I have read attentively journalist Sergey Kravchuk’s interview with Anatol Lyabedzka, Chairman of the United Civil Party. As far as I understood, if one puts aside malicious Belarusian authorities led by Alyaksandar Lukashenka, things are going perfectly well with our opposition, and in our country in general. Anatol Lyabedzka has scored a landslide victory at parliamentary elections in his constituency, and the most powerful Belarusian oppositional coalition of all times “Five Plus” by a resolute step is moving ahead, towards new victories. Just a little more effort, and the enemy would flee, and the victory would be ours. I must say at once, that I do not share the political optimism of the UCP leader. I am sure that, certainly, sooner or later, Lukashenka’s regime will topple down, but I am in no doubt that if opposition is not going to analyze the situation seriously and make necessary changes inside itself, Lukashenka could win dictator Franco’s laurels and rule for 40 years until an “honourable” discharge. I like the expression ‘Pyrrhic victory’, but these words could be attributed not only to Lukashenka, but to many opposition leaders as well.

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The chair of the Central election committee of Belarus, Lidziya Yarmoshyna, believes that the proportional election system does not meet interests of people masses. “If we are issuing from the support of the parties by the population, the insignificant level of support enjoyed by the Belarusian parties now proves that it could be easily called anti-national,” told Yarmoshyna. “For Belarus mixed election system is the optimal one,” she emphasized.

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Vawkavysk businessman Mikalay Awtukhovich claims compensation of 99 million BYR of compensation from the TV and radio company “Hrodna”. On Thursday he lodge a lawsuit to the court of Lenin district of Hrodna. Awtukhovich claims that one of the programs of this company contained information insulting his honor and dignity.

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On November 11 officers of the court came to the flat where Maria Hambetskaya lives together with her parents. They confiscated a video player; a TV set belonging to the parents. The confiscation is completely unlawful, as according to the law children do not have a share in the common property of their parents. And parents, in their turn, are not accountable for fines of their children of the full legal age.

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On November 8 the Information Ministry issued a warning to the founder of newspaper “Kurjer iz Borisova” (Press Service Ltd.) on violation of the Law of the Republic of Belarus “On press and other mass media”.

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On Saturday night unknown attempted to break in to the flat of local human rights activist Ales Abramovich. Mr. Abramovich considers this to be an initiative of local law enforcing agencies.

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The 14th summit “European Union-Russia”, which was to be held in Moscow on November 11, was rescheduled for November 25 and it to take place in the Hague (Netherlands). At this meeting the policy of Russia regarding its closest neighbors, Belarus and Ukraine, the BelaPAN agency informs. It is planned that except the question of Russian-Belarusian relations, participants of the meeting are to discuss the OSCE role in Belarus. Such an aspect of the discussion, “EurActive” agency underlines, is the consequence of repeated Russian criticism concerning OSCE mission in Belarus.

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Two leaders of an opposition youth group, Pavel Severinets and Aleksei Shein, plan to give birth to a new political party that would be named the Christian Democratic Party. The party would unite people seeking to establish a democratic-ruled state based on Christian values, Mr. Shein told BelaPAN. At present this “political niche” is still open, he noted.

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Court officers on November 12 visited the house of relatives of Aleksei Shein, a contender in October`s parliamentary race, to appraise property that is to be confiscated toward payment of a fine imposed on Mr. Shein three years ago.

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The signs say ``KEEP OUT`` and warn of radiation contamination, but the mushroom pickers trudge past them carrying their pails. Eighteen years after the reactor at Chernobyl in neighboring Ukraine exploded, spewing a cloud of radiation that blew north and contaminated 22 percent of this ex-Soviet republic, activists warn of a new threat facing Belarusians: the longing to return to normal life.

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Andrei Shentorovich, owner and editor-in-chief of the Volkovysk-based weekly Mestnaya Gazeta, has gotten down to work following a 20-day hunger strike in protest against the information ministry`s decision to suspend the publication of the newspaper for a month. The next Mestnaya Gazeta issue is to get out on November 17.

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A Belarusian military unit is expected to join a multi-national force during next year’s NATO peacekeeping exercise in Ukraine. A battalion-level tactical exercise, named Cooperative Best Effort 2005, will take place at a training ground in western Ukraine next June.

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