NEWSBRIEFS (01/24/99)

NEWSBRIEFS

Rada votes to start abolishing presidency ...

KYIV - On its third attempt, the Verkhovna Rada passed a motion that provides for abolishing the Ukrainian presidency, Interfax reported on January 14. By a vote of 237 to 26, the Parliament decided to ask the Constitutional Court to rule on whether the parliamentary motion on abolishing the presidency conforms with provisions of the Constitution of Ukraine. In the event of a favorable ruling, the Verkhovna Rada can vote on a constitutional amendment abolishing the post of president. A two-thirds majority (300 votes) is required for a constitutional amendment to be passed. (RFE/RL Newsline)

... resorts to blows over joining CIS body

KYIV - The same day, Communist and Rukh deputies came to blows over a vote on whether Ukraine should join the Commonwealth of Independent States Interparliamentary Assembly, Reuters reported. The clash occurred after an electronic display in the legislature showed that the motion to join the CIS body had been rejected. Only 174 left-wingers voted in support of the motion. Chairman Oleksander Tkachenko ordered a two-hour recess following the incident. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Kwasniewski pledges 'permanent support'

WARSAW - Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski told his Ukrainian counterpart, Leonid Kuchma, in Warsaw on January 15 that Poland will render "permanent support for Ukrainian efforts in international institutions," including the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the European Union, Polish Television reported. President Kuchma said Ukraine wants to follow Polish models of integration with Europe. He added that assertions that economic reform in Ukraine has been halted are "groundless." The reform continues, he said, but owing to insufficient aid from world financial institutions, its pace is unsatisfactory. "We are witnessing an experiment in which the doctors, having diagnosed how to treat the patient, are indifferently watching if the patient will die or survive," Mr. Kuchma commented. Both presidents agreed to participate in the May opening of the reconstructed Ukrainian-Polish cemetery in Lviv, which recently provoked tension in mutual relations. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Lazarenko to face Swiss next month

KYIV - Former Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko must return to Switzerland by February 15 to face interrogation by Swiss authorities. He was released in December on $3 million (U.S.) bail, following his arrest on charges of money-laundering as he tried to enter the country on a Panamanian passport. Mr. Lazarenko, leader of the Hromada Party, denies all charges. (Eastern Economist)

Mejlis office in Crimea firebombed

SYMFEROPOL - Unknown attackers early on January 15 threw several bottles containing flammable liquid through the windows of the Crimean Tatar Mejlis, a self-governing body of Crimea's 275,000-strong Tatar minority, the Associated Press reported. The blaze destroyed the office of Mejlis Chairman Mustafa Jemilev and seriously damaged documents and computers in other sections of the building. Mr. Jemilev expressed doubt that the police would find the attackers, adding that the authorities are still looking for the perpetrators of a similar attack in 1993. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Kazakstan, Georgia reject idea of union

ALMATY - Kazakstan's Foreign Minister Qasymzhomart Toqayev has issued a statement saying that while Kazakstan respects the decision by the presidents of the Russian Federation and Belarus to create a union with a joint currency, Parliament, army and citizenship, his country will never join such a union in view of its geopolitical location and the present level of integration with other CIS states, Interfax and RFE/RL's Almaty bureau reported. Interfax reported that, in his weekly radio broadcast on January 11, Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze also denied that Georgia would join that union. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Rada salaries and incomes scrutinized

KYIV - According to Verkhovna Rada Vice-Chairman Adam Martyniuk, national deputies make 600 hrv, or $166.50 (U.S.) per month. Mr. Martyniuk did not deny that many deputies find other sources to boost their incomes by taking on work in addition to their responsibilities in Parliament, although such activities are prohibited by the Constitution. In addition, many deputies legally receive fees for scientific and other works. (Eastern Economist)

Single Rukh candidate gains support

KYIV - Rukh Party Chairman Vyacheslav Chornovil announced on January 19 that he had withdrawn his candidacy from the upcoming presidential elections. He said a new bill by the Verkhovna Rada concerning the presidential elections calls for a concentration of efforts among democratic forces upon a single candidate. Mr. Chornovil's candidacy was initially proposed at the ninth annual congress of Rukh. The candidacy of popular former Foreign Affairs Minister Hennadii Udovenko was proposed at the same congress. Regional Rukh organizations have now been advised to begin promoting Mr. Udovenko as the only candidate from Rukh. The Reformy i Poriadok (Reform and Order Party, headed by Viktor Pynzenyk, and the leadership of the Christian Republican Party said they would support a single candidate from Rukh. (Eastern Economist)

President gets tough on immigration

KYIV - According to a presidential decree, the Cabinet of Ministers must take measures by February 1 to expel illegal aliens from Ukrainian territory. By the same date the government is to implement a network of automatic control and registration of foreigners and refugees into Ukraine. (Eastern Economist)

Pifer speaks on money laundering

KYIV - Financial crimes in any country present a threat to its national security, said U.S. Ambassador Steven Pifer speaking on January 19 at the opening of an international seminar to discuss a proposed law titled "Actions Against the Legalization of Property and Funds Received Illegally." Ambassador Pifer said this problem is common to both Ukraine and the United States, and that law enforcement bodies of both countries have to make sure that criminals are not getting involved in financial structures. According to the envoy, Ukraine has taken an important step in fighting against organized crime by ratifying the Council of Europe convention on money laundering and the search and confiscation of illegal profits. The next positive step would be approval of the law discussed at this seminar, he said. (Eastern Economist)

N-plant fully operational after repairs

ZAPORIZHIA - After the completion of long-term repairs, the third reactor of the Zaporizhia nuclear power station began producing electricity on January 13. Its power reached 600 megawatts, 60 percent of capacity, the next day. The reactor was inactive for a total of 109 days in 1998. The plant is Europe's largest atomic energy station, with six Soviet-designed VVER-1000 reactors. Ukraine is heavily dependent on its five nuclear power plants whose 14 reactors generated more than 40 percent of electricity in 1998. (Eastern Economist)

Gazprom says Ukraine siphons gas

MOSCOW - Gazprom said on January 13 that it has documents that confirm Ukraine has illegally siphoned off Russian gas. According to Gazprom's press office, Russian gas shipments to and via Ukraine in December 1998 totaled 18.9 billion cubic meters, of which 11.5 billion were in transit to other countries, and 7.4 billion remained in Ukraine. Gazprom authorized Ukraine to take only 2.5 million cubic meters of Russian gas in 1998, meaning that almost 5 million cubic meters were misappropriated, the press office said. The office also calculated that Ukraine owes Gazprom $1.6 billion for gas supplies. The day before, a Ukrainian official denied that Ukraine has siphoned-off Russian gas, and he also disputed the size of Ukraine's gas debt to Russia. (RFE/RL Newsline)

PM shuns responsibility for siphoning

KYIV - Prime Minister Valerii Pustovoitenko told a Cabinet meeting that the government does not intend to "take the blame" for any unauthorized consumption of Russian transit gas, nor will it bear the responsibility for any related back payments, ITAR- TASS reported on January 18. According to Mr. Pustovoitenko, since the government has signed no agreement with Gazprom, it does not consider it necessary to answer Gazprom Chairman Rem Vyakhirev's telegram alleging that Ukraine siphoned off Russian gas last December. Naftohaz, Gazprom's Ukrainian partner, has also denied siphoning off Russian gas transiting Ukrainian territory. (RFE/RL Newsline)

NDP set to offer Kuchma its backing

KYIV - The National Democratic Party, often labeled the party of power, will support Leonid Kuchma's candidacy in the forthcoming presidential elections, provided Mr. Kuchma agrees with the conditions proposed by the party's political executive committee, said NDP head Anatolii Matviienko on January 5. He stressed that the NDP is the only party so far to have initiated public dialogue with President Kuchma concerning conditions for offering him support during the elections. The party said its demands center on the economic and social sectors, the fight against corruption and on issues of cooperation with the Verkhovna Rada. If President Kuchma agrees to implement the NDP's demands, then the party will commit to cooperating with him regardless of the election results in October 1999. Mr. Kuchma has long been linked with the NDP, and has appointed a number of NDP members to posts in the Cabinet. (Eastern Economist)

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