NEWSBRIEFS (10/13/02)

NEWSBRIEFS

Kuchma denies okaying sales to Iraq

KYIV - At a news conference in Kyiv on October 8 inaugurating the press center of the presidential administration, President Leonid Kuchma denied that he had ever authorized the supply of weapons to Iraq, the UNIAN news service reported. Mr. Kuchma said such supplies are impossible for "objective reasons," adding that Ukrainian military contracts are monitored by the Security Service of Ukraine and a special committee under the United Nations Security Council. "[Had I authorized a sale of weapons to Iraq], the entire world would have known about that," President Kuchma added. The president said the recent allegations that Kyiv may have sold radar systems to Baghdad "will sink into oblivion." (RFE/RL Newsline)

Kuchma seeks good relations with U.S.

KYIV - President Leonid Kuchma said on October 8 that Ukraine is interested in "normal, constructive relations with the United States." He said he regrets that the current relations between Kyiv and Washington do not match the level of the strategic partnership that existed during the presidency of Bill Clinton. "Ukraine is not to blame for what is taking place," Mr. Kuchma added. The president also said he is sorry that Ukrainian-U.S. relations have been affected by the "dubious tapes" made by former presidential bodyguard Mykola Melnychenko. "I don't know for sure who is behind this [audiotape] scandal, but my firm conviction is that it is not the major [Melnychenko], with his intellect," the Ukrainian leader noted. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Our Ukraine ready for 'radical' steps

KYIV - Our Ukraine leader Viktor Yushchenko said on NBM television on October 2 that his bloc will resort to actions of a "radical character" if the authorities fail to launch a dialogue over how to overcome the current political crisis, Interfax reported. According to Mr. Yushchenko, after such a dialogue the power in the country should be transferred to the forces that obtained most support in this year's parliamentary election. "If our initiatives continue to be fended off, we will do everything possible - including the organization of and participation in actions of a radical character - to make the Ukrainian authorities sit down at a negotiating table or hold early elections in the country," Mr. Yushchenko said. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Could there be two Our Ukraines?

KYIV - Political analysts speculated last week that President Leonid Kuchma is attempting to persuade Viktor Yushchenko that Our Ukraine - if not as a whole, then in part - should join the pro-presidential majority and provide the necessary support for legislative activities in the Verkhovna Rada. Mykhailo Pohrebynskyi, a political analyst with links to the presidential administration, told the Ukrainska Pravda website how Mr. Yushchenko could make such a move toward President Kuchma. "[Yushchenko] could create two factions on the basis of his megafaction [Our Ukraine]," Mr. Pohrebynskyi explained. "One faction could be more resolute and consistent in pursuing [Our Ukraine's] opposition line. The other could be more prone to compromise and ready for more active cooperation." According to Mr. Pohrebynskyi, the "radical part" of Our Ukraine could "preserve room to maneuver for Yushchenko, and he would not have to go between [Yulia] Tymoshenko, [Oleksander] Moroz, [Petro] Symonenko, and Kuchma, but would be able to move among his own people." (RFE/RL Poland, Belarus and Ukraine Report)

Polish PM proposes Ukrainian talks

LVIV - Polish Prime Minister Leszek Miller proposed in Lviv on October 4 that Ukraine's ruling and opposition circles meet in Warsaw on October 15-16 at an international conference devoted to Ukrainian prospects amid NATO and European Union enlargement, Polish and Ukrainian media reported. Mr. Miller, who attended an economic forum in Lviv, met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Anatolii Kinakh, as well as with opposition Socialist Party leader Oleksander Moroz and Our Ukraine activists Viktor Pynzenyk and Borys Tarasyuk. "We will take part in this conference [in Warsaw] and are ready for discussion," UNIAN quoted Mr. Kinakh as saying. Our Ukraine reportedly said it is also ready to conduct a dialogue with the authorities outside Ukraine with the mediation of European leaders. (RFE/RL Newsline)

UNIAN journalists cite censorship ...

KYIV - Journalists of the Kyiv-based independent news agency UNIAN on October 1 posted a statement on the UNIAN website (http://www.unian.net) saying they have been subjected to censorship and have come under "fierce pressure regarding the formation of [our] independent information activity" since the appointment of a new UNIAN executive director, Vasyl Yurychko, a week ago. "We feel that people representing the political interests of the authorities - in particular, those of the administration of the president of Ukraine - are interfering with journalistic matters at the agency," the statement read. The journalists warned that would go on strike if "the situation does not change and if the authorities continue to grossly interfere with UNIAN's editorial policy." (RFE/RL Newsline)

...after incident with opposition leaders

KYIV - The Associated Press reported that the UNIAN journalists' statement appeared after a dispute between UNIAN's new executive director, Vasyl Yurychko, and three Ukrainian opposition leaders over whether the opposition could hold a news conference at the agency's headquarters. In its regular news issue on the afternoon of October 1, UNIAN carried a message saying that opposition lawmakers Yulia Tymoshenko, Oleksander Moroz and Petro Symonenko "have begun brutally to pressure" the agency. Quoting UNIAN General Director Oleh Nalyvaiko, the agency said Petro Yakobchuk from "Yulia Tymoshenko's press service" demanded earlier the same day, "in the form of an ultimatum," that the agency provide its premises at 1 p.m. for a news conference featuring Ms. Tymoshenko, Mr. Moroz and Mr. Symonenko. Mr. Nalyvaiko reportedly refused, saying it was the first time he faced "such a brazen and gross [example of] pressure on the independent media." (RFE/RL Newsline)

UNIAN settles conflict over censorship

KYIV - UNIAN, Ukraine's second-largest news agency, published a statement on October 3 saying the agency's leadership and journalists had reached a compromise over the recent conflict in which journalists complained of being subjected to political censorship and pressure. "Both sides declare that political censorship in UNIAN is inadmissible. We are unanimous in the opinion that major changes in materials released by UNIAN may be made only by the journalists who wrote them," the statement reads. The dispute at UNIAN began on October 1 when journalists accused UNIAN's new executive director, Vasyl Yurychko, of censoring their work and of refusing to run reports that could be construed as portraying President Leonid Kuchma unfavorably, the Associated Press reported. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Journalists move to create union

KYIV - More than 100 journalists from various Ukrainian media outlets met in Kyiv on October 5 and formed a working group for creating an independent journalists' trade union to combat official coercion, an RFE/RL correspondent reported. "I know that only the top people have come today because the disaffection in journalists' circles with what's happening is very large. Therefore, I believe that in this hall we can have not just 100 people, but thousands of journalists who want to change things for the better," said television journalist Andrii Shevchenko, who resigned his job in September over what he said was official meddling and censorship. The meeting decided that, apart from tackling the censorship issue through talks with the government, the new organization will provide legal and financial help to journalists who lose their jobs as a result of official pressure. The meeting demanded that the Verkhovna Rada hold hearings on government censorship and that the procurator general begin criminal investigations into government attempts at censorship. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Did Russia sell Kolchuhas to Iraq?

KYIV - A Ukrainian "leading government official" has told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service on condition of anonymity that it was not Ukraine but Russia that sold Kolchuha radar systems to Iraq, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reported on September 27. He confirmed that a conversation about selling Kolchuhas to Iraq actually took place in President Leonid Kuchma's office, but that later "the Russians stepped in and sold their radar systems to Baghdad." (RFE/RL Newsline)

Ukrainian president visits India

KYIV - President Leonid Kuchma began a four-day official visit to India on October 2. The UNIAN news agency reported that Mr. Kuchma's spokeswoman Olena Hromnytska told journalists on October 3 that the two countries had signed four accords, including one on mutual legal assistance in criminal investigations and another on extradition. President Kuchma reportedly said that Ukraine and India "have no divergent opinions" on any international issues. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Kyiv demands tapes on alleged deal

KYIV - Procurator General Sviatoslav Piskun on October 2 called on U.S. officials to hand over audio recordings that Washington says indicate that Ukraine might have sold Kolchuhas to Iraq with President Leonid Kuchma's approval. "We are ready to invite any expert to check [the Kolchuha allegations], but do not treat us like fools - give us the original [tapes made by Mykola Melnychenko]. They are offering us only edited versions," Reuters quoted Mr. Piskun as saying. The top prosecutor said he is sure Ukraine has not sold arms to Iraq. Mr. Piskun also cast doubts on Mr. Melnychenko's assertion that he secretly taped Mr. Kuchma using a tape recorder placed under a sofa in the presidential office. According to Mr. Piskun, only much more sensitive equipment could have been used to record conversations across the "huge" presidential office. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Poles mark anniversary of Soviet invasion

WARSAW - Representatives of the president, the government, the country's Churches and veterans organizations marked the 63rd anniversary of the Soviet invasion with a solemn gathering in Warsaw on September 17, the PAP news agency reported. The ceremony took place at a monument to Poles who died as a result of the Soviet aggression. Complying with the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact of 1939, the Red Army moved into Poland on September 17, 1939. Some 180,000 Polish soldiers and officers were taken prisoner by the Soviets; Soviet leader Joseph Stalin ordered the NKVD to kill more than 20,000 Polish prisoners, primarily officers. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Romanian president visits Kyiv

KYIV - Romanian President Ion Iliescu arrived on September 17 in Kyiv for a three-day official visit, UNIAN reported. Among the top issues on the agenda were the Ukrainian-Romanian border dispute over Serpents Island in the Black Sea, which, if unresolved, could potentially delay Romania's accession to NATO. Mr. Iliescu said at the Kyiv airport that the signing of "a [Ukrainian-Romanian] agreement on the delimitation of sea areas is dependent on when commissions of experts conclude their work." He added that the border dispute is not an issue that needs to be tackled by the presidents. President Leonid Kuchma said both countries agreed to sign an agreement on their border regime by June 1, 2003, the UNIAN and Interfax news services reported. Both presidents signed a declaration to this effect. "Thus we have reached a consensus on this sensitive issue and we should feel satisfied," Mr. Kuchma added. Ukraine and Romania differ on how to delimit the common border near Serpents Island in the Black Sea and in the estuary of the Danube. Mr. Kuchma also pledged to "move from a standstill" the controversial issue of the Ore-Enriching Combine in Kryvyi Rih. The construction of the plant - which was inaugurated in 1985 with the participation of Ukrainian, Romanian and Slovak investors - has never been completed. Romanian enterprises have recently been demanding the return of the funds Romania invested in the construction. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Turkmenistan, Ukraine agree on gas sale

ASHGABAT - During talks in Ashgabat on October 1, Turkmenistan's President Saparmurat Niyazov and Naftohaz Ukrainy Board Chairman Yurii Boiko reached agreement that in 2003 Ukraine will purchase 36 billion cubic meters of Turkmen natural gas at a price of $44 per thousand cubic meters, Interfax and turkmenistan.ru reported. That price will be paid half in cash and half in goods. The two also discussed expediting construction of a bridge over the Amu-Darya River and other building projects in which Ukrainian specialists are engaged. (RFE/RL Newsline)

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