NEWSBRIEFS

Kravchenko's charges dismissed

KYIV - Procurator General Hennadii Vasyliev told journalists in Kyiv on March 2 that his office will not open a criminal case in connection with documents recently submitted by a former intelligence officer posted at the Ukrainian Embassy in Berlin, Ukrainian news agencies reported. Gen. Valerii Kravchenko claimed last month that the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has been illegally ordering its operatives abroad to spy on Ukrainian opposition lawmakers and Cabinet members. Our Ukraine lawmaker Mykola Tomenko met with Gen. Kravchenko in Berlin last week and subsequently passed to the Procurator General's Office the SBU instructions that purportedly corroborate Gen. Kravchenko's charges. Mr. Vasyliev said there were no grounds to open a probe since the documents provide no evidence that the law was broken. At the same time, Mr. Vasyliev warned Mr. Tomenko against making the content of Gen. Kravchenko's documents public, saying the lawmaker could thus face criminal responsibility for revealing state secrets. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Tomenko publicizes "secret" documents

KYIV - National Deputy Mykola Tomenko did not heed Procurator General Hennadii Vasyliev's warning on March 2 and made the content of Gen. Valerii Kravchenko's documents known to journalists on March 3, the Ukrainska Pravda website reported. Mr. Tomenko distributed among journalists the alleged texts of four confidential instructions in which the SBU headquarters in Kyiv orders Gen. Kravchenko to prevent potentially compromising material from being shown on a German television channel; spy on visiting Ukrainian officials in Germany; gather comprehensive information on a Kyiv conference that was being organized by the European Union and Ukrainian opposition; spy on all Ukrainian delegations visiting Germany; and gather "pre-emptive" information among the Ukrainian diaspora. "Restricted-access information may be disseminated without the authorization of its owner if it is publicly significant, if the right of the public to know this information surpasses the right of its owner to its protection," Mr. Tomenko said, citing Ukraine's law on information. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Radio Liberty broadcasts jammed

KYIV - Broadcasts of Radio Liberty were jammed in Kyiv on March 1 and 2, the private station sending the programs said. FM rebroadcasts of shortwave Radio Liberty had been canceled two weeks ago by a private radio station after it demanded format changes, a move that led to claims of an official campaign to keep the Prague-based station off the air. Another private station, Radio Kontynent, began broadcasting Radio Liberty on February 28 on FM. The station called the action a "gross violation of citizens' constitutional rights to information." Serhii Sholokh, Kontynent's general director, claimed he had received death threats from political forces calling on the station not to transmit Radio Liberty programs. The head of information policy for the presidential administration, Serhii Vasyliev, dismissed Kontynent's claims: "cheap PR ... What's being interrupted? The same information is available on other media." Alexander Narodetsky, director of Radio Liberty's Ukrainian Service said that authorities have threatened his affiliates over putting the station on the air. (Associated Press)

Kuchma vetoes bill of tax amendments

KYIV - President Leonid Kuchma on March 1 vetoed a bill of amendments to "nearly all tax laws," claiming that it is a "classical example of legal ignorance in tax legislation," Interfax reported. In particular, the bill, which was passed by the Verkhovna Rada on February 5, provided for levying value-added taxes (VAT) on the sale of medicines and medical equipment, periodicals and newspapers, books (except for those published in the Ukrainian language) and housing. "VAT is the only tax we have no progress on," Mr. Kuchma said at a government meeting during which he criticized the bill. "VAT has lost its budget-filling capacity." The bill was supported by the Cabinet of Ministers but opposed by the State Tax Administration. (RFE/RL Newsline)

OSCE to monitor presidential election

KYIV - Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Secretary-General Jan Kubis told journalists in Kyiv on March 2 that the OSCE will conduct long-term monitoring of the upcoming presidential election campaign in Ukraine, Interfax reported. Mr. Kubis's comments came after his meeting with Ukraine's Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Oleh Shamshur. Mr. Kubis added that OSCE observers will be in Ukraine "many months" prior to the election date. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Kuchma orders probe into alleged plot

KYIV - President Leonid Kuchma told journalists on February 25 that an investigation has been launched after the detection of a plot to kill him during his stay in the German spa town Baden-Baden from December 26, 2003, to January 17, Interfax and RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reported. Mr. Kuchma said the Ukrainian Embassy in Germany received a "quite well-founded" letter warning against the plot, with the names of plotters and the organization to which they belong. According to Mr. Kuchma, Gen. Valerii Kravchenko, who recently defected from the Security Service of Ukraine, was assigned a task in investigating the plot but refused to perform it. "He said that it was not his business," Mr. Kuchma said of Gen. Kravchenko. The president added that Gen. Kravchenko's recent revelations that the president ordered the SBU to spy on the opposition are a lie. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Ukraine gets off FATF blacklist

KYIV - The Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF) has taken Ukraine off its blacklist of non-cooperating countries and territories, President Leonid Kuchma told journalists on February 25, according to Interfax. "I've received a note that FATF members unanimously decided to remove Ukraine from the blacklist," Mr. Kuchma said. Ukraine was placed on FATF's blacklist in December 2002. At that time, the organization advised its members to check all financial transactions conducted with Ukrainian partners. In February 2003, FATF canceled these sanctions against Ukraine, but left the country on its blacklist. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Kuchma rejects idea of becoming PM

KYIV - President Leonid Kuchma said on February 25 that he is not planning to accept a potential offer to head a Cabinet following the presidential election in 2004, Interfax reported. He said he is not interested in serving as a prime minister for a period of "one and a half years or even less," adding "I have practically organized a foundation of my own." He said "I will deal quietly with politics and I will say what I think about everybody." Mr. Kuchma had disclosed earlier this month that after leaving office he will set up a non-governmental research institute dealing with Ukraine's economic policy. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Vilnius, Kyiv sign travel agreement

VILNIUS - Lithuanian Foreign Minister Antanas Valionis and his Ukrainian counterpart, Kostyantyn Gryshchenko, signed a bilateral travel agreement on February 25 in Vilnius, ELTA and BNS reported. Under the agreement, Ukrainian citizens will be issued visas free of charge and without the previous requirement of an invitation. Lithuanians will be allowed to enter Ukraine without visas. At a press conference following the signing, Mr. Gryshchenko noted that similar agreements have been signed with Poland and Hungary and said that "Ukraine will not suffer any negative consequences from the European Union's enlargement." Mr. Valionis said they also discussed issues concerning greater Ukrainian integration with Europe. Mr. Gryshchenko schedule also included meetings with Parliament Chairman Arturas Paulauskas and President Rolandas Paksas as well as the presentation of a report at the Institute of International Relations and Political Science of Vilnius University. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Kyiv asks Warsaw for clarification

WARSAW - The Ukrainian Embassy in Poland has requested that the Polish Foreign Ministry supply an official explanation of the results of a recent tender to privatize Poland's Huta Czestochowa steelworks, in which the Indian-Dutch-British holding LMN beat the Industrial Union of Donbas, Interfax reported on February 26. According to Polish Radio, the Ukrainian side believes that the Polish Treasury Minister's decision regarding the privatization of Huta Czestochowa was based on political rather than economic considerations. The Ukrainians are also reportedly offended by Deputy Treasury Minister Andrzej Szarawarski's reported remark that Poland wants to collaborate with upper-division players rather than accidental investors. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Moroz wants to save Silski Visti

KYIV - Socialist Party leader Oleksander Moroz has asked President Leonid Kuchma to prevent the liquidation of the opposition newspaper Silski Visti, which was found guilty in January of fomenting interethnic strife in an anti-Semitic publication, Interfax reported on February 26. Mr. Moroz said in an open letter to Mr. Kuchma that the court that ruled on the case made "a legally illiterate decision to close [the newspaper] under far-fetched accusations." Mr. Moroz claimed that the court violated the law by using the Criminal Code in the case against Silski Visti, which he believes should have been considered a civil case. He warned that the closure of Silski Visit might lead to the fomenting of "anti-Semitism in day-to-day life" and create an "explosive situation." Silski Visti, which primarily targets rural readers, has a circulation of more than 500,000. The newspaper is believed to be linked to the Socialist Party. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Growth of 9.3 percent reported in 2003

KYIV - First Vice Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said on February 28 that, according to the most recent calculations, Ukraine's gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 9.3 percent year-on-year in 2003, which is Ukraine's record high during its independence years, UNIAN reported. Earlier the State Statistics Committee had reported that GDP grew by 8.5 percent in 2003. (RFE/RL Newsline)

$600 million of Eurobonds is issued

KYIV - The press service of First Vice Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said on February 27 that the government has successfully floated $600 million worth of Eurobonds with a seven-year maturity period and 6.875 percent return, Interfax reported. "The government has placed the bonds among respectable investors enjoying the reputation of 'financial engines' on steady markets," the press service added. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Bulgarian, Ukrainian crew die at sea

PRAGUE - Seventeen Bulgarian and two Ukrainian sailors are believed to have been killed when the freighter Hera sank on February 13 during a snowstorm near Istanbul, mediapool.bg reported. Bad weather conditions hampered rescue operations, which continued on February 16 near the Bosporus Strait, Agence France-Presse reported. None of the 19-member crew are believed to have survived. Preliminary investigations have established that the company that hired the sailors in Varna was not legally registered, mediapool.bg reported. According to AFP, the Cambodian freighter was owned by a Bulgarian. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Oil transport may begin in April-May

KYIV - Ukrainian Fuel and Energy Minister Serhii Yermilov told Interfax Ukraine on February 25 that oil for the Odesa-Brody pipeline might begin entering the pipeline in April-May. Mr. Yermilov noted that Poland and Ukraine have reached an agreement about transporting oil by rail from the present end of the pipeline in Brody to Polish refineries. According to the minister, between 1 million and 5 million tons of oil would be transported to Poland by rail annually. Confirming Mr. Yermilov's statement, Faouzi Bensarsa, a representative of the European Commission, confirmed that contracts exist for the purchase of Caspian oil by Ukraine, Interfax Ukraine reported on February 24. The agency also reported that ChevronTexaco is awaiting clarification from Ukraine concerning tariff rates to be charged for the Odesa-Brody pipeline. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Thieves steal bridge in Ukraine

SVALIAVA - Thieves in western Ukraine have dismantled and stolen an 11-meter steel bridge over the river Svaliavka. Police blame locals, saying it would have been impossible to take the bridge apart without a crane and a lorry, or to take it away unnoticed. Metal theft is a problem in Ukraine, where people steal statues, cables and other objects made of metal in order to sell it as scrap. Officials were checking all scrap metal yards in the region to find the remains of the one-ton bridge. (BBC)

Thieves steal historic train for scrap

DONETSK - Thieves stole what may be Ukraine's oldest train for metal scrap after tricking guards at a museum in eastern Ukraine, local police said on March 1. A police spokesman in Donetsk said the thieves used forged documents to convince guards at the industry museum that the train, which dates back to 1924, had to be moved. They probably used a crane to move the locomotive and then cut it into pieces to sell it as scrap metal. "The metal was found in a scrap yard outside the city," the spokesman said. (Reuters)

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, March 7, 2004, No. 10, Vol. LXXII

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