.  Lukashenko to Increase Ties with Gulf States 
 
The Presidential Press Service announced that Aleksandr Lukashenko 
plans to more actively promote Belarusian exports to Kuwait, Qatar, 
Oman and the UAE and to seek increased investment from those 
countries.  Speaking at a March 20 parliamentary session, Lukashenko 
criticized the government's poor implementation of instructions he 
issued regarding trade during his travels to the Gulf.  Currently, 
Belarus' main exports to the area include military and dual-use 
products.  Civilian-use exports remain negligible.  Lukashenko 
announced the need to diversify the country's exports in order to 
mitigate U.S. sanctions and to decrease dependence on exports to 
Russia, the EU and the U.S. 
 
¶10.  Belarus Raises Oil Duties 
 
Belarus' Council of Ministers April 1 passed a resolution to 
increase duties on the country's crude oil and oil products exports. 
 According to trade agreements with Russia, Belarus' export duties 
on these products should be equal to those charged by Russia.  The 
planned increase from USD 333.80 to USD 340 per ton of crude oil 
will put Belarus' duty in line with Russia's. 
 
---------------------- 
¶11.  Quote of the Week 
---------------------- 
 
Senator Nikolay Cherginets, on what constitutes a "socially 
significant writer": 
 
"The way we decide what literature is socially significant is 
clearly outdated.  [Members of the Literature Committee] who do not 
support the current government suggested the inclusion on the list 
of socially significant literature the works of Larissa Geniush, a 
known fascist lackey.  They also suggested the works poet Zakonikov 
-- a man who would only have about two volumes of legitimate works 
if we don't consider his 120 or so publications in opposition press 
aimed at undermining authority, the state, and prevailing social 
norms." 
 
Moore 
Cloud