NEWSBRIEFS (09/12/99)

NEWSBRIEFS

School stats released for 1999-2000

KYIV - During the 1999-2000 school year, 17,000 preschools are accommodating more than 1 million children, 6.7 million pupils are attending 21,300 secondary schools, 152,000 children go to 746 boarding schools, 510,000 students attend 975 vocational schools, and 1.6 million students have registered at 960 higher learning institutions, according to Vice-Prime Minister Volodymyr Semynozhenko. The most acute problem is the payment of salaries and pensions. The largest arrears exist in the Ternopil and Rivne oblasts. Vocational school teachers have received their 1998 salaries in full. Educational institutions that are financed through the state budget have been paying their 1999 salaries on time. The Cabinet of Ministers pays special attention to the development of rural schools and has adopted a comprehensive plan for the development of rural secondary schools between 1999 and 2005. Fifty-five new schools will be opened in Ukraine this year, 49 of them in rural areas. Ukraine presently has 2,600 schools with instruction in Russian, 108 in Romanian, 65 in Hungarian, six in Crimean Tatar and three in Polish. (Eastern Economist)

Kuchma to pay teachers back wages

KYIV - President Leonid Kuchma marked the first day of the new school year by promising to pay overdue wages to teachers within a month. He also pledged to supply all schools with textbooks that students are supposed to receive free of charge. Education Minister Valentyn Zaichuk noted that some 600,000 Ukrainian teachers are owed 240 million hrv ($54.5 million U.S.) in back wages. (RFE/RL Poland, Belarus and Ukraine Report)

Moroz in Germany for medical treatment

KYIV - Former chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksander Moroz, a major candidate in the October 31 presidential elections, has left for Germany to undergo medical treatment, Mr. Moroz's election staff reported on September 3. Ukrainian media reported that Mr. Moroz is suffering from kidney problems. (RFE/RL Newsline)

World Bank approves $100 m loan

KYIV - The World Bank approved a $100 million loan to Ukraine, which is to be released this week as part of a $300 million aid package, Ukrainian Television reported on September 4. Prime Minister Valerii Pustovoitenko said the Cabinet of Ministers will use the loan to pay off some wage and pension arrears. The World Bank's decision is good news for Ukraine on the eve of the September 7 meeting of the International Monetary Fund's board of directors, at which a decision will be made on the next tranche of the $2.6 billion loan program to Ukraine. The amount of the next installment of the Extended Fund Facility loan is $180 million. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Cabinet: Ukraine fulfilled IMF conditions

KYIV - The Cabinet of Ministers has sent a letter to the International Monetary Fund confirming the completion of conditions in order to receive the next tranche of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program. The document also listed measures to be taken concerning conditions that were not fulfilled. The government is working on the issue of increasing tariffs for communal services for the general population. At talks with the IMF in Washington, Ukraine resolved all questions concerning the EFF tranche, including the issue of reduced state budget revenues. At the same time the government promised to resolve the problem of low communal service tariffs before the next meeting of the IMF board of directors which was to be held September 7. If a positive decision is made, Ukraine is to receive $180 million (U.S.) of the EFF loan, and a third tranche of the World Bank loan for financial sector restructuring. The last EFF tranche of $115 million was received on July 7. Vice-Prime Minister Serhii Tyhypko stated on September 2 that the Ukrainian delegation to Washington, including National Bank of Ukraine Chairman Viktor Yuschenko and Presidential Aide Valerii Lytvytskyi, was planning to hold additional consultations with IMF directors before their meeting. Mr. Tyhypko stated that the only thing Ukraine needs to show is "good incomes from natural gas auctions, because we are searching for a way to pay off our social payments, which is the only stressful issue for us." (Eastern Economist)

Slovak foreign minister visits Kyiv

KYIV -Slovakia's foreign affairs minister, Eduard Kukan, was in Kyiv last week to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart, Borys Tarasyuk, and President Leonid Kuchma. Both sides agreed to hold an "honest competition" for the one temporary position on the United Nations Security Council in 2000-2001. Mr. Kukan said both sides are also interested in ending the "trade and economic stagnation" between their countries. The two leaders agreed to set up a working group to examine the Slovak plan to introduce visa requirements for Ukrainians visiting Slovakia. Bratislava has taken no decision on this issue, but Mr. Kukan commented that Slovakia's visa policy must be harmonized with European Union norms. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Grants for gifted young artists

KYIV - President Leonid Kuchma issued president's grants for young people involved in theater, music, art and cinematography, which will be awarded for a great variety of projects. Gifted young artists will be funded to write operas, symphonies and screenplays. (Eastern Economist)

Hryvnia worth 2.5 times less

KYIV - September 2 marked three years since the introduction of the Ukrainian hryvnia. During the monetary reform in 1996, the hryvnia replaced a transitional Ukrainian currency, the kupon-karbovanets. Initially, the hryvnia was set to the U.S. dollar at a rate of 1.76 hrv/$1, today it is at 4.38 hrv/$1 which means the hryvnia has been devalued over the three-year period by a factor of 2.5. (Eastern Economist)

Cabinet sets main budget targets

KYIV - Despite the continued economic decline, the government has approved rather optimistic guidelines for the 2000 budget. It predicts 2 percent growth in gross domestic product to 150.8 billion hrv ($34.3 billion U.S.). Budget revenues are foreseen as exceeding expenditures by 500 million hrv. According to UNIAN, this latter guideline was adopted to prevent the budget deficit from impacting on the "over-all economic situation" and to provide funds to repay the country's foreign debt. Annual inflation is predicted at 12 percent, down from this year's envisaged rate of 19.1 percent. The hryvnia exchange rate is expected to fall from the current 4.4 to $1 to 5 hrv to $1. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Ukraine, Czechs agree on military aviation

KYIV - Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksander Kuzmuk and his Czech counterpart, Vladimir Vetchy, on September 1 signed a protocol on cooperation in military aviation, CTK reported. Mr. Vetchy said Ukraine could supply engines for the new Czech L-159 plane. He added that Ukraine has a lot of experience in the production of aviation engines. He noted that the American company Boeing, the Czech Republic's strategic partner in the L-159 project, has been consulted about Ukraine's possible cooperation. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Grain crop nears last year's level

KYIV - As of August 25, Ukraine harvested 21.1 million tons of grain, compared with 22.5 million tons by the same date last year, the Eastern Economic Daily reported, quoting an agricultural official. Prime Minister Valerii Pustovoitenko predicted last week that this year's grain yield may exceed 27 million tons - some 500,000 tons more than in 1998. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Moscow paper urges tight leash for Baltics

MOSCOW - Vechernaia Moskva, a newspaper closely linked to a media group controlled by Moscow Mayor Yurii Luzhkov, said on August 26 that Moscow should exploit the large size of the ethnic Russian communities in Estonia and Latvia and its economic influence over all three countries to put pressure on them not to join the Western alliance. The newspaper added that all potential successors to President Boris Yeltsin would take this position. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Kommersant back on newsstands

MOSCOW - Kommersant-Daily went on sale again on August 25, two days after it was closed down for allegedly violating fire regulations. Also on that day, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin met with a group of leading newspaper editors, as well as Kommersant Publishing Director-General Leonid Miloslavskii, who later told Russian Public Television that the dispute over the closure of Kommersant-Daily can be considered resolved. Mr. Putin was quoted by Interfax as saying that "there must be no media regulation through communal services, and there will not be any." A spokeswoman for the daily declined to tell The Moscow Times how the newspaper had managed to appear before the dispute was over, prompting speculation that other publications had come to its assistance. The publishers of Kommersant-Daily on August 23 filed a lawsuit in the Moscow Arbitration Court to recover losses they incurred when the State Fire-Fighting Service closed down the newspaper for supposed infractions against the fire code. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Airline files suit against Moldova

CHISINAU - Aeroalliance, whose AN-26 cargo plane has been impounded in Moldova since April 7, has filed suit with the Moldovan Economic Court demanding the release of the plane and compensation for losses incurred, Infotag reported on August 25. The agency, citing Ukrainian media sources, reported that Aeroalliance President Valerii Marinichenko has said his company is ready to accept responsibility for the fact that the crew of the plane, which made an unscheduled landing in Chisinau, declared the cargo as oil pumps and equipment en route from Budapest to Burgas, Bulgaria, although the plane was carrying 5,000 pistols ordered by Yemen. (RFE/RL Newsline)

SU-24 crashes, crew ejects safely

KYIV - An SU-24 bomber crashed on August 18 near the village of Lypliany, Lutsk Oblast. The accident happened during a training flight. Soon after take-off, the crew detected a technical malfunction and the aircraft lost control. The crew managed to make sure the aircraft did not crash near the village and ejected safely. No injuries or damage was caused, and the crew is in good health. (Eastern Economist)

Russia against Tatar citizenship treaty

SYMFEROPOL - Russia is refusing to sign an agreement with Ukraine to simplify the procedure by which Crimean Tatars could relinquish Russian citizenship. The news was announced by the head of the Department for Citizenship at the president's administration, Petro Chalyi, though he added talks would continue. President Leonid Kuchma issued instructions on August 27 that will favor the return of deported Crimean Tatars to Ukraine. The Foreign Affairs Ministry has been told to discuss the issue of freeing Tatar deportees and other deportees applying for Ukrainian citizenship from paying consular fees for a foreign passport. The Crimean Cabinet is to find ways of opening new Tatar-language schools. (Eastern Economist)

Kuchma OK's business laws, not others

KYIV - President Leonid Kuchma signed laws approved by the Verkhovna Rada introducing changes to the law on bankruptcy, on concessions, and on accounting and financial accountability. Mr. Kuchma also suggested that the investigating and special commissions of the Verkhovna Rada that was recently approved by national deputies. The president pointed out that this document contradicts a number of constitutional provisions, including the division of power, while the Verkhovna Rada tries to assume functions assigned to several law-enforcement bodies; this may lead to unwarranted expansion of power by such commissions and abuse of power. The law also leaves out the issues of the operation of such commissions and forms the legal basis for the creation and functioning of additional investigating bodies with broad authority, he noted. (Eastern Economist)

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