BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

14/05/2007

Belarusian President Concerned About Economic Slowdown

President Alyaksandr Lukashenka said on May 11 he is disturbed by a slowdown reported in certain economic sectors in the first quarter of 2007, Belapan reported, quoting official sources. Speaking at a government conference, Lukashenka said eight out of 19 key targets for the country's 2007 social and economic development were not met in the first three months of the year. He said there are some "unwelcome trends" in the Belarusian economy, such as declining profitability and decelerating growth of industrial output. On the whole, however, Lukashenka noted that the economy developed steadily in the first quarter, with gross domestic product increasing by 8.5 percent year-on-year. JM

Source:

http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2007/05/3-CEE/cee-140507.asp

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