Supreme Soviet press office retorts presidential information department

1996-10-23 11:15

Minsk, 23 October. A newscaster of Belarusian Television's October 22 night news show "Panarama" asserted with reference to the Main Office of Public and Political Information (MOPPI) of the Presidential Administration that the Supreme Soviet's leaders and a number of other MPs attempted to establish a dictatorship and wanted to have unlimited authority. He said that the "Supreme Soviet's striving for dictatorial uncontrolled power is inspired by the Constitutional Court which directly depends on the Supreme Soviet's leaders." He explained that Alyaksandr Lukashenka's consent to holding the referendum on November 24 dumbfounded the "powerful members of the opposition and constitutional judges at their service," but for a short while. "Guided by the I-do-what-I-want principle the head of the Supreme Soviet, Syamyon Sharetski, appealed to the head of the Constitutional Court, Valery Tsikhinya, probably, for only one purpose--to block the referendum at any price, by declaring the president-proposed amendments to the present constitution unconstitutional." Further, it was said that "the two statesmen, loving so much the constitution and laws, will manage to reach an agreement once again, and yells about fascism and a dictatorship will be heard in Belarus again."
The press office of the Belarusian Supreme Soviet replied, "Guided by the an-uneasy-conscience-betrays-itself principle, the Presidential Administration's MOPPI has circulated a new statement made in its unique style." According to the press office, the statement concerning the striving of Supreme Soviet's leaders and some MPs for a dictatorship can be easily disproved, but there is no sense to argue with the authors of the "masterpiece" fabricated in the depths of the MOPPI.
The Supreme Soviet press office pointed out that that statement was the first one in which the MOPPI boss used the signatures of his subordinates instead of his own one which "probably sets his own teeth on edge" and that MOPPI employees learn about documents allegedly prepared by them only from television or radio.