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BULLETINS INFOFOCUS № 6

E-bulletin of IISEPS Center for Documentation, N 6, 2004 (only Russian)

Content:

Introduction

Theme of the month:
Agreements on gas supply: economy or politics?

Person of the month
Hunger-strike of the deputies: “planned provocation” or a brave deed?

Document of the month:
Decree on sale of agrarian organizations: step to liberalization or a burden for business?

Organization of the month:
Belarusian Helsinki committee: why did court defended human rights defenders?

Introduction:

Dear readers!

 

Next issue of “Infofocus” is offered to your attention. Questions of relations of Russia and Belarus use to be the important issue in political life of the country. In this issue of “Infofocus” in the section “Theme of the month” we come back to a problem, already analyzed in our bulletin, – problems of delivery of Russian gas to Belarus. How did it happen that Belarusian and Russian sides achieved a consensus in a question seemed unsolvable for a long time? How package of the accepted documents will affect relations of the two countries? Can we estimate the achieved arrangements as a deepening of integration? Read all about it in the comments of “Belgazprombank” executive director, IISEPS expert V. Dashkevich and Russian politologist, directors of Institute of political researches S. Markov.
In the section “Person of the month” this time we represent at once three politicians – deputies of National assembly and members of parliamentary group “Republic” V. Parfenovich, S. Skrebets and V. Frolov. The reason of our choice is their joint action -political hunger-strike of the protest continuing for 18 days. It is not the first hunger-strike in Belarus, the similar protest actions recently was undertaken by individual entrepreneurs and taxi drivers in Vitebsk. But the hunger-strike of deputies became the event which “has stirred up” the opposition, drawn significant attention both Belarusian, and international public. Why did deputies decide to use such an extreme form of a protest? What are the goals of this action? Whether it was possible to achieve them? How will the hunger-strike effect further political career of “republicans”? These questions are answered by S. Kostyan, the vice-chairman of the House of Representatives Constant committee on the international affairs and S. Shmelevsky, Plenipotentiary Ambassador of France in the Republic of Belarus.
State of agriculture in Belarus traditionally causes much discussions and censures. Annually significant means for maintenance of the collective enterprises (former collective farms) are allocated from the budget thou significant number are on the verge of bankruptcy. The decree of the President of Belarus 280 is an attempt to solve the problem of unprofitability of an agriculture by sale of low profitable agricultural organization on underestimated cost to new proprietors. This act, in our opinion, is the “Document of month”. What are the reasons for this decree to be accepted? Whether the document will help Belarusian agriculture to overcome the crisis? What will be the consequences of its acceptance? These questions are answered by the chairman of the House of Representatives Constant committee on agrarian questions A. Azarchenkov and the chairman of the National economic Council Agrarian Committee, professor I. Nikitchenko.
In the section “Organization of the month” this time we represent human rights organization “Belarusian Helsinki committee” which has won the claim to tax department, having proved illegitimacy of the penal sanctions imposed on it for non-payment of taxes in economic court. What did cause the decision of court for the benefit of the human right organization? Whether it will effect the relations of authority and human rights organizations? How the verdict of the judge will affect the criminal case against the head of BHC T. Prot’ko? Political analyst of the Belarusian TV J. Prokopov and V. Stremkovskaya, the lawyer, the head of public association “Center on human rights” discuss these questions.
We hope, that offered materials will be interesting and useful for you. We are waiting for your responses and offers!

IISEPS executive board

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