SUNDAY EDITION

News From the TOP

The president has announced that the armed forces of the country must be ready for action.

We must be prepared!

“The armed forces of Belarus should be ready and capable to defend the country against any potential aggressor” Declared President Alexander Lukashenka on September 30th at a meeting of the State Security Council.

The main points of discussion concerned the results of the reforms started five years ago as well as what would be the plans for the armed forces over the next five years and the State program for 2006-02015. The purpose of the meeting was to comprehensively analyze the armed forces as a whole.

“Our job is to accurately represent the purposes and potential tasks of our armed forces insofar as concerns the dynamics and conditions of possible threats to our region, both political and military, and to estimate the potential urgency of new threats to our safety” Added the president.

Overall, leadership has not decreased the manpower levels below which was the norm during the 1990’s and have attempted to keep up with the process of modernizing equipment and faculties.

However, during spot checks and planned testing, it has become apparent that many problems, both technical and in preparedness still exist. The president urged that these problems be corrected in the coming 5 years.

“Belarus is committed to fighting international terrorism. We also believe that it is best to first attempt to defuse potential confrontations using diplomatic and other legal non-military means. However, the potency of any such negotiations depends strongly on an available military which is highly equipped, efficient and ready. Such military strength therefore is an obligatory part of any state and in such times, its value only increases.

“BELARUS in regards to terrorism and in terms of its sphere of safety will not renounce its national interests and has aspirations of maintaining normal partner relations to other countries and international organizations. Collective safety is a first priority and is at the center of the contract with out military.

“On questions of defense, we have achieved our goals of progress but there is still much work to do.”

The president added that leadership also sees a special role for our military in its cooperation and strategic partnership with the Russian Federation, the main ally of the country. Thus Belarus will continue with its obligations and agreements to construct regional mixed groups of the armies of both Belarus and Russia.

The two countries will engage in war games together in February of 2006 with the full participation of both state bodies. The goal of the meeting is t further the acceptance of an allied state.

The president also said that there have been changes in the means, methods and forms of conducting modern war and these changes consequently demand possession of all necessary tools to insure sovereignty and territorial integrity. The two countries should work together to insure and maintain regional safety.

“The state military-industrial committee is obligated to solve the problems of equipping the army with modern arms and technical support. However, it should also not spend money on untested and potentially ineffective material. Though the possibility of any direct aggression against Belarus is very small, preparation and readiness is still a necessity.

Minister of Defense Leonid Maltsev has reported that the Budget for the reformation of defense has been set at 305 billion rubles (about $142 million)

The president then turned his attention to the media and the internet and what he calls “the growing problem of dissention and disinformation”.

“The reality is that there is a ring of “disinformation which circles Belarus. The west and so-called “opposition forces” have no problems with trying to find new ways to try and forge negative public opinion. There are groups who, in the name of rekindling religious and national interests attempt to create enmity in our society in regards to the authority of the state and its ability to effectively govern. We saw this in the “Polish” question.

(Note: The following is a continuation of the speech and concerns the same issue. Most of what follows though fomes from the UCPB)

Alyaksandr Lukashenka thinks that it is necessary to increase the level of informational security of the country in connection with creation around the country a circle of disinformation by the West. “The urgency of this question is motivated by the fact that we should protect our people from foreign informational expansion, from sow discord and instability in the society by anti-Belarusian informational resources,” A. Lukashenka said on Friday, opening the Security Council meeting.

As said by the head of the state, “the West and so-called Belarusian opposition controlled by the West, spare no troubles looking for the new ways of forming negative public opinion and dissemination of destructive information in our country”.

“The creation of a so-called informational circle, or as I would call it, a "disinformation" circle, around Belarus, is becoming a reality,” he said.

"The West and opposition, are aiming at inciting national enmity, as you could see it by the example of the so-called Polish question, and religious enmity in the society”. “[They want] to imbed into the minds of people the idea about alleged disability of the authorities to govern the state effectively,”

"The neighbouring countries, Poland and the Baltic states, have long ago become a foothold not only for the NATO resources for radio electronic struggle and intelligence. A program of mass media broadcasting for Belarus has been presented and advertised in a big way already."

A. Lukashenka offered the members of the Security Council a draft concept of informational security of the country. “One should not forget that over the last ten years all conflicts unleashed by the USA and its satellites, had started with informational attacks, with a large-scale propaganda campaigns against this or that country, targeted for military attack,” the head of state emphasized.

"The leading Western states actively use informational infrastructure and recourses as “tools for unilateral promotion of their geopolitical interests. With the help of mass media and internet they are trying to manipulate mass consciousness, discredit unwanted countries, artificially create preconditions for exacerbation of social tensions, not excepting the aim of change of power,”

Methods of containment will be the topic of discussion at the next security meeting.
Translation from Russian by the BHTimes.


A regular issue of the Narodnaia volia came out, however, the existence of the paper is still threatened

From Viasna

There is no joke here: Getting the news from Belarus is not easy

On 28 September the Narodnaia volia managed to issue a regular number, however, the newspaper's existence is still threatened, said the editorial office to the representatives of the Belarusian Association of Journalists. The Narodnaia volia's property is attached, the paper is seized, and the bank is prescribed to take away from the newspaper account and pay to the court 100 million rubles. (That was the amount awarded by Leninski Borough Court of Minsk for moral damages allegedly sustained by the chair of the Liberal Democratic Party Siarhei Haidukievich from the Narodnaia volia regarding the possible cooperation of the LDP with the regime of Sadam Hussein).

The newspaper issue of 27 September 2005 placed an appeal of the founder and senior editor of the Narodnaia volia Iosif Siaredzich to the readers and supporters to help with the money to pay the fine. The appeal also contained a timeline of the actions taken by court marshals that led to the threat of closure.

Initially, the court marshals proposed that the editorial office execute the court ruling before 25 August this year, however, prior to this date the acting chair of Minsk City Court Turko suspended the execution.

On 20 September the court marshals started to attach the newspaper's property without a repeated proposal to execute the court ruling. On 21 September 2005 the attachment was completed: The property of the Narodnaia volia's property was banned, large batches of paper were seized, and the bank account was blocked.

On 23 September 2005 the editorial office appealed to the Supreme Court of Belarus and sent a special petition to the chair of the court Valiantsin Sukala, where it asked for the suspension of the court ruling and guaranteed the execution of the court ruling after all courts of appeal had been tried.

"It is important to do everything to make sure the country, the people do not lose their only independent daily Narodnaia volia", says the appeal.

National Congress of Democratic Forces Opened In Minsk

From Charter '97

Waiting outside the meeting of the National Congress of Democratic Forces

Main challengers for single candidate’s position state their readiness to defend victory in the presidential elections in the streets of the Belarusian cities. They said about that in the break of the Congress work at a special press conference. The chairman of the United Civil Party Anatol Lyabedzka, one of the leaders of the “third sector” Alyaksandr Milinkevich, a leader of the Party of Communists of Belarus Syarhei Kalyakin and the chairman of the Belarusian Social Democratic Hramada Stanislau Shushkevich have taken part in the press conference. Mr.Shushkevich said: “We’ll go all the way!”

Anatol Lyabedzka was categorical as well:

“Tomorrow, de jure, we elect a single candidate, and our priority is to make him the single candidate de facto. The time for discussions finishes tomorrow. The majority of Belarus’ population stands for changes; many say that they are ready to defend their right for choice in the streets. We shall defend our victory”.

Participants of the press conference informed about signing the political agreement that after electing a single candidate out of them they are to work as a one team. The politicians also reminded that the declaration of unity of political democratic forces of Belarus has been signed previously. As Alyaksandr Milinkevich said, “the struggle between the candidates should be stopped tomorrow. We must continue struggle for returning democracy to Belarus”.

Further steps in the work with voters, as said by the politicians, will be door-to-door campaigning for the candidate. Syarhei Kalyakin said in particular:

“We have two and a half million of doors. And we are to open every door. Only through this mechanism we are to run Belarusian regime’s informational blockade”.

Reporters were also told about the system of the Congress’ work. The day before a meeting of the presidium and a credentials committee, a counting board and a drafting committee took place.

After the press conference the work of the Congress is to continue till late night. Delegates and guests are to deliver speeches. Tomorrow morning the work is to continue. At about 4 p.m. Minsk time a press conference of a single candidate, nominated by the Congress, is planned. Stay with us. On-line coverage of the Congress’ work will be continues since the midday of October 2.

NOTE: Please check out the Charter '97 site at http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/ for up-to-the-minute coverage of the conference.

Also from the UCPB

The EU strongly condemns the Belarusian Government

The EU; They just never quit do they?

The European Union strongly condemned the Belarus government`s conduct on Thursday, in particular its attempts to crush all opponents to the hardline regime of Alexander Lukashenko. In a resolution, the deputies denounced the regime`s maltreatment of prisoners and what it said was the increasing number of arbitrary arrests being carried out by security forces. The government was also blamed for a series of incidents in which opponents were persecuted or disappeared.

As AFX News Limited reported, other issues condemned by the parliament included Belarus`s relentless persecution of Polish militants, the marginalisation of the Roms or gypsy minority, the ban on the evangelical church and attacks against media and the opposition.

On Sept 16, the EU`s Council of Ministers condemned Belarus`s "persecution" and "intimidation" of independent journalists and civilian militants.

Full Text


News from the International Chess championships in Argentina


Round Four Summary

Round 4: Saturday, October 1st
Veselin Topalov 1-0 Michael Adams
R. Kasimdzhanov 1-0 Vishy Anand
Peter Leko 1-0 Judit Polgar
A. Morozevich 0-1 Peter Svidler

Here is the leaderboard after four rounds:

Topalov 3.5
Svidler 3.0
Anand 2.5
Kasimdzhanov 2.0
Polgar 1.5
Leko 1.5
Adams 1.0
Morozovich 1.0

Please click HERE for the full results.