BELARUS DIGEST

Мінфін ЗША у чарговы раз падоўжыў рашэнне пра змякчэнне санкцый супраць двух беларускіх прадпрыемстваў канцэрна «Белнафтахім» – ААТ «Лакафарба» і «Полацк-Шкловалакно».

Як паведамляе афіцыйны сайт Мінфіна, рашэнне падоўжана па 31 траўня 2010 года.

У пазначаны перыяд амерыканскім грамадзянам дазволена супрацоўніцтва з двумя беларускімі прадпрыемствамі.

У той жа час уласнасць ААТ «Лакафарба» і «Полацк-Шкловалакно» застаецца заблакаванай у адпаведансці з ураднымі распараджэннямі № 13405. Грамадзянам ЗША забаронена праз ці пры пасярэдніцтве гэтых двух прадпрыемстваў набываць прадукцыю, паслугі і тэхналогіі ў іншых суб’ектаў гаспадарання, унесеных у спіс (маецца на ўвазе спіс прадпрыемстваў «Белнафтахіма», супраць якіх санкцыі дзейнічаюць зараз), перадае БелаПАН.

Нагадаем, у лістападзе 2007 года ЗША увялі эканамічныя санкцыі супраць канцэрна «Белнафтахім» у сувязі з парушэннем правоў чалавека ў Беларусі.

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Poland’s foreign minister called upon the US to deploy its troops on the territory of the country to defend it from military aggression.

During a conference in Washington Radoslaw Sikorski reminded that recently Russia and Belarus held joint military exercises not far from the Polish territory, where hundreds of tanks took part. As said by him, now there are only 6 US soldiers in Poland, BBC informs.

“There are 900 tanks on one side and only six soldiers on other. Could you be calm in this situation?” Reuters quotes Sikorski.

The minister noted that when Poland joined the NATO, Russia received assurances that the alliance won’t send considerable NATO forces to the region. “But nobody imagined at this time that no forces would be put in whatsoever. And so this is I think the job that is going to need to be done,” the minister said.

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U.S. Embassy in Minsk

“I think Senator Gramm would be in serious consideration for ambassador to Belarus, although I’m not sure the citizens of Minsk would welcome that.”

John McCain

Minsk must be the worst place John McCain could think of off the top of his head when he was making fun of Senator Phil Gramm, a co-chairman of his campaign. The experiences of US diplomats serving in Belarus prove him right.

In March 2008, Belarus pulled its ambassador, Mikhail Khvostov, from Washington, DC giving US ambassador Karen Stewart 24 hours to leave before she would be declared persona non grata. Shortly afterward Belarusian authorities requested that the United States cut the staff of its 35-employee embassy in Minsk by half.

The American diplomats were accused of setting up a spying ring in the country. A state television report claimed the embassy had recruited 10 Belarusians to collect information for the FBI. The embassy was alleged to provide the informers with an apartment near the embassy as well as cameras and binoculars.

A month later ten more US diplomats were ordered to leave Belarus within 72 hours. In an immediate response, the US State Department ordered Belarus to close its embassy in Washington and its consulate in New York withdrawing its six diplomats within fifteen days. The State Department announced shutting down the US Embassy in Minsk. Washington retreated at the last minute, and the embassies remained open, although barely functional.

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