Belarus accuses Russia of funding opposition (Luko self-destructs)

MINSK - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday that Russia was funding opposition groups in Belarus. At the same time, he noted that it was not the Russian President and the Russian government who were supporting the opposition.

“When they bring 180,000 (dollars) from Moscow, half for Marinich and half for Frolov… In my place, would not you be worried that the opposition is funded by Russia, my Russia, brotherly Russia?” Mr. Lukashenko was quoted as saying by the Vremya Novostey newspaper.

According to the Belarusian leader, this is “wasted money, vain efforts”. He promised to disclose the sources of funding of his opponents in the upcoming presidential race. “They take money, and later they work it off, and they do it badly. They also steal it, as it happened during the last presidential election campaign,” Mr. Lukashenko stressed.

Mikhail Marinich is the former Economy Minister of Belarus and a candidate for President in the 2001 elections. Last spring, he was arrested on suspicion of illegal weapons possession. Valery Frolov is a member of parliament. In June, he went on hunger strike demanding to liberalize election laws.

We will see how Poland feels soon, say in year or two, how cost of living will skyrocket, just like in Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Greece, while salaries stay equal to before.

And majority of Belaruss want unification. Further Belaruss exist only because Russia, until now, is paying for Belaruss oil and gas.

Poland will submerge as second tier member of EU and no, your say will be small and French-German-Belgium say will now govern your lives. The main reason they want Eastern Europe is to stop future competition from rising to EU...by smothering your companies and factories. Already Czeck lost major bottling factory when German company move it from Sudatenland to Nizhni Novograd...this will excellerate in the future. Russia grows, EU elites grow, the rest of you EUers will smother under your better's rule.

This is the union you are so much proud of? 1.1% is modest growth? What a joke. It is growth of the 2nd world variety. Russia this year in Purchasing Power Parity economic comparison, pass Italy and is/should be right behind Britian. It should pass Britian next year and then France...so only Germany will be ahead...that should take around 5 years to pass by...but the more the EU smother selves, the faster this happens.

Economic Outlook

The EU economy is expected to have grown by less than one per cent in 2003, a further weakening from the modest growth of 1.1 per cent in 2002. Domestic demand fell as the poor domestic and international economic climate led businesses to defer investment spending. Private consumption suffered from an increase in unemployment, low consumer confidence and consumers' concerns about the international security environment. Weak external demand for EU goods and services and the appreciation of the euro lowered EU exports, which had been the driver of growth in 2002. Policy settings are relatively loose: budget deficits have risen, including in France and Germany where deficits have exceeded for the third consecutive year the three per cent budget deficit ceiling enshrined in the euro area's Stability and Growth Pact. France and Germany have successfully lobbied other Member States to avoid incurring financial penalties for these deficit breaches. However, these deficit breaches without incurring penalties have caused concern among both authorities and private market analysts about the damage to Economic and Monetary Union's credibility, including the euro. Euro area official interest rates have progressively fallen since early-2001 to stimulate domestic demand.

The EU, particularly northern Member States, has achieved productivity improvements as part of its ambitious Lisbon Goal of becoming the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy economy in the world by 2010 - but much remains to be done. The EU plans to increase competition in energy, transport, postal and financial services sectors. Substantial reform of product and labour markets will be required to achieve a lift in productivity required to meet the Lisbon Goal. The EU's Growth Initiative aims to lift the EU's economic growth rate by increasing investment in innovation, research and development, and developing modern and efficient transport infrastructure. The unemployment rate in the EU has averaged just under nine per cent during 2003 and is forecast to remain at that level during 2004. EU inflation averaged 2.1 per cent in 2003 and is expected to fall slightly in 2004.

Outlook

Consensus Economics (November 2003) forecasts EU economic growth to increase to 2.0 per cent in 2004. The pace of the US' economic recovery is expected to be the determining factor on the strength of the EU's recovery. EU business investment is forecast to strengthen in 2004 as the profit outlook improves. Fiscal policy is expected to tighten, particularly in France and Germany. The European Central Bank (ECB) will monitor the strength of the euro area's recovery in 2004 closely with an eye for the appropriate setting of official interest rates, bearing in mind that euro area inflation is at the ECB's target ceiling.

Enlargement of the EU to take in ten countries of Central and Eastern Europe is scheduled to take place in May 2004. These countries have made impressive strides in economic development to prepare for accession to the EU, but nonetheless remain noticeably behind existing EU members in aspects of institutional infrastructure. These countries' accession could have a deflationary impact on existing EU members, resulting from unrestricted market access to accession countries' cheaper goods and services

Further, Russia no longer in of recognizing Poland's leadership to deal with affairs of Poland, just like with Baltics. Russia now deal directly with Brussels on all affairs of dependent Poland and dependant Baltics.

Here is some interesting facts I also find:

Farmers are protesting in Central Europe after a proposal for agricultural aid was published in Brussels. Some prospective members now are afraid of the effects that joining of the union might bring. The EU has a common agricultural policy (CAP) that injects money into farms in the form of directed payments. The problem is that the EU has proposed to give only 25% of this ?money injection? to the farmers in Central Europe. Only after a period of ten years of membership in the EU will the countries finally get the 100% of the aid that the EU gives to the farms in the rest of the EU. The fear that farmers from Poland have is that the amount of money they will get from the EU will not be even close to the amounts current members of the EU get, making competition unfair. They feel that, because this unbalanced competition, their farms will be driven into bankruptcy and they will have no way to recover; in ten years, they argue, their farms will be gone.

This is freedom and capitalism?

Another fear that these farmers stems from another common law of the EU: the institution of production quotas. The EU sets quotas over the production of dairy farms, creating different production standards in different countries. In the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia and Poland, these quotas are far below the quotas their governments have set in past years. Therefore, farmers in these countries fear that the quotas set by the EU might slow their production significantly.

First it will then be a choice of EU or Russian economic models: EU mass socialism and bureocarcy and unemployment (France & Germany economy shrinking: Germany 11% unemployment, France around 12-13%, Poland 20+% -- and from what I read this year or next 1/3 Polish farms and industry will close due to not being in meeting of EU law) or Russian rapid growth 7-8% growth and 7.5% unemployment. Further, Russia will never allow hostile EU military presense totally on Russian border. Especially one led by political whores like French and Belgians.

First, Poland and new members are not going in this franko-german socialistic way (maybe except of Czech Republic) and if old members (not all socialist) want to be competitive they must resign with socialism, in another way they will lose their economical advantage and unemployment will grow up and in new EU countries vice versa.
Second thing is that high unemployment in Poland isn’t effect of EU and if we will have around the 10% I will be happy.
Poland’s GDP percent is the highest in Europe around 7%.
This is completely exaggerated, what HOSTALE EU military present do you mean? Now Russia have border with Finland, Latvia, Estonia, plus Kaliningrad oblast which is one big military base with port in Baltisk. Poland was one of the countries which blocked franko-german ambitions to create EU army. Belgium? With all respect to their citizens but Belgium isn’t country who have too much to say.

We will see how Poland feels soon, say in year or two, how cost of living will skyrocket, just like in Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Greece, while salaries stay equal to before.

Price of food in fact grown up, but not as much like think, your black visions aren’t reality, salaries in those countries are much higher than in Poland, even in Greece. Ireland it is country of success, they perfectly use unification to their policy.

And majority of Belaruss want unification. Further Belaruss exist only because Russia, until now, is paying for Belaruss oil and gas.

Well then we have different sources. I totally agree that now Belarus exist only because Russia but this is effect of idiotic Lukashenko policy or rather absence of any policy.

Poland will submerge as second tier member of EU and no, your say will be small and French-German-Belgium say will now govern your lives. The main reason they want Eastern Europe is to stop future competition from rising to EU...by smothering your companies and factories. Already Czeck lost major bottling factory when German company move it from Sudatenland to Nizhni Novograd...this will excellerate in the future. Russia grows, EU elites grow, the rest of you EUers will smother under your better's rule.

I knew long time ago that GER and FRA wanted for us such second class membership but they didn’t knew what country Poland really is, and I can say that Poland will be very problematic member for those two, as problematic as we are now. Don’t forget that EU isn’t not only GER and FRA but also GBR, SPA, ITA and now POL, plus of course the smaller members. As I mention before with Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria and maybe Turkey their influence will be much weaker, even now they cannot do anything alone.
For example Opel factory was moved from Germany to Poland.

This is the union you are so much proud of? 1.1% is modest growth? What a joke. It is growth of the 2nd world variety. Russia this year in Purchasing Power Parity economic comparison, pass Italy and is/should be right behind Britian. It should pass Britian next year and then France...so only Germany will be ahead...that should take around 5 years to pass by...but the more the EU smother selves, the faster this happens.

First, where I said that I’m proud of EU? I’m only proud of Poland and this will NEVER change. About socialism I wrote at the beginning of my post. This isn’t strange that Russia is higher than EU countries at last Russia is big country (with own oil and gas), as well as China, Brazil, and India which are also had good statistics. But we all know that this not have any transfer to the standards of life in those countries. Russia have own problems like big corruption, mafia influences (don’t kill me for that, it is obvious thing here), maybe even more than 50% of Russian politician are totally freaks and president Putin is only guarantee of democracy or rather Russian democracy. Don’t get me wrong I see all positive changes in Russia but situation isn’t so pink as you wrote at least from my point of view.

Further, Russia no longer in of recognizing Poland's leadership to deal with affairs of Poland, just like with Baltics. Russia now deal directly with Brussels on all affairs of dependent Poland and dependant Baltics.

OK, I know Russian conflict with Baltic countries and despite of that which country had right there, Russian government cannot deal with them and now use typical Russian policy demonstration, to discredit those countries. If they ever try the same with Poland, they never will achieve their aims. In my opinion such stupid provocations are completely unnecessary, our nations should cooperate together for our common good. Why do you want to have enemies if you may have friendship? (I’m talking about Poland now)

About our farmers, it is unfortunately truth, our government totally lost this case, but this not change fact that even now polish food destroying EU market, with low prices and high quality almost without chemistry. As for those poorer farmers, this 25% is better than nothing, they hadn’t be competitive before as well. In Poland 25% it is not the same that 25% in France for example. Hey and no one said that we are in heaven now, it will be hard battle.

PS: I have friend in Russia who have also Belarusian passport, and he like you want Belarus and Russian together (also cause he is double patriot ) but he never said that EU will be bad for Belarus.

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