|
| |
|
WEEKLY
DIGEST OF BELARUSIAN NEWS
July
7, 2005
|
|
|
| NATIONAL
NEWS
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko extends condolences to Queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Elizabeth II in connection with London terror
attacks.
Alexander Lukashenko Believes that Belarus Has no Base for ‘Colored Revolutions’
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko believes that Belarus has no base for ‘colored revolutions’.
Alexander Lukashenko declared that “in order to prevent a revolution it is necessary to prepare armed forces, but instead to build new houses, make sure that wages are good and the economy functions properly. And there will be no
revolution”.
The president emphasized that he “intends to protect people, the state and presidential power”. “However by power I do not mean my own wealth. I am a man of principles and will protect the power fearlessly. I will not flee the country. The opposition knows that and therefore there will be no revolution,” the Belarusian leader
added.
Alexander Lukashenko: Belarus Seeks To Become Bridge of Cooperation between East and West
Belarus seeks to become a bridge of cooperation between the East and the West, president of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko stated at the meeting dedicated to the Independence Day. Our country is an initiator of good-neighborly relations and mutual understanding, a follower of the idea of universal equal security and peace, the president
said.
The relations between Belarus and Russia can serve as an example of that. The trade turnover between the two states reached record indices and last year made USD 18 billion. This year the index is increasing as well. The Belarusian-Russian interaction in the foreign economic, defense, socio-cultural and other spheres is promoted as well.
Belarus successfully develops cooperation within the CIS and EurAsEC framework. “The role of the Republic of Belarus is considerable here”, Alexander Lukashenko
stated.
Among the EU member-states, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Italy are the largest trade partners of Belarus. This year the exports to the EU countries exceeded 46 per cent of the total amount.
Belarus will always stand for enhancing the role of the United Nations in settling world problems. However, we are against political involvement in this international organization and its bodies, in particular, in the Commission on Human Rights.
After gaining the independence Belarus has been pursuing a multi-vector foreign policy. “We respect all international organizations and strive for fruitful cooperation with them. In turn we also expect respectful attitude to our country that suffered from different misfortunes in the last century (wars, social and political upheavals and the man-caused catastrophe)”, Alexander Lukashenko noted. The Belarusian leader underlined that Belarus’ participation in the work of UN structures is one of the priorities of the Belarusian multilateral
diplomacy.
President of Belarus Appoints Alexander Grigorov Minister of Sports and Tourism
On July 6 2005, president of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko appointed Alexander Grigorov Minister of Sports and Tourism. Alexander Grigorov was head of the Belarusian Boxing Federation before this appointment.
Mr. Grigorov has an experience of working in this sector having held for some time a position of the Deputy Minister of Sports and
Tourism.
Belarus Can Impose Moratorium on Death Penalty
Speaker of the Lower Chamber of the National Assembly of Belarus Vladimir Konoplev finds it possible for Belarus to declare a moratorium on the death penalty. “I think, although it may go against expectations of my electorate, that it would be expedient for Belarus to place a moratorium on capital punishment for a certain period,” said Vladimir
Konoplev.
Vladimir Konoplev pointed out that Belarus’ neighbors, where the moratorium has been in force for some time, see no significant improvement in terms of public security.
Vladimir Konoplev noted, that the Constitutional Court of Belarus had ruled to revise the Criminal Code with a note saying that the death penalty is used temporarily in Belarus as capital punishment. |
| INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
Belarus Cooperates
with World Bank
The Government of Belarus observes growing co-operation with the World Bank, stated Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Andrey Kobyakov at the meeting with Paul Bermingham, World Bank Director-designate for Ukraine, Belarus and
Moldova.
According to Andrey Kobyakov, the parties gave a new impulse to the joint Chernobyl project, which had been approved by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. "The first stage of the project’s implementation suggests optimizing the heat supply and gasification of the contaminated settlements. “It will take $40 million – good money for a good project,” Andrey Kobyakov
said.
Andrey Kobyakov also stressed, that Belarus welcomes the fact that after 9 years the World Bank prepared the new country memorandum for Belarus. “We are glad that the World Bank does see the country’s economic growth within this period,” he
noted.
Andrey Kobyakov said that “we believe that some things we had been criticized for were the optimal choice of the strategy of social and economic development at that moment.”
Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister agreed with WB’s stance that one should “look onto the future.”
“We should perfect things which were quite efficient 5-7 years
ago.”
The Belarusian Government will pay great attention to the recommendations listed in the WB’s country memorandum while developing the program of Belarus’ social and economic development for 2006-2010.
Paul Bermingham mentioned productive co-operation between the Belarusian Government and the World Bank.: “We have made great progress in the preparation of the Chernobyl project.”
Paul Bermingham believes, that the WB “is eager to speed up the project’s preparation and implementation.” “We still hope that the agreement on the WB’s loan to Belarus (for sponsoring the
Chernobyl project) will be approved by the end of 2005.”
As for the conclusions drawn in the country memorandum, he stated that the WB “fully acknowledges that within the last nine years Belarus has achieved good results.” Paul Bermingham stated that he was impressed by the fact that “on the one hand, the country has seen great economic growth and welfare improvement, while on the other hand, the world community was negative about Belarusian economy’s management.”
On IMF Acknowledgement of Economic Success of Belarus
The economic growth in Belarus this year will reach about 7.1 per cent, said the IMF annual
report.
The document acknowledges that this year the Belarusian economic growth “will reap good results”. According to the experts, last year Belarus reached impressive indices: “the domestic policies and favorable exogenous factors have combined to boost growth”. Inflation halved in 2004 and in April 2005 slowed down by another 11 per cent “owing to the balanced budget, stability of the exchange rate and growing trust to the banks and national
currency”.
The National Bank stopped inflation by financing of the governmental budgetary programs; and the budget consolidation continued. Gold-forex reserves increased, the state debt is not big, and the growth of the payment balance deficit at the end of 2004 was smoothed over at the beginning of this year, the report
reads.
|
|
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
Belarus Is Among CIS States-Leaders According to Economic Growth
In January-May 2005 Belarus was among CIS states-leaders according to their economic growth, the CIS Statistical Committee
reported.
For five months of the current year Belarusian GDP made 8.9 per cent, the second place among CIS countries after Azerbaijan (16 per cent). In Armenia, the GPD grew by 8.5 per cent; in Tajikistan, by 7.5 per cent, in Ukraine, by 4.7 per cent, in Russia, by 4.8 per cent, and in Kyrgyzstan, by 3.3 per cent. On average this index increased by 5 per cent in CIS compared with the similar period of 2004.
Within this period the CIS industrial production grew by 5 per cent on average: in Azerbaijan, by 19.4 per cent, in Georgia, by 10.9 per cent. Belarus with 10.6 per cent took the third place. Then goes Tajikistan (7.9 per cent), Kazakhstan (7.2 per cent), Ukraine (6.2 per cent), Armenia (4.5 per cent), Moldova (3.8 per cent) and Russia (3.6 per cent).
On the Fulfillment of Social and Economic Development Forecast
During five months of the current year 2005 Belarus reached planned levels in all important parameters of the social and economic development forecast. "The tendency is likely to be preserved in the first six months of the year," Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Vasiliy Gapeev
stated.
Vasiliy Gapeev also reported that in January-May 2005 the GDP grew by 8.9 per cent against the 7.5 per cent forecast. The production of consumer goods made 110 per cent to the five months of 2004, including non-food, 107.9 per cent (110-111 per cent). The production growth at industrial companies is restrained by extra stocks of ready-made
products.
Belarus to Restrict Use of Vans Older Than 10 Years From 2007
Belarus’ Transport and Communications Ministry amended automobile passenger transportation rules to restrict the use of vans and taxis older than ten years, and city buses, older than 15
years.
According to the Internal Ministry, there are 41,000 buses of different types, including 11,000 private vehicles registered in Belarus. About 70% of all buses have been in use for more than 10 years.
The Transport Ministry cannot put in force the restriction in 2005 because of a large share of buses older than ten years. Today leasing schemes are applied to upgrade the Belarusian bus basis, therefore the
limitation will be put into force in 2007 without any negative effects.
The Transport Ministry has also systematized automobile transportation rules adding such points as obligatory usage of cash registers in fixed-route taxis and altered scheme of passenger transportation under nonscheduled communications conditions. Besides, amendments were added to the rules to enhance public
security. . |
|
CULTURE AND SOCIETY
|
| Two Million of Citizens and Guests of Minsk Take Part in Celebration of Independence Day
Two million of Belarusians and guests of our country took part in the celebration dedicated to the National Holliday - Independence Day of Belarus.
Belarusian, Russian and Ukrainian pop performers Syabry, Pesnyary,Alexander Tikhanovich and Yadviga Poplavskaya, Inna Afanasieva, Anzhelika Agurbash, Piotr Elfimov, groups Tiani-Tolkai, Atlantika, Leprikonsy and others presented their
programs.
The participants of the event welcomed Alexander Lukashenko, who joined the crowd of dancing
people.
On International Marathon on July
About 1,500 people took part in the 11th International Marathon in Minsk on July 2. Representatives of 8 countries participated in the
marathon.
The marathon included 4 km, and 10 km laps as well as the classical distance of 42 km 195 m. The winner of the classical marathon run got the prize of BYR 1
million.
Several other sports competitions were held in Minsk on July 2, including beach volleyball, badminton, street-ball, soccer, canoe-paddling, and others.
|
You
can subscribe to the News Digests distributed by the Embassy
of Belarus to the USA. Enter your e-mail address below.
|
|
