NEWSBRIEFS (01/02/00)

NEWSBRIEFS

President dismisses several ambassadors

KYIV - President Leonid Kuchma signed orders for dismissal of Ukraine's Ambassador to Canada Volodymyr Khadogiy, Ambassador to Turkmenistan Vadym Chuprun, Ambassador to Italy Volodymyr Yevtukh and Ambassador to Kazakstan and Kyrgyzia Viktor Bohatyr. (Eastern Economist)

Kuchma optimistic over PM's approval

KYIV - President Leonid Kuchma said on December 22 that following the parliamentary confirmation of National Bank of Ukraine Chairman Viktor Yuschenko as prime minister, "the period of stagnation [in Ukraine] should come to an end," Interfax reported. Mr. Kuchma noted that he is satisfied with "those changes that took place in the Parliament," adding that there is understanding between the legislature and the executive that "it is impossible to move further ahead without mutual responsibility." Addressing the Verkhovna Rada before his confirmation, Mr. Yuschenko said the government and the Parliament need to sign an agreement on "setting up joint responsibility" for the state of affairs in Ukraine. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Communists mark Stalin's birthday

MIENSK - Representatives of the Communist Party of Belarus and veterans' organizations on December 21 laid flowers at the monument commemorating the Soviet victory in World War II to mark the 120th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Stalin, Belapan reported. The ceremony was attended by representatives of the illegal Central Committee of the Communist Party of Lithuania. Belarusian Communists told the agency that the place of the ceremony was chosen because of the lack of any monument to the "leader of nations" in Miensk. Earlier this month, left-wing activists in Miensk held "Stalin readings" and a scientific conference on Stalin's "creative heritage," which were attended by Yevgenii Dzhugashvili, the Soviet dictator's grandson. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Ukraine issues ultimatum on oil supplies

KYIV - First Vice Prime Minister Anatolii Kinakh on December 21 threatened that Kyiv will cancel the sale of stakes in some Ukrainian refineries to Russia and Kazakstan unless they meet their formerly pledged terms for deliveries of crude oil to these refineries, the Eastern Economist Daily reported. The threat came on the heels of an acute oil shortage in Ukraine, which is accompanied by a Russian-Ukrainian row over Ukraine's alleged siphoning-off of Russian transit gas. Mr. Kinakh said the reasons for the current oil crisis are a sharp increase in prices of oil on the world market, limitations on Russia's oil export to Ukraine, the introduction by Russia of a new tariff for oil export and inflation in Ukraine. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Ukrainian is mandatory for bureaucrats

KYIV -The Constitutional Court ruled that the Ukrainian language must be used by executive authorities of all levels and in the state education system. Russian and national minorities' languages can be used in the appropriate regions in accordance with the Constitution. (Eastern Economist)

Hard-liners protest ruling on language

KYIV - The parliamentary caucuses of the Communist Party and the Peasant Party have protested the recent Constitutional Court ruling that obliges state officials to use the Ukrainian language during official business, Interfax reported on December 21. Protesting lawmakers said the decision violates the Constitution of Ukraine, the European charter on minority languages, and the rights of millions of Ukrainian citizens who speak only Russian. Communist lawmaker Hryhorii Boyko announced that the court passed a "political" ruling, "which is supported neither by a majority in the Verkhovna Rada nor by a majority of Ukrainian citizens." (RFE/RL Newsline)

Solidarity to withdraw from politics

WARSAW - The Solidarity congress on December 11 announced that the trade union will withdraw from Poland's politics and will again become "an organization of employees," Polish news media reported. Solidarity decided to transfer its voting rights in the coalition Solidarity Electoral Action to the Solidarity Electoral Action-Social Movement, a party created in January and headed by Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Dutch will assist integration in Crimea

KYIV - The Netherlands has allocated approximately $232,000 (U.S.) to the U.N.-run Crimea Development and Integration Program, Dutch ambassador Onno Hattinga van Zant announced on December 8. Prior to this, the Netherlands had already contributed almost $300,000 for this project. According to Pedro Pablo Villanueva, the United Nations' resident coordinator, the international community has spent $4.9 million (U.S.) to "boost the reintegration of all formerly deported people in Crimea." A multi-ethnic school, a health center and the necessary infrastructure have been built, a credit union has been formed and training seminars for entrepreneurs are being conducted. Since its independence, Ukraine has spent approximately $300 million (U.S.) on integration of Tatars in Crimea. (Eastern Economist)

A grain shortage in Ukraine?

PRAGUE - Ukraine will import 200,000 tons of wheat and fodder grain from the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia by September 2000, Interfax reported. The imports - which are to be free of customs duties - will be sent to the Zakarpattia Oblast, whose authorities formerly appealed to the government to prevent possible shortages. Ukraine's grain harvest this year was 26.4 million tons - 100,000 tons down from 1998 and 9.3 million tons down from 1997. Interfax also reported that there have recently been bread shortages in Kharkiv. It quoted Ihor Kolot, a local administration official, as saying the shortages were caused by a sudden run on bread in the city: Kharkiv residents previously bought some 450 tons of bread a day, while now their daily needs are 530 tons. Mr. Kolot assured journalists that the oblast has enough grain to survive until next year's harvest. At the same time, he admitted that Kharkiv authorities may be forced to raise the price of bread. (RFE/RL Poland, Belarus and Ukraine Report)

Ukraine, U.K. agree on joint military effort

KYIV - Ukrainian and British defense ministries signed a document that schedules bilateral activity of these institutions for the year 2000. Among 60 events planned are the organization of joint seminars on military construction, a program for Ukrainian military officers studying the English language and joint military maneuvers. (Eastern Economist)

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