NEWSBRIEFS (05/15/94)

NEWSBRIEFS

Russian claims CIS policy "internal"

MOSCOW - The chairman of Russia's Parliament, Konstantin Zatulin, has claimed that his country's "policy toward the CIS is [an] internal policy." In an interview published in Nezavisimaya Gazeta's May 5 issue, Mr. Zatulin referred to himself as "an admirer of empire if this means imperial peace." He went on to say that areas with concentrations of ethnic Russians should be given autonomous and federative status within the states where they reside and that their "special status" had to be secured by "Moscow's guarantees." The Duma leader also alleged that although there were marked differences between his approach to foreign policy and that of Russia's Foreign Ministry, the latter has "sharply changed its position, and our official positions are practically the same." On May 10, Mr. Zatulin attended the opening sessions of the Crimea's parliament and said "Russia will deal delicately" with problems in the area and eschewed "a bull in a china shop approach to boost tension." (RFE/RL Daily Report, Reuters)

Fleet press charged with disinformation

MOSCOW - The influential Russian daily Izvestiya carried an article in its May 6 issue that accused the press center of the Black Sea Fleet of disinformation designed to inflame Ukrainian-Russian tensions in the Crimea. It specifically targeted fleet bureau chief Andrei Grachev as a "source of untrustworthy information" whose office attempted to "manipulate" press agencies, such as Radio Liberty, Reuters and CNN to put Ukraine and Russia at odds over issues concerning division of the Black Sea Fleet and control of the Crimean peninsula. (RFE/RL Daily Report)

Ukraine's atomic energy grid hobbled

KYYIV - According to a statement released on May 6 by officials of Ukraine's atomic energy combine, their stations will be unable to meet the country's energy needs in the coming year because of a lack of funds for nuclear fuel and other supplies. The statement blames the low energy rates they are told to charge, which do not even cover the costs of production of electricity generated for the industrial sector. The internal debt of Ukraine's energy ministry to the nuclear power stations stands at 1.7 trillion kbv (about $12 billion U.S.). (Respublika)

Gazprom lifts shutoff threat

KYYIV - The Russian natural gas monopoly Gazprom officially withdrew threats to shut off supplies of Ukraine on May 7. Talks on Ukraine's debt in this area are scheduled to resume May 16. That day, Turkmenistan resumed shipments after a three-month hiatus. (Intelnews)

Crimean Parliament resumes sessions

SEVASTOPIL - The Crimea's Parliament reopened sessions on May 10 and elected Serhiy Tsekov as its new chairman. Mr. Tsekov spoke in favor of statehood for the autonomous republic and of transformation of the CIS into a confederation, but said such moves should be made moderately. The new chairman also said the peninsula must insist on full economic independence and address "the problem of the Crimea's excessive militarization." Deputies voiced various views, from calls for caution and restraint in dealing with Kyyiv to demands for reassertion of the (Kravchuk-abrogated) independentist constitution of May 1992. (Reuters, Respublika)

Crimean-Russian bridge project initiated

SEVASTOPIL - An advisor to Crimean President Yuriy Meshkov told reporters on May 8 that his government intends to build a rail and roadway bridge across the Kerch Strait to Russia. The official said a protocol of intent was signed with representatives of the U.S.-based (Californian) Tejas Belize Energy Corp., on May 6. The arrangement also provides for the construction of an oil refinery and storage facilities whose revenues would ostensibly cover costs. (Associated Press)

U.N. reports on Soviet bloc investment

GENEVA - A report issued on May 8, by the United Nations' Commission for Europe, lists Ukraine sixth among nations of the former Soviet bloc in terms of direct foreign investment. Hungary topped the list having benefitted from $6 billion (U.S.) in investments to date, Russia followed with $3.1 billion, Poland attracted $2.1 billion, the Czech Republic $2 billion, Romania $755 million, Ukraine $600 million, Slovakia $380 million and Bulgaria $200 million. According to U.N. statistics, former Soviet republics attracted a total of $6.8 billion. The report also mentioned that, on average, foreign enterprises in former Soviet countries accounted for about 0.2 percent of employment, compared to 17 percent in Hungary. (Reuters)

EU official comments on Chornobyl, NPT

KYYIV - Sir Leon Brittan, commissioner of foreign economic relations of the European Union, concluded his official visit to Ukraine by holding a press conference together with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Anatoliy Zlenko on May 6, at which the former expressed Europe's dismay at the host country's continued operation of the Chornobyl nuclear power station. Sir Leon pledged to mobilize assistance for Ukraine to complete construction of other safer stations, and signaled that his organization could also provide help in the agricultural sector. He cautioned that European aid was contingent on an increased pace of reform in Ukraine, but said that the EU is very interested and optimistic about investment and cooperation in Ukraine.

At the same press conference, Mr. Zlenko rebuffed critics of his country's slow movement to ratification of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and warned that those who would make agreements with European organizations dependent on NPT signing are setting a dangerous precedent. Sir Leon concurred, saying that those intending to set such conditions should "drop it." (Respublika, Reuters)

Hit claims life of Crimean businessman

SIMFEROPIL - A prominent Crimean businessman, Nikolai Avakian, was shot dead in his car along with another passenger by two unknown gunmen armed with Kalashnikovs, according to Crimean police. Col. Petukhov, deputy head of the peninsula's Ministry of Internal Affairs, said that the local mafia was involved "without a doubt." (Respublika)

Solzhenitsyn attacks West's Russia policy

MOSCOW - Russian writer, Nobel Prize winner and former dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn claimed in an interview with Forbes (May 9 issue), shortly before his scheduled return to Russia, that the West "uses all possible means, no matter what the consequences, to weaken Russia." He attacked the West for its support of Ukraine, remarking that "the Ukrainian army is being indoctrinated with propaganda that war with Russia is inevitable." Mr. Solzhenitsyn stated that Russia, in 1991, "without a murmur" and "just to please America" had "thrown away the last vestiges of her concern for her security and her unprecedented collapse." He also blamed the West for its rush to recognize "artificial" new states on the territory of former Yugoslavia which, in his opinion, had resulted in the present Balkan civil war. He argued that Western leaders should become more far-sighted and predicted that in the 21st century, "[the] U.S. together with Europe will be in dire need of Russia as an ally."

Mr. Solzhenitsyn also criticized the radical economic reforms of former acting Prime Minister Yegor Gaidar as "another heartless experiment." He warned of nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky and said the latter's victory became possible only because Russian democrats had "completely abandoned Russia's national interests." (RFE/RL Daily Report)

Hundreds hospitalized with hepatitis

KYYIV - Health officials in Ukraine reported on May 10 that about 900 people in the eastern regions of the country have been hospitalized with hepatitis after drinking or ingesting polluted water from the Dnipro and other rivers. Authorities in Dnipropetrovske said 102 children from two towns in the vicinity were treated at local clinics since mid-April. They reported that hospitals were still admitting up to 12 patients a day with symptoms of the disease. (Reuters)

TV channels slapped with copyright suits

KYYIV - The patience of two film companies ran out recently and they filed suits against a number of television stations for showing movies to which they owned exclusive broadcasting rights. The daily Nezavisimost reported on May 6 that the action was launched against TV stations in Kyyiv and in the Crimea for evading fees ranging from $2,000 to $5,000. In the Ukrainian capital, at least five channels have broadcast bootleg movies, with warnings urging viewers to denounce illegal screenings passing across the bottom of the screen. Volodymyr Ivanenko, head of Tomis TV, one of the firms named in the suit, said "Everyone pirates films here, even Ukrainian state television." He also alleged that his company has been paying for broadcast rights since 1991. Parliament passed a television copyright law in April, and this will be a test case in a country where violations of proprietary rights are rife and pirated versions of Hollywood films, soft-core pornography and martial arts films abound on the airwaves. (Reuters)

| Home Page |