NEWSBRIEFS (05/28/00)

NEWSBRIEFS

Kissinger warns of new Cold War

WASHINGTON - Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has warned against a new Cold War that could be triggered by the widening of Russia's strategic interests to include its neighbors, such as the Baltic states, the BNS news agency reported on May 17. Writing in The Washington Post, Dr. Kissinger stated that the Baltic states are "under permanent Russian pressure," even though they do not belong to the common economic space being created by Russia. "If Russia's strengthening as a result of reforms leads to territorial expansion, which all her neighbors fear, Russia's desire to dominate will sooner or later provoke a new Cold War," Dr. Kissinger warned. (RFE/RL Newsline)

PM promises improvement this fall

KYIV - Prime Minister Viktor Yuschenko said during his visit to Ternopil Oblast on May 19 that Ukrainians will notice improvements in their living standards as soon as this fall. "Believe me, this will happen," Interfax quoted him as saying. He added that his government has managed not only to ensure the timely payment of current wages and pensions but also to reduce wage and pension arrears by 14 percent. Mr. Yuschenko pledged to remove the entire pension backlog "in the next four to five months." The State Statistics Committee reported a 10.4 percent growth in industrial output in the period of January-April, compared with the same period last year. Inflation, however, was 12.1 percent over the same period in 1999, which is double that forecast by the government. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Servicemen receive pay raise

KYIV - The government on May 22 announced it is raising the wages of servicemen in Ukraine's armed forces, border troops and internal affairs and civil defense forces, Interfax reported. Defense Minister Oleksander Kuzmuk praised the decision, adding that wages will be increased by an average of 30 to 40 percent. The monthly wage of career soldiers in Ukraine ranges from 120 hrv ($22) to 180 hrv, depending on rank. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Russia could become NATO member

MOSCOW - In an interview with Izvestiia published on May 24, NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson said he endorses the Kremlin's viewpoint that Russia might eventually join the Atlantic alliance. "When President Putin was asked if Russia might become a member of NATO, he said, 'Why not?' My position is the same. But it's not on the current agenda," Mr. Robertson noted, First, however, it is necessary for "misunderstandings" to be cleared up between the two sides over NATO's new strategic concept and Russia's new military doctrine, which, he said, has raised questions in the West, especially over the provision on "strengthening the role of nuclear weapons." He also stressed the importance of opening a NATO information center in Moscow, which is currently under discussion. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Lviv's veterans receive cars

LVIV - The Lviv Oblast Administration on May 21 presented 60 Tavria cars to veterans of World War II from both the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and the Red Army. The cars were handed over on Hero's Day, a holiday established by the regional authorities two years ago. Yaroslav Klymovych, head of the internal policy department in the Lviv Oblast Administration, told RFE/RL Poland, Belarus and Ukraine Report that Hero's Day was established to honor all those who fought totalitarianism, whether Stalinist or Nazi. The UPA, which Ukrainian émigré historians estimate was 40,000-strong, was set up by the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists during the Nazi occupation in Ukraine and fought German occupation troops as well as Soviet and Polish guerrillas - primarily in Halychyna, Volyn and Polissia - in a bid to establish an independent Ukrainian state. UPA veterans have not been officially recognized by the government and do not have the right to social benefits, unlike their Soviet counterparts. (RFE/RL Poland, Belarus and Ukraine Report)

Medvedchuk: no reason to join union

KYIV - Verkhovna Rada Vice-Chairman Viktor Medvedchuk has said "there are no economic, political or any other grounds" in Ukraine for joining the Belarus-Russian union, Interfax reported on May 19. Mr. Medvedchuk was responding to Russian State Duma Chairman Gennadii Seleznev's statement in Miensk last week that Armenia and Ukraine will join the union "in the near future." Mr. Medvedchuk noted that this is "Seleznev's personal viewpoint," adding that such statements have already been voiced more than once. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Yuschenko sees integration with Europe

KYIV - "Ukraine's integration into the European Union is not a question of choice, it is a question of time," Viktor Yuschenko said in Brussels on May 22 at a forum devoted to EU-Ukraine relations, Interfax reported. The prime minister added that Ukraine's membership in the EU is an "unconditional goal" of his Cabinet's program. He said his government has recently taken a number of steps to bring the country closer to the EU, including abolishing almost all tax breaks and "optimizing" economic activities within the country. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Socialists warn against totalitarianism

KYIV - A congress of the Socialist Party in Kyiv on May 20 warned that Ukraine's democracy and parliamentary system are in danger, Interfax reported. The Socialists appealed to the international community "to condemn totalitarianism in Ukraine" and protest the country's current economic course, which they believe is oriented toward pauperizing the Ukrainian people. The congress re-elected Oleksander Moroz as the party's chairman. Communist Party leader Petro Symonenko, in an address to the gathering, appealed to Ukrainian leftist forces to unite in order "to restore socialism" in the country. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Moldovan Parliament against treaty

KYIV - Lawmakers on May 19 refused to ratify the basic treaty with Ukraine and indefinitely suspended the debate on that accord, Romanian Radio reported. Moldova's legislators debated the treaty in closed session, but Romanian radio said the deputies objected to the provision on a swap of small pieces of territory. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Rada adopts three-year privatization plan

KYIV - The Verkhovna Rada on May 18 voted by 242-100 to adopt the government's privatization program for the next three years, Interfax reported. The program calls for privatizing some 600 large and strategic enterprises, resulting in revenues totaling $1.5 billion in 2001 and $1 billion in 2002. This year's privatization revenues were set earlier at $500 million. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Chornobyl closure to be set this month

KYIV - President Leonid Kuchma on May 17 said the date for the closure of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant will be determined this month, Interfax reported. Mr. Kuchma recalled that he had created a commission under Prime Minister Viktor Yuschenko to analyze various consequences of the Chornobyl closure and propose a closure date. Meanwhile, Reuters reported that wild fires in Ukraine had stirred up radioactive elements remaining in the environment from the 1986 Chornobyl nuclear disaster and raised radiation levels downwind in Belarus. The Chornobyl plant has reduced its power by 50 percent for repairs and maintenance. Reuters quoted plant and government officials as saying that Chornobyl is operating normally and there have been no incidents. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Kuchma to amend Constitution?

KYIV - President Leonid Kuchma told journalists on May 17 that he will personally amend Ukraine's Constitution in line with the April 16 referendum if the Parliament fails to do so, Interfax reported. Mr. Kuchma added that he has "various mechanisms" for making such amendments, adding that they do not "overstep the framework of legislation." (RFE/RL Newsline)

Austria backs Ukraine's orientation

KYIV - "We back the European orientation of Ukraine," Austrian President Thomas Klestil said in Kyiv on May 17 following talks with President Leonid Kuchma, the Associated Press reported. Mr. Klestil also pledged that an estimated 43,000 Ukrainians who worked as slave laborers for the Nazis in Austria during World War II will soon receive compensation payments, following "very positive" results of a conference on the issue held in Vienna this week. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Yuschenko vows to end barter

KYIV - Prime Minister Viktor Yuschenko said his government is determined to end barter deals that are hindering economic development. "Our position is tough and unshakable. We shall squash [those deals] alive," the Associated Press quoted him as saying. Mr. Yuschenko commented that the fight against barter is already yielding results, noting that the number of such deals has dropped from 43 percent of all payments at the start of 2000 to some 15 percent. Earlier this month, the government banned all barter payments in the energy sector. (RFE/RL Newsline)

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