The authorities explained their decision by saying that the law prohibited to hold mass street actions near the buildings of state institutions and diplomatic missions. Despite of the prohibition, the Young Front members plan to hold their action in the center of Minsk. In his interview to Radio “Liberty” the Young Front leader Pavel Seviarynets said that the action participants would visit the embassies of Western European countries and pass them congratulations. The procession would be held under the slogan “We Love Europe! We Love Belarus!”.

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On 4-5 February the Congress of European People’s Party took place in Brussels. In its special resolution on Belarus it was said that “the law concerning political participants and civic non-governmental organisations has been recently amended. The new regulations oppress the said above institutions and do not correspond to the basic norms of international law. A number of non-governmental organizations had been closed (one of the most dramatic was the closure of “Viasna 96” - centre for the human-rights defence); several political parties and many non-governmental organisations were refused the registration without any sufficient reason.”

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Belarus has signed an additional contract to import 360 million cubic meters of Russian natural gas. "This will be enough to satisfy Belarus`s demands for gas for 5-6 days. Therefore, Gazprom has resumed full-scale natural gas transportation to Belarus today for at least that period," Interfax was told by Transnafta transport company on Thursday evening. Earlier on Thursday, Russia stopped all natural gas deliveries to Belarus.

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