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If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol).Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #09MINSK114.
| Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09MINSK114 | 2009-04-10 14:01 | 2011-08-30 01:44 | UNCLASSIFIED | Embassy Minsk |
VZCZCXRO5443 RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHNP RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG DE RUEHSK #0114/01 1001401 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 101401Z APR 09 FM AMEMBASSY MINSK TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0207 INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE RUEHSK/AMEMBASSY MINSK 0210
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MINSK 000114 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ECON BO SUBJECT: BELARUS WEEKLY POL/ECON REPORT - APRIL 10, 2009 MINSK 00000114 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. The following are brief items of interest compiled by Embassy Minsk. TABLE OF CONTENTS Civil Society ------------- - For Freedom Movement's Property Confiscated (para. 2) - Police to Investigate Desecration at Kurapaty (para. 3) Domestic Economy ---------------- - Lukashenka to Clear Amended 2009 Budget (para. 4) - GOB Offers Benefits to Car Manufacturers (para. 5) - Lukashenka: We Will Build NPP No Matter What (para. 6) - Lukashenka: Government Will Not Resign (para. 7) Quote of the Week (para. 8) --------------------------- ------------- Civil Society ------------- ¶2. For Freedom Movement's Property Confiscated On April 7, police confiscated office property (and even the kitchen sink) from the residential premises rented by the For Freedom movement in Minsk. A Minsk district court earlier ruled that the property allegedly belonged to a landlord who had committed fraud. However, Alyaksandr Milinkevich, leader of the movement, insisted that his group owned the furniture and other property removed from the residence. The movement members opined that the confiscation was "politically motivated" and expressed doubts that a court would challenge it. In conversation with Charge April 9, Milinkevich shrugged off the confiscations and said that For Freedom would acquire new computers, furniture, and other necessary items. ¶3. Police to Investigate Desecration at Kurapaty A Minsk district police department opened a criminal case April 4 in connection with the April 2 desecration of graves at the Kurapaty mass burial site. Heritage protection activists presumed that vandals could have dug up the graves in search for valuables and expressed hope that the perpetrators would be held criminally liable for desecrating the site. ---------------- Domestic Economy ---------------- ¶4. Lukashenka to Clear Amended Budget According to the Presidential press service, the GOB submitted April 2 amendments to the 2009 consolidated budget adopted last November for Lukashenka's clearance before forwarding them to the parliament. Seeking to fulfill Lukashenka's instruction (given earlier this year) to urgently reduce budget deficit numbers to zero, the GOB cut revenues by 15% and expenditures by 18% percent, thus lowering both to the equivalent of $22.2 billion. The press service noted that in terms of its volume the 2009 budget will be equal to its 2008 counterpart in expenditures and revenues. Nevertheless, the amendments provide for 24.4% growth in health and 11% growth in education expenditures. The GOB plans to save money by prioritizing and reducing/suspending government investment in numerous public projects throughout the country. ¶5. GOB Offers Benefits to Car Manufacturers According to media reports, Lukashenka signed Edict 175 April 4 to offer a three-year exemption from profit, excise and other taxes as well as well as up to a ten-year exemption from import tariffs and VAT to legal entities, which decide to establish production of cars on Belarus' territory. Economy Ministry official Igor Rogozin told a news conference on April 6 that in last year alone Belarusians spent $1.5 billion to import 300,000 cars most of which were used ones (and many of those were from the U.S.). The GOB would like to have production of the total of at least 10,000 cars a year. At present, there is only one such manufacturer, the not particularly successful Belarusian-Iranian joint venture Samand, which produced a grand total of 288 vehicles last year. ¶6. Lukashenka: We Will Build NPP No Matter What During his working visit to Gomel region April 7, Lukashenka reiterated that the GOB will do "whatever it takes" to construct a Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) despite the global financial and economic crisis. He asserted that all pre-construction work was MINSK 00000114 002.2 OF 002 progressing smoothly as Russia committed itself to issue a loan to support the implementation of the project. He also claimed that more than 60 percent of Belarusians support the project. In the meantime, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Vygaudas Usackas told Prime-TASS news agency April 6 that Lithuania has so far received no written notification of Belarus' intention to construct a NPP in any particular area. ¶7. Lukashenka: Government Will Not Resign Answering reporters' questions during his working trip to Gomel region April 7, Lukashenka dismissed all rumors and speculation over the government's potential resignation. "There is no such issue [as] resignation of the government", assured Lukashenka, hinting however that he may dismiss some senior government officials and directors of state-owned enterprises in the near &#x 000A;future. He blamed the opposition for playing up the issue, arguing that many of them long for a government office. Finally, he opined that the global crisis benefits the country to some extend as it teaches officials how to work well. ----------------- Quote of the Week ----------------- ¶8. Commenting on the resignation of Interior Minister Vladimir Naumov Lukashenka said: "You know that Interior Minister applied for resignation. One of the reasons was his terrible fatigue~ I understand that he is tired but that does not mean that he worked poorly~ He is worn out and truly tired. Why exhaust him further forcing him to hold an office." MOORE
Wikileaks
Wikileaks: Belarus 