Third All-Belarus People's Congress opens in Minsk

The 3rd All-Belarus People's Congress has opened in Minsk. Head of state Alexander Lukashenko takes part in the congress. The congress will sum up results of implementing the 2001-2005 national social and economic development programme, talk over a draft social and economic development programme for the next five years as well as other important issues related to the state and public life. The congress gathered representatives of all strata of the Belarusian society: industry workers and farmers, social and cultural workers, students, military, businessmen, members of the Council of the Republic and the Chamber of Representatives, heads of state administration bodies, Heroes of the Soviet Union and Social Labour Heroes. Honorary guests and public figures of Russia and Ukraine, representatives of Belarusian diasporas in other countries, heads of foreign diplomatic missions in Belarus were invited to partake in the congress. During the two-day congress participants and guests are expected to deliver their speeches. On the whole, 2,500 people representing all Belarus regions take part in the national assembly. The number of foreign guests, who arrived in Minsk to participate in the 3rd All-Belarus People's Congress, includes CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha, Union State Secretary Pavel Borodin, twice Soviet Union Hero, spaceman Piotr Klimuk, EurAsEC Secretary General Grigoriy Rapota, USSR People's Painter Alexander Shilov, First Secretary of the Ukraine Communist Party Piotr Simonenko.