NEWSBRIEFS (10/06/02)

NEWSBRIEFS

U.S. official in Kyiv on Kolchuha isssue

KYIV - U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Elizabeth Jones arrived in Ukraine on October 1 to discuss what she said would be "U.S.-Ukrainian relations in the context of the ongoing U.S. policy review toward Ukraine," which was launched on the basis of a tape recording suggesting that President Leonid Kuchma approved the sale of Kolchuha radar systems to Iraq in contravention of a United Nations embargo, the Associate Press reported. Ms. Jones was expected to meet with President Kuchma and Foreign Affairs Minister Anatolii Zlenko later in the day. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Ukraine pledges assistance to probe

KYIV - Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma told U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Elizabeth Jones in Kyiv on October 1 that he will cooperate with any probe into allegations that Ukraine might have sold a Kolchuha radar system to Iraq, Reuters reported. Presidential spokeswoman Olena Hromnytska quoted Mr. Kuchma as saying he is ready to investigate the Kolchuha charges together with U.S. experts. President Kuchma denied that Ukraine sold any weapons to Iraq in contravention of United Nations sanctions. U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said later the same day that Ms. Jones in Kyiv "pressed the seriousness" with which Washington views evidence that Mr. Kuchma approved the sale of Kolchuhas to Iraq. "We will now look at the reports that we get and make our assessment on the next steps," Mr. Boucher added. ITAR-TASS reported that Ukrainian Defense Minister Volodymyr Shkidchenko promised Ms. Jones that Ukraine will show Kolchuha radars to U.S. experts as soon as they arrive in Ukraine. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Opposition plans October 12 protest ...

KYIV - Three opposition leaders - Yulia Tymoshenko, Oleksander Moroz, and Petro Symonenko - announced on October 1 that they will organize another nationwide protest on October 12 to demand President Leonid Kuchma's ouster and will stage "people's tribunals" across the country to judge him, the Associated Press reported. "The protest action 'Arise, Ukraine!' has not yet reached its climax, as was claimed by some pro-presidential political scientists and some media," UNIAN quoted Mr. Moroz as saying. (RFE/RL Newsline)

... seeks talks with Russian president

KYIV - Yulia Tymoshenko, Oleksander Moroz and Petro Symonenko, as well as Our Ukraine head Viktor Yushchenko, have sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin asking him to meet with them during his visit to Ukraine on October 6, UNIAN reported on October 1. "We asked Putin not to interfere in the domestic affairs of our people, [and] we just informed him about our situation," Mr. Symonenko said. The opposition leaders said they want to talk with President Putin about a planned Russian-Ukrainian agreement creating a consortium for the transport of Russian natural gas through Ukraine to the rest of Europe. They said they fear that private companies dominated by the Russian gas giant Gazprom will gain control of Ukraine's gas pipelines, the Associated Press reported. Later that same day Russian Ambassador to Ukraine Viktor Chernomyrdin said he is sure the Ukrainian opposition is unable to block the creation of the gas-transport consortium. "I don't think this is a question for the opposition. Let the opposition take care of its own business," the Associated Press quoted Ambassador Chernomyrdin as saying. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Warsaw concerned about developments

WARSAW - "We've been watching what is happening in Ukraine not only with interest, but also with concern, since there is a growing risk of political instability there," Foreign Minister Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz said on Polish Radio on September 27. Commenting on the U.S. claims that Ukraine may have sold radar systems to Iraq, Mr. Cimoszewicz said that he has advised his Ukrainian counterpart to "treat this situation with utmost seriousness." Meanwhile, President Aleksander Kwasniewski said the same day that Kyiv's decision to invite United Nations inspectors to clarify the allegations regarding the radar sale was appropriate. Mr. Kwasniewski also said he is in favor of dialogue between President Leonid Kuchma and the opposition in the current political crisis in Ukraine. "The worst scenario for Ukraine would be murky water and tensions that last for a long time and which in the end mean a waste of time," the Polish president noted. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Kuchma refuses to step down ...

KYIV - President Leonid Kuchma addressed the nation on the ICTV television channel on September 28 and accused the opposition of resorting to violence to unseat him. "It is one thing to express one's dissatisfaction, but another thing to [try to] force a violent change of the power and social system," the president said. Mr. Kuchma called for an end to opposition protests, saying that previous demonstrations have damaged Ukraine's image and stall social progress. "[Opposition leaders] must think about whether to discharge the responsibilities for which they were elected by some 50 million citizens during the elections, or to execute the demands of close to 50,000 people who participated in nationwide demonstrations," he noted, adding that "I refuse categorically to resign ... because I was elected by the people as the head of state and I feel fully responsible for all that happens in the country." President Kuchma did not mention the allegations that Ukraine may have illegally sold a Kolchuha radar system to Iraq. (RFE/RL Newsline)

... says opposition sabotages Rada ...

KYIV - President Leonid Kuchma charged on September 28 that opposition lawmakers are sabotaging the ongoing parliamentary session by refusing to participate in voting. He castigated them for failing last week to support a law on money laundering, and suggested that Ukraine's international image may be severely damaged and international organizations may impose sanctions against Ukraine because of this failure. He also lashed out at opposition legislators for not voting on a bill that would provide assistance to the families of handicapped persons. Mr. Kuchma praised the recent effort of nine pro-presidential groups to create a parliamentary majority numbering 226 deputies. (RFE/RL Newsline)

... and undermines the economy

CHERNIHIV - Speaking in Chernihiv on September 28, President Leonid Kuchma said the recent opposition protests have negatively affected the economy, the UNIAN news service reported. "[Only] 15,000 people took to the streets in Kyiv and the same amount in other cities, but this has already caused enterprises to work worse. We have seen [the consequences] in tax [collection]," Mr. Kuchma noted. "Every ... entrepreneur asks himself: What will happen tomorrow? It is natural that entrepreneurs are afraid that [Communist Party leader Petro] Symonenko or [Socialist Party leader Oleksander] Moroz will come [to power] and abolish private ownership," the president added. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Pro-presidential majority proclaimed ...

KYIV - Lawmaker Volodymyr Pekhota read a statement in the Verkhovna Rada on September 27 saying that the nine pro-presidential groups - the Party of Entrepreneurs-Labor Ukraine, Ukraine's Regions, Social Democratic Party-United, European Choice, Democratic Initiatives, National Democratic Party, Power of the People, Ukraine's Agrarians, and People's Choice - and independent deputies have set up a parliamentary majority that "will assume the responsibility for legislative activities and the creation of a coalition government in accordance with the president's proposals regarding the implementation of political reform." The statement threatens that if the opposition continues to disrupt the work of the Parliament, the newly created majority will reappoint parliamentary committees. Presidential representative Oleksander Zadorozhnyi said the majority currently consists of 226 deputies (the minimum amount required to adopt laws) and is open to other lawmakers. (RFE/RL Newsline)

... but its practicality may be dubious

KYIV - The Verkhovna Rada on September 26 passed several resolutions and bills with votes of 226-228 from the pro-presidential groups and some other deputies, but Parliament Chairman Volodymyr Lytvyn has not sent any of them to the president for approval, UNIAN reported on September 27. The parliamentary Regulations Committee, headed by Communist lawmaker Valentyn Matveyev, protested that some deputies illegally voted for 14 colleagues (using their magnetic voting cards) who are currently either in official trips or on sick leave. According to Mr. Matveyev, the voting in the Parliament on September 26 was invalid. The opposition Communist Party, Socialist Party, and Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc caucuses, as well as Our Ukraine, continue to boycott voting, demanding that the Parliament immediately address the current political crisis in its debate. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Kyiv continues to deny Iraq deal

KYIV - Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma assured British Defense Minister Geoffrey Hoon in Kyiv on September 26 that Ukraine has never supplied any weapons to Iraq, reported the UNIAN news service, quoting presidential spokeswoman Olena Hromnytska. Mr. Kuchma made his comment in connection with Washington's publicized suspicions that Ukraine might have sold a Kolchuha radar system to Iraq in contravention of U.N. sanctions. Foreign Affairs Minister Anatolii Zlenko told journalists on September 25 that President Kuchma might have authorized selling a Kolchuha system to Iraq - as suggested by Mykola Melnychenko's secret recording - but insisted that the sale never took place, the Associated Press reported. Mr. Zlenko interrupted his visit to the Dominican Republic to meet United Nations officials in New York in order to rebut the U.S. allegations, Reuters reported on September 26. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Pressure mounts for clear explanation

WARSAW - NATO Secretary-General George Robertson called on Ukraine in Warsaw on September 25 to explain allegations that it sold a Kolchuha early warning system to Iraq. Mr. Robertson added that relations between NATO and Kyiv have hit a "tricky moment," Reuters reported. "I can tell you that there is a very serious atmosphere on this subject, and some very serious questions still remain to be answered," Mr. Robertson noted. Ukrainian National Deputy Heorhii Kriuchkov (Communist Party), the chairman of the parliamentary Commission for National Security and Defense, told UNIAN on September 26 that the U.S. allegations are "unfair and insulting" to Ukraine, adding that their primary intention is to give a boost to the ongoing anti-presidential protest in Ukraine. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Opposition appeals to world community

KYIV - In a joint statement, the parliamentary caucuses of the Communist Party, the Socialist Party, the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc and Our Ukraine have appealed to the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Council of Europe, and the governments of the United States and Canada not to impose economic sanctions on Ukraine and "to draw a clear dividing line between the people of Ukraine and criminal actions by [Ukrainian] officials," UNIAN reported on September 26. The caucuses recalled that the previous Parliament made several attempts to launch an investigation regarding Ukraine's alleged illegal arms deals, but was prevented from doing this by President Leonid Kuchma and "deputies who were dependent on" Mr. Kuchma. "We are ready, without waiting for more exposing steps on the part of international community, to carry out a full and comprehensive investigation and to apply all necessary procedures as regards the responsibility of specific officials for illegal arms trading in contravention of United Nations resolutions," the statement read. (RFE/RL Newsline)

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