Non-state Newspaper Tovarishch Is Not Included into Subscription Catalog for 2007 and Won’t Be Sold at State Kiosks

On 30 August the editorial board of the newspaper of the non-state newspaper Tovarishch received the answers from the state enterprises Belposhta (Belarusian Post) and Minabldruk (Minsk regional press) to its requests concerning retail of the newspaper by kiosks and state subscription to it. Belposhta pointed that it had the right to choose the subjects of economy for concluding contract agreements and nobody had the right to force it to conclude an agreement. So, the enterprise refused to conclude a distribution agreement with Tovarishch without any explanations. Minabldruk, in its turn, stated it wouldn’t consider any proposals about distribution of periodicals by its kiosks till the end of 2006.
So, at present the editorial board intends to continue distributing the newspaper with its own forces. The press-service of the Belarusian Association of Journalists reminds that in the end of 2005 Belposhta refused to include into the subscription catalog a number of non-state newspapers including Tovarishch and Belsaiuzdruk broke the contracts according to which these newspapers were to be retailed by its kiosks.