Canadian ambassador warns Gongadze case is harming Ukraine's image (03/18/01)

Canadian ambassador warns Gongadze case is harming Ukraine's image

by Christopher Guly
Special to The Ukrainian Weekly

OTTAWA - Ukraine's recent economic progress could be overshadowed by the scandal rocking President Leonid Kuchma's administration over the disappearance and murder of a prominent Ukrainian journalist, warned Canada's ambassador to Ukraine.

Ambassador Derek Fraser on February 27 told an audience at the University of Ottawa that the Heorhii Gongadze controversy, in which some Ukrainians allege involvement by Mr. Kuchma and several Ukrainian law enforcement officials, could create a "blemish" on Ukraine, which has finally attained economic growth since gaining independence.

"One of the tragedies of the Gongadze case is that it could be harming Ukraine's image abroad," said Mr. Fraser, adding that the country's relationship with the West could suffer as a result.

"Certain people in Ukraine may underestimate the strength of Western reaction. I don't want to see this happen with Ukraine," he continued.

Mr. Fraser, who previously served as Canada's ambassador to Greece and Hungary, said he has presented Canada's concerns over the Gongadze case to Ukrainian authorities.

Among those attending Ambassador Fraser's lecture, presented by the University of Ottawa's Chair of Ukrainian Studies, was Dr. Yuri Scherbak, Ukraine's ambassador to Canada.

Citing the "excellent democratic fashion" with which Canada has handled the four-decade-old, Quebec-independence issue as an example, Ambassador Fraser suggested that a proper resolution to the Gongadze case would depend on whether Ukraine follows a similar "democratic" approach.

According to Carl Schwenger, a spokesman for Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Canada believes that "media freedom is an essential element to democratic governance." He added that "Ukraine has responsibilities both under domestic law and international human rights instruments in this regard."

He said the Canadian government has "encouraged" the Ukrainian government "to carry out a fair and impartial investigation in accordance with these commitments."

Mr. Schwenger pointed out that Canada's technical assistance to Ukraine, which is administered by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and has totaled $228 million (about $147 million U.S.) to date, "assists in the development of democratic institutions and good governance" in Ukraine. "Part of that package is certainly media having a fair and free press," he explained.

"We expect Ukrainian leaders to demonstrate their commitment to openness and transparency by acting quickly and constructively to protect democratic norms," Mr. Schwenger underscored.

Canada also raised its concerns over the handling of the Gongadze case at a February 15 meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, of which Canada and Ukraine are members.

Late last year, Jan Marinus Wiersma, president of the European Parliament's Cooperation Committee with Ukraine, sent a letter to Verkhovna Rada Chairman Ivan Pliusch expressing the Parliament's "deepest concern" over "possible attacks against the freedom of the media and the freedom of speech in Ukraine."

An outspoken political journalist and founding publisher of Ukraine's first web-based newspaper, Ukrainska Pravda, 31-year-old Mr. Gongadze went missing after leaving his Kyiv office on September 16, 2000.

On November 2 a beheaded corpse believed to be Mr. Gongadze's remains was unearthed in the town of Tarascha. Since then, Mr. Kuchma has faced accusations that he was personally involved in the journalist's disappearance, with thousands of Ukrainians taking to the streets to call for the president's removal from office.

The issue has also drawn attention in Canada, where a recent issue of the weekly newsmagazine Maclean's reported on President Kuchma's conversations, secretly taped by his former bodyguard, Maj. Mykola Melnychenko, now in hiding somewhere in Europe.

According to the Maclean's report, President Kuchma, who initially denied knowing the muckraking journalist harshly critical of him but later admitted it was his voice on the tapes, says: "Toss Gongadze, that little f--r to the Chechens, in his f---g underwear."

Though the Gongadze case has seriously affected Ukraine's domestic and international affairs, Canadian Ambassador Fraser argued the country has followed a "peaceful and democratic" path and has held "peaceful" presidential and legislative elections since declaring independence in 1991.

He also gave credit to Ukraine for "introducing steps" toward political and economic reform, highlighting the fact that the country's economy has grown - for the first time in the past decade - by 6 percent in the last year. "Carrying out aggressive economic reforms opens doors," Ambassador Fraser said.

But he warned that it is "going to take time" for Ukraine to evolve. "Things never come easily. While it seems basic, democracy and market economies are not natural things."

He also told about 55 people attending what was dubbed the first "Ambassador's Lecture" series at the University of Ottawa that Canadian-Ukrainian relations remain strong and very personal.

"Ukrainians are a very warm, friendly and emotionally expressive people, especially to Canadians. Ukrainians feel appreciated and liked by Canadians who always give moral support for Ukraine and Ukrainian culture," Mr. Fraser explained. "We are happy in Kyiv. It's a pleasure to be there."

When asked by an audience member about Canada's financial commitment to Ukraine, the ambassador said that Canadian assistance, which totals $312 million to date, is second only to the United States in contributions.

"We put our money where our mouth is," he said. "And if you want to cut through the rhetoric, this is a serious commitment by the Canadian taxpayer."

Mr. Fraser said that Ukrainian immigration to Canada is also becoming more efficient, as over the past 18 months waiting times for interviews with Canadian officials have been reduced from 22 months to between eight and 10 months.

He explained that last year 1,350 Ukrainian immigration cases were processed by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, which this summer plans to expand its office in space it occupies at the Canadian Embassy in Kyiv.

Ukrainian Ambassador Scherbak is scheduled to be the next Chair of Ukrainian Studies lecture series speaker on April 18, when, during the second "Ambassador's Lecture," he will talk about Ukraine and the "challenge of globalization."

Natalie Kononenko, professor of Slavic languages at the University of Virginia, will deliver the 15th annual Ivano Franko Memorial Lecture. Contemporary Ukrainian rituals "celebrating marriage, birth and death" will be the topic of her presentation on March 16 at the University of Ottawa.

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