NEWSBRIEFS (12/08/02)

NEWSBRIEFS

President approves new Cabinet

KYIV - President Leonid Kuchma has issued decrees appointing a new government headed by Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and dismissing the old one headed by Anatolii Kinakh, UNIAN reported on December 1, quoting presidential spokeswoman Olena Hromnytska. The new Cabinet of Ministers consists of First Vice Prime Minister and Finance Minister Mykola Azarov; Vice Prime Ministers Ivan Kyrylenko, Dmytro Tabachnyk and Vitaliy Haiduk; Environment Minister Vasyl Shevchuk; Education Minister Vasyl Kremen; Agriculture Minister Serhiy Ryzhuk; Economy Minister Valerii Khoroshkovskyi; Emergency Situations Minister Hryhorii Reva; Labor Minister Mykhailo Papiyev; Industrial Policy Minister Anatolii Mialytsia; Culture Minister Yurii Bohutskyi; Transport Minister Heorhii Kirpa; Internal Affairs Minister Yurii Smyrnov; Justice Minister Oleksander Lavrynovych; Defense Minister Volodymyr Shkidchenko; Foreign Affairs Minister Anatolii Zlenko; Fuel and Energy Minister Serhii Yermilov; and Health Minister Andrii Pidayev. (RFE/RL Newsline)

79 percent regard themselves as poor

KYIV - According to a survey conducted by the International Labor Organization and Ukraine's State Statistics Committee among 9,400 Ukrainian households earlier this year, 79 percent of respondents consider themselves poor, UNIAN reported on December 3. The poll found that more than 50 percent of Ukrainians have monthly incomes below 300 hrv ($56). According to respondents, 510 hrv is the minimum monthly income that would guarantee "normal existence." The official subsistence level in Ukraine is 342 hrv per month. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Rada delegation visits Vilnius

VILNIUS - A delegation from the Verkhovna Rada headed by Chairman Volodymyr Lytvyn began a two-day visit to Vilnius on December 3 with a meeting with Lithuanian Parliament Chairman Arturas Paulauskas, the ELTA news service reported. In a speech to lawmakers in the Seimas, Mr. Lytvyn announced that the countries' legislatures will establish a bilateral parliamentary forum similar to the one Lithuania has with Kaliningrad Oblast's Duma. Valerijus Tretjakovas and Oleksander Tretiakov, representatives from the respective parliaments, signed an agreement establishing the forum prior to an official dinner in honor of the visit. In subsequent talks with Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas, Mr. Lytvyn discussed domestic- and foreign-policy issues, as well as ongoing reforms. He expressed dissatisfaction with Ukraine's imminent status as an EU neighbor, noting that his country will seek to become an associate member of the European Union. On December 4 Mr. Lytvyn was to meet with President Valdas Adamkus and Vilnius Mayor Arturas Zuokas before flying to the Estonian capital, Tallinn. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Ukrainian, Slovak presidents meet

KYIV - Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma and his Slovak counterpart, Rudolf Schuster, said at an economic forum in Kyiv on December 2 that they are in favor of more intensive mutual economic cooperation, the UNIAN news agency reported. The CTK news service quoted President Schuster as saying he also discussed "delicate issues" with Mr. Kuchma, but he did not elaborate. The Ukrainian president said he is pleased with relations with Slovakia, which are not burdened by "any political problems," as well as with NATO's recent Prague summit, according to CTK. At the conclusion of his two-day visit, President Schuster said the two countries have not realized their full potential for bilateral trade, the TASR news service reported. Accompanied by President Kuchma, Mr. Schuster visited the Pivdenmash rocket plant, which during the Cold War produced the majority of the former Soviet Union's nuclear missiles. The Ukrainian National Pedagogical University awarded President Schuster an honorary doctorate for literature, and he attended a session of the Ukrainian-Slovak economic forum. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Rada discusses freedom of expression

KYIV - The Verkhovna Rada on December 4 gathered for a hearing titled "Society, Media, Authorities: Freedom of Expression and Censorship in Ukraine," Ukrainian media reported. Verkhovna Rada Vice-Chairman Oleksander Zinchenko, who opened the debate, said the hearing should result in specific changes to legislation on Ukrainian media. More than 50 representatives from the government, Parliament and the media asked to speak at the hearing. A poll conducted last month by the Oleksander Razumkov Center for Political and Economic Studies among 727 Ukrainian journalists revealed that 61.6 percent of them have come into contact with "manifestations of political censorship," UNIAN reported on December 3. According to the poll, the most common forms of political censorship in Ukraine are self-censorship of journalists for fear of reprisals and removal of politically sensitive passages from texts by editors. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Gazprom reduces supplies to Ukraine

KYIV - As of November 29, Gazprom reduced by 65 percent supplies of Central Asian gas to Ukraine from Itera, a Florida-based gas trader that has controversial ties to current and former Gazprom managers, UNIAN reported on December 2. Gazprom said the reduction is connected with Itera's reluctance to repay a debt of more than $30 million to the Russian monopoly Gazprom. Itera, which uses Gazprom's network to pump Central Asian gas, has been supplying gas to Ukraine for the past nine years. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Kyiv seeks Azerbaijan's help on pipelines

KYIV - Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych on December 2 offered Azerbaijan participation in an international consortium to operate Ukraine's gas-transit pipelines, as well as involvement in completing and running the Odesa-Brody oil pipeline, the UNIAN news service reported. Mr. Yanukovych made the offers during his meeting with Azerbaijan's Parliament Chairman Murtuz Alesqerov. Ukraine and Russia struck a deal to create a consortium to run Ukraine's gas-transit pipelines in October 2002. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Rada fails to sack chief of NBU

KYIV - The Verkhovna Rada on November 28 turned down President Leonid Kuchma's proposal to dismiss the governor of the National Bank of Ukraine, Volodymyr Stelmakh, and replace him with Serhii Tyhypko, Ukrainian media reported. The motion was supported by 214 deputies - 12 votes short of the required majority. Parliamentary Chairman Volodymyr Lytvyn said the legislature will return to the issue of sacking Mr. Stelmakh and appointing Mr. Tyhypko. Meanwhile, Our Ukraine lawmaker Yurii Kostenko commented that the pro-government parliamentary majority is not workable, adding that it is "even unable to resolve those personnel problems in which it is interested." Mr. Kostenko predicted that "when it comes to the implementation of the government's program, the majority will face even more problems." (RFE/RL Newsline)

Ukraine worst hit by AIDS in 2002

MOSCOW - Ukraine has been officially cited as the European country worst hit by AIDS in the outgoing year. The number of HIV-infected by September 1 reported by the Ukrainian Health Ministry totaled 49,873, while unofficial sources put the number of HIV virus carriers at around 500,000, Deputy State Secretary of the Ukrainian Health Ministry Olga Bobyleva told ITAR-TASS on November 29. Yelena Purik, chief of the Ukraine-based informational resource center of the international anti-AIDS alliance, said she believes that if the problem of treatment of AIDS victims is not solved in the near future, in two to three years' time the AIDS epidemic in Ukraine will be dramatic. The cost of treatment of one HIV-infected patient is around $9,000, Ms. Bobyleva said. The 2003 draft budget envisages funds sufficient for the treatment of only 50 AIDS victims, apart from funds for blood tests and "confidential" medical consultations with AIDS-affected people. Ukraine's Ministry of Health has adopted a four-year program for fighting AIDS. Kyiv hopes the program will be financed by the World Bank, which is expected to provide a loan of $60 million. Ukraine is also pinning its hopes on an expected grant of $92 million from the Global Anti-AIDS Fund. Ukraine ranks sixth in the world in the number of HIV cases. (ITAR-TASS)

Ukrainian president visits Italy

ROME - President Leonid Kuchma on November 26 traveled to Italy for a three-day official visit, UNIAN reported. Mr. Kuchma told journalists in Rome that his visit attests to the fact that "today it is impossible to build Europe and European security without Ukraine." The same day President Kuchma met with Italian President Carlo Ciampi, who reportedly expressed Italy's support for Ukraine's efforts to join NATO and the World Trade Organization. Addressing a business forum in Rome on November 27, Mr. Kuchma said that "Ukraine cannot live under circumstances of uncertainty" and called on European leaders to determine the place of Ukraine in the future Europe. President Kuchma also said Ukraine is interested in Italian investment in its economy, particularly in aviation, machine-building, communications, transport and agriculture. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Deputy said to have bloc under pressure

KYIV - National Deputy Petro Dyminskyi has left the Our Ukraine parliamentary caucus headed by Viktor Yushchenko, Ukrainian media reported on November 26. "He found himself in a very difficult situation," Our Ukraine lawmaker Yaroslav Kendzior said in comments posted on the caucus's website (http://www.razom.org.ua/). "The appointment of [Viktor] Yanukovych to the post of prime minister influenced [Dyminskyi's] decision to leave our faction. It is well-known what furious pressure has been applied for the past eight months to businessmen who support Our Ukraine," Mr. Kendzior added. Meanwhile, Mr. Dyminskyi told the Lviv-based newspaper Vysokyi Zamok on November 25 that the reason for his pullout was different. "I am quitting not [because of] Viktor Yushchenko, but the dyktat that is being exercised by his entourage," Mr. Dyminskyi said. "In my opinion, recent resolutions adopted by the caucus were detrimental to both Our Ukraine and our region," he added. Mr. Dyminskyi was elected to the Verkhovna Rada on the Our Ukraine ticket from a constituency in the Lviv Oblast. Prior to the election he headed the supervisory board of the oil refinery in Drohobych. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Federation Council OKs Cyrillic-only bill

MOSCOW - The Federation Council on November 27 passed a series of amendments to the law on the languages of the peoples of the Russian Federation that would require all alphabets of such languages to be based on the Cyrillic alphabet, RosBalt and other Russian news agencies reported. The vote was 122 in favor, three opposed and five abstentions. The Duma had passed the amendments on November 14. "This federal law only strengthens the graphic basis of these languages and only when their written form is used as a state language," said Valeria Kadokhova, chairwoman of the council's Committee on the Federation and Regional Policies. "The right of the republics to establish their own state languages remains intact." Refqet Altynbayev, who represents Tatarstan in the council, spoke against the measure and said it violates the Constitution. Karelia's representative, Yurii Ponomarev, said the mandatory use of Cyrillic would hinder the development of the Karelian language. "Some words would simply lose their meaning," he said. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Tatars ask Putin to reject Cyrillic-only law

MOSCOW - The World Tatar Congress has issued an appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin, asking him to veto recently passed amendments to the law on the languages of the peoples of the Russian Federation that would require all written alphabets of such languages to be based on the Cyrillic script . "Such a decision by the state ... without considering the views of the people involved is unprecedented in history," the appeal reads. It also claims that the amendments are unconstitutional and that they are harmful to ethnic relations in the federation. On November 29 the Tatarstan State Council also appealed to Mr. Putin to veto the amendments and said that it will appeal the amendments in the Constitutional Court if the president signs them, Nezavisimaya Gazeta reported on December 3. Meanwhile, Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiev has also criticized a recent Education Ministry proposal to introduce a course on Orthodox culture into the public-school curriculum, saying that it violates the principle of the separation of Church and state, the daily also reported. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Russian slams Czechs for visa denial

MIENSK - Russian Duma Chairman Gennadii Seleznev slammed the Czech Republic for denying a visa to Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who wanted to take part in the NATO summit in Prague despite discouragement from NATO and the United States. "I think this [denial] is outrageous. Belarus is not an outcast country," Belarusian Television quoted Mr. Seleznev as saying, and adding in an allusion to the United States: "Most likely, an order came from across the ocean - I don't doubt it, because it's the main country in NATO - not to allow the participation of the presidents of Ukraine and Belarus in this summit. ... Of course, it's a blow to Belarus, another blow, but Belarus took it with dignity." (RFE/RL Newsline)

Havel against Russia joining NATO

PRAGUE - Czech President Vaclav Havel on November 19 told journalists he expects the Atlantic alliance to extend invitations to seven states and believes further expansion will take place in the future, RFE/RL and CTK reported. Mr. Havel said Albania, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro also belong to the joint "Euro-Atlantic cultural and geographical space," according to RFE/RL. He also reiterated his oft-expressed opposition to Russian membership in NATO. Russia's membership in the alliance "would rather paralyze our cooperation and in a way make it worthless," he said. President Havel reasoned that, if he wanted to improve his relations with the Czech prime minister, "I would not do so by asking him to move into my apartment" since this "would more likely worsen than improve the relations." (RFE/RL Newsline)

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