Former chairman of the Russian Central Elections Committee Alexander Veshnyakov's candidacy for executive secretary of the Commonwealth of Independent States will not be discussed at the CIS summit in Dushanbe tomorrow because Belarus remains opposed to his appointment to that post. A consensus is required for the appointment. Moscow's plan to replace current CIS head and former Russian interior minister Vladimir Rushailo with Veshnyakov became known in June but his candidacy was not discussed at the summit in St. Petersburg that month. Veshnyakov may be offered an ambassadorial post in Europe instead.

Noel Malcolm reviews The Whisperers: Private Life In Stalin's Russia by Orlando Figes.

www.cwnews.com:
Catholic leaders in Belarus are doing their best to assess the impact of an announcement by vice-premier Aleksandr Kosinets that foreign clergy should leave the country, the Forum 18 news service reports. 

www.eurasianet.org:
Just a year ago, ties between Minsk and Tbilisi were antagonistic. Now, united by common frustrations with Russia’s regional energy and economic policies, Georgia and Belarus appear to be trying to make a new start of things.