OSCE concerned by trials of protestors in Belarus.

VIENNA, February 18 (Itar-Tass) -- OSCE Chairperson-in-Office,
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Azubalis, expressed strong concern
on Thursday that courts in Belarus have started trials and the sentencing
of protesters who participated in demonstrations last December. He fully
supported the intention of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and
Human Rights (ODIHR) to send observers to monitor future trials and urges
the authorities to ensure that the observers can conduct their work.
"I would like to stress that freedom of assembly is a fundamental
democratic right. Of particular concern is that parts of the first trial
were held in camera. This is unacceptable. I am also concerned about
reports of a number of defense lawyers having their licenses revoked. The
OSCE needs to monitor such trials in the future to provide an independent
assessment to our participating States," Azubalis said in a statement,
adding that all participating States have made a commitment to accept the
presence of trial monitors.
He recalled that two months ago the heads of state and government of
all OSCE participating States, including Belarusian President Alexander
Lukashenko, adopted the Astana Declaration, which states that their
commitments ":in the field of the human dimension are matters of direct
and legitimate concern to all participating States and do not belong
exclusively to the internal affairs of the State concerned. We value the
important role played by civil society and free media in helping us to
ensure full respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms, democracy,
including free and fair elections, and the rule of law."
Two weeks ago, the OSCE Representative for Freedom of the Media also
called for an end to the harassment of the media in Belarus.
ODIHR observed the 19 December presidential election in Belarus and
will issue its final report next week.

.NKorea blames South for talks failure.

PYONGYANG, February 18 (Itar-Tass) -- North Korea blamed Seoul for the
failure of preliminary military talks held last week in Panmunjom on the
border between the two countries.
The government-run Minju Choson newspaper said on Friday South Korea
"bears full responsibility" for the failure to launch the inter-Korean
dialogue.
It said "an incessant series of military maneuvers was the response of
militant South Korean puppets to sincere proposals from Pyongyang on the
beginning of a peaceful dialogue and negotiations."
The daily accused Seoul of "erecting artificial barriers on the path
of the settlement of the tense situation on the peninsula and
normalization of relations between the North and the South."
It rejected South Korean claims that talks failed because of North
Korean position.
In January North Korea proposed to Seoul to set a taskforce of
military representatives and hold negotiations between defense ministers
to "resolve the problems that accumulated in the military sphere."
Preliminary talks were held to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula
however they failed because of major contradictions.

.Gazprom ready for regular gas deliveries to USA.

NEW YORK, February 18 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia's Gazprom giant said on
Thursday it is ready to begin regular gas shipments to the United States
and is waiting for a proper price.
"Gazprom has everything ready for regular gas deliveries to the United
States. It remains to wait for an acceptable price," deputy CEO of the gas
monopoly Alexander Medvedev said at Gazprom Investor Day.
He specified the company has regasifying capacities at Baja California
terminal in Mexico and sufficient liquefied natural gas reserves.
Medvedev said supplies of liquefied natural gas from the Shtokman
field located on Russia's Arctic shelf will begin in 2017. "We don't see
any reasons for postponing the start of deliveries," he said.
He said Gazprom is considering swap transactions with other gas
producers which means "Shtokman field can benefit from the price situation
not only on the markets where its LNG will be physically supplied, but
also on the markets of swapped volumes."
"There are no grounds today for separating the investment solutions on
pipeline gas and the LNG and we expect in this connection that an
investment decision on the integrated project for the development of
Shtokman deposit - including the liquefaction plant - will be taken before
the end of this year," Medvedev said.
As for the shale gas in the United States, Medvedev said "we see no
shale gas threat to our business and even note the factors which can
promote our business development." He did not elaborate, but said in the
long run shale gas "will play a positive role for the world gas market and
the gas market in the United States."
Medvedev estimated Gazprom's consolidated export revenues at $72.1
billion in 2011 and said the company will recover its highest
capitalization in five years. He said half a trillion dollars are "an
absolutely real capitalization which can be achieved in the coming
five-year period on condition no speculation wave will cover Europe and
the United States."
As for political upheavals in North Africa, Medvedev said they will
hardly affect Gazprom's projects.
"Gazprom is already working in Algeria and Libya," he said adding
Libya's Elephant oilfield deal has been recently completed by Gazprom Neft
subsidiary.
"As for today, all these projects proceed as scheduled and without any
problems," he said, adding Gazprom hopes "no radical changes will occur in
the current situation."
-0-nec


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