NEWSBRIEFS (03/28/04)

NEWSBRIEFS

Presidential election bill passed

KYIV - The Verkhovna Rada voted 400-3 on March 18 to adopt a bill that makes procedural changes in Ukraine's presidential election process, Interfax reported. The bill differs from the current law on presidential elections in several major respects. It reduces the presidential campaign period from 180 to 120 days and lowers the signature threshold for registering a candidate from 1 million to 500,000. The bill also sets election day for the last Sunday in October; in the event that none of the candidates wins a majority in the first round, a runoff between the two top candidates is held two weeks later. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Code of Civil Procedures OKd

KYIV - The Verkhovna Rada passed a Code of Civil Procedures on March 18 that regulates the consideration of civil cases in Ukrainian courts and provides for the observance of rights and freedoms of citizens and legal entities participating in civil legal proceedings, Interfax reported. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Lytvyn predicts reform bill's approval

KYIV - Verkhovna Rada speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn told journalists on March 22 that the constitutional-reform bill that was preliminarily approved on December 24, 2003, and amended on February 3 will be passed in its final reading in early April if "Parliament follows step-by-step the decisions stipulated by the political agreement [of February 18]," Interfax reported. Mr. Lytvyn was referring to an accord signed last month by 10 pro-presidential caucuses in which they pledge to pool efforts aimed at finalizing constitutional reforms. Meanwhile, National Deputy Oleksander Volkov predicted on March 23 that the constitutional-reform bill will be adopted no earlier than in mid-May. Mr. Volkov added that promoters of the reform are facing "a lot of work" to persuade deputies elected under a first-past-the-post system to adopt a fully proportional election law, which is key to Communist Party and Socialist Party support for the reforms. A bill mandating proportional elections passed in its first reading on March 5. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Opposition to protest constitutional reform

KYIV - Our Ukraine leader Viktor Yushchenko told journalists in Kyiv on March 18 that his bloc will resort to "all available means" - including "staging appropriate protests, taking people to the street, and blocking the parliamentary rostrum" - in order to prevent final adoption of the constitutional reform bill that was preliminarily approved in December and amended in February, Interfax reported. Mr. Yushchenko was commenting on a verdict by the Constitutional Court earlier the same day concluding that the bill does not contradict the Constitution of Ukraine. Our Ukraine and the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc believe the bill was approved in an illegal procedure. National Deputy Oleksander Turchynov of the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc announced the same day that his bloc will cooperate with Our Ukraine in staging "mass protest actions" during the upcoming parliamentary debate on the bill. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Rada allows NATO quick access

KYIV - The Verkhovna Rada on March 17 voted 237-61 to endorse a memorandum of understanding between the Ukrainian government and NATO regarding Ukraine's support for NATO operations. The Communist Party caucus and some Socialist Party lawmakers voted against the memorandum, while the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc and some deputies from Our Ukraine did not take part in the vote. The memorandum, according to Interfax, sets a legal framework for Ukraine's support for NATO operations conducted under the Partnership for Peace program. The document obliges Ukraine to provide technical, medical and informational support for NATO units during military operations and exercises - the types of such support are to be defined in separate accords. NATO is to pay for such assistance. The document also grants NATO troops the right of quick access to Ukrainian territory if this is needed for the implementation of the alliance's general policies. NATO's military hardware may travel through Ukrainian territory if the alliance obtains "general permission." The bill needs to be signed by President Leonid Kuchma to take effect. (RFE/RL Belarus and Ukraine Report)

Ukraine-NATO ties worry Moscow ...

MOSCOW - The Russian Foreign Ministry on March 20 issued a statement of concern following a decision by Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada to allow rapid access by NATO military units to Ukrainian territory in the event of an emergency, Interfax reported. An unidentified ministry source told Interfax that Moscow is worried "by Ukraine's readiness to [allow] the use of its territory for NATO operations without consulting with Russia." (RFE/RL Newsline)

... as do NATO patrols over Baltic states

MOSCOW - Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Aleksandr Yakovenko said on March 23 that a recent decision by NATO to deploy four aircraft in Lithuania to patrol the airspace over the Baltic states is a threat to Russia's national security, Interfax and ORT reported. Mr. Yakovenko said NATO has developed a plan to deploy new aircraft and anti-aircraft defenses in the region, and "Russia has the right to draw conclusions and to react accordingly if necessary." He added that the NATO decision does not correspond to the spirit of the partnership that has been established between Russia and the alliance. Earlier this month, First Deputy Chief of the General Staff General Yurii Baluevskii said Russia might take reciprocal measures. Former Duma Deputy Arbatov told Russkii Telegraf on March 21 that NATO expansion into the Baltic airspace confirms "that NATO expansion is directed against Russia." (RFE/RL Newsline)

Bremer visits Ukrainian contingent

KYIV - Paul Bremer, head of the Interim Civil Administration in Iraq, made his first-ever visit to the Ukrainian military contingent's sector in Wasit Province of Iraq, reported the Ukrinform news service. He held a working meeting in Al Kut with Maj. Gen. Sergei Ostrovsky, commander of the 6th Detached Mechanized Brigade, who familiarized the American visitor with the Ukrainian peacekeepers' tasks, missions and problems of Wasit Province residents. As Mr. Bremer noted, thanks to the Ukrainian military contingent's presence the situation in Wasit Province is relatively calm. He attributed this to the Ukrainian peacekeepers' good relations with local authorities, religious leaders and ordinary citizens. During the meeting the parties also discussed the problem of disposal of stocks of ammunition left by the Saddam Hussein army. (ARTUIS)

Parties unite to back Yushchenko

KYIV - A congress of the opposition National Rukh of Ukraine (NRU) resolved on March 20 to set up an electoral bloc of nearly 40 parties to support Our Ukraine leader Viktor Yushchenko in the upcoming presidential election, UNIAN reported. In particular, apart from the National Rukh, the bloc is expected to include the Ukrainian National Party, the Reforms and Order Party, the Solidarity Party, the Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists and the Yabluko Party. The congress obliged NRU leader Borys Tarasyuk to work out a deal with interested parties on the creation of the bloc. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Putin meets with Kuchma in Moscow

MOSCOW - President Vladimir Putin met in Moscow on March 17 with Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma to discuss bilateral economic and political relations, Izvestia, RTR, and other Russian media reported. Topics of discussion included the proposed creation of a joint economic zone including Russia, Ukraine, Kazakstan and Belarus; the creation of a Russian-Ukrainian natural-gas consortium; and the resolution of a border dispute in the Azov Sea and the Kerch Straits. Speaking to journalists, the presidents said that the agreements reached on these issues last year have been submitted to both countries' parliaments for ratification. Messrs. Putin and Kuchma also discussed the situation in Georgia, and Mr. Kuchma congratulated Mr. Putin on his "tremendous victory" in Russia's March 14 presidential election. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Putin eager to make deals with Kyiv

MOSCOW - Izvestia on March 17 commented that despite the niceties, many unresolved issues remain between the two countries. Although the presidents were able to defuse the Kerch Strait crisis in December 2003, no permanent solution has been found, particularly on the issue of delimiting the common border in the Azov Sea. Nevertheless, Russian President Vladimir Putin is interested in reaching as many agreements as possible with Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma quickly because later this year, Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada might well adopt political reforms that could drastically reduce the power of the Ukrainian president and transform the country into a parliamentary republic. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Kuchma urges political continuity...

KYIV - President Leonid Kuchma said in his annual message to the Verkhovna Rada distributed among deputies on March 17 that this year's presidential election should ensure continuity in the country's political and socioeconomic spheres, Ukrainian news agencies reported. "Acknowledging the inevitability of some correction in the state policies in accordance with the programmatic and ideological guidelines of a future president, it is necessary to do everything to secure continuity of the state course as an indispensable condition for maintaining positive achievements and strengthening favorable trends in the social development," Mr. Kuchma said. "I will do everything to hold the election of a new head of state in a civilized way [and] democratically, in full accordance with the legislation in force." (RFE/RL Newsline)

... and 'European' party system in Ukraine

KYIV - President Leonid Kuchma also said in his message to the Verkhovna Rada on March 17 that Ukraine's future party system should be based on several "powerful" parliamentary parties of a "European model," Ukrainian news agencies reported. According to the president, building an efficient party system should be a priority in the transformation of Ukraine into a more democratic state. Mr. Kuchma noted that the current party system in Ukraine is immature and weak, with parties reflecting the interests of business groups and part of the administration apparatus rather than those of the electorate. The president proposed that lawmakers hold a parliamentary hearing on the formation of a "European" party system. He also called on the Verkhovna Rada to adopt a law on political opposition in Ukraine. (RFE/RL Newsline)

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