NEWSBRIEFS

Reforms and Order Party changes name

KYIV - A convention of 375 delegates from the opposition Reforms and Order Party, which is a member of the Our Ukraine bloc in the Verkhovna Rada, on July 18 changed the party's name to Our Ukraine, Interfax reported. "Such a move demonstrates our readiness for creating a single, united democratic Our Ukraine party," said Viktor Pynzenyk, the leader of the renamed party. He said this step should encourage other democratic forces to consolidate into a single party. The convention also endorsed Viktor Yushchenko's candidacy in the October 31 presidential election. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Inquiry into Gongadze surveillance begins

KYIV - Ukraine's Internal Affairs Ministry has started an official inquiry into the reasons behind the surveillance of journalist Heorhii Gongadze before his abduction and murder in 2000, Interfax reported on July 19, quoting First Vice-Minister of Internal Affairs Mykhailo Kornienko. The internal investigation, initiated following a recent inquiry from the Procurator General's Office, is expected to last one month. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Administration denies EU summit was failure

KYIV - Vasyl Baziv, deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, on July 16 criticized an article in the Moscow-based newspaper Izvestiya suggesting that the Ukraine-EU summit at The Hague on July 8 proved to be a failure of the "European vector" in Ukrainian foreign policy, UNIAN reported. Mr. Baziv described the article as "incompetent" and added that the summit was "the most successful meeting ever. Mr. Baziv also said European and Euro-Atlantic integration remains "Ukraine's strategic political course" regardless of the result of the forthcoming presidential election. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Ukraine 70th in development ranking

UNITED NATIONS - Belarus ranks 62nd and Ukraine 70th on a list of 177 countries assessed with regard to their Human Development Index in the United Nations "Human Development Report 2004," Belarusian and Ukrainian news agencies reported on July 16. The Human Development Index is a composite indicator that measures a country's achievements in three aspects of human development: longevity, knowledge and standard of living. Longevity is measured by life expectancy at birth; knowledge is measured by a combination of the adult literacy rate and education enrollment; and standard of living is measured by gross domestic product per capita. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Our Ukraine warns of provocation...

KYIV - The Our Ukraine bloc led by presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko has demanded that President Leonid Kuchma, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and leaders of law enforcement bodies prevent the staging of what they termed a potentially dangerous and provocative action by the Ukrainian National Assembly (UNA), an extremist nationalist group, Interfax reported on July 15, quoting Our Ukraine activists Mykola Katerynchuk and Volodymyr Bondarenko. Messrs. Katerynchuk and Bondarenko told journalists that the assembly was planning to hold a congress and a march with flaming torches in Kyiv, during which its activists would shout "anti-Semitic and anti-Russian slogans" and express "pseudo-support for Yushchenko." The Our Ukraine leader recently sent a letter to Mr. Kuchma warning that the presidential campaign has activated "forces that profess fascism and ethnic and racial intolerance." According to Mr. Yushchenko, "central television channels popularize the activities of radical, pro-fascist structures" which, the Our Ukraine leader added, are financed by top-level officials. (RFE/RL Newsline)

... as group leader urges pure government

KYIV - Ukrainian National Assembly leader Eduard Kovalenko told Hromadske Radio on July 15 that the UNA congress and march, which was originally planned for July 16 has been rescheduled for July 31, the Ukrainska Pravda website reported. "After the conclusion of the congress, we will march with flaming torches to the Castle Hill," Mr. Kovalenko said. "There we will set on fire [a symbol] of wealth as a sign of the beginning of the UNA's national-patriotic fight for honest and pure government, for establishing Ukrainians in power," he added. Mr. Kovalenko did not say whether this action would be connected to Viktor Yushchenko's presidential bid. "[The assembly action] is necessary to nourish the media image of Yushchenko as a man supported by fascists, " Our Ukraine activist Volodymyr Bondarenko commented on July 15. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Unprofitable companies decline in number

KYIV - The State Statistics Committee made known on July 15 that the share of loss-making companies in January-May 2004 was 36.8 percent, with their losses totaling 6.6 billion hrv ($1.2 billion), Interfax reported. The share of unprofitable enterprises in the same period of 2003 was 42.3 percent, and the losses amounted to $7.6 billion hrv. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Ukraine defends Danube project

BUCHAREST - Ukrainian Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Oleksander Motsyk said at a Bucharest meeting of the Danube Cooperation Process that the Bystraya canal project currently being implemented in a Danube Delta estuary is merely the reopening of a project abandoned during the Soviet era, Reuters reported. He said the canal would provide improved access to the Black Sea, thus helping develop a socially and economically poor region of Ukraine. Mr. Motsyk added that there are three deep waterways in the Danube Delta, none of which is in Ukraine. "We have the right to reopen a deep waterway in the Ukrainian part of the Danube," he said, adding that Kyiv will do all it can to avoid any negative impact on the environment. Catherine Day, the European Commission's director general for the environment, told the meeting that the EU has asked Ukraine to halt construction work on the canal "until a full environmental-impact study is carried out." Addressing the forum, Romanian Prime Minister Adrian Nastase said any Danube River development project must take into account the need to protect the river's unique environment. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Komsomol leader apologizes to Church

ZAPORIZHIA - Stanislav Zubov, head of the Young Communist League (Komsomol) of the Communist Party in the Zaporizhia region, apologized on behalf of the party members for anti-Church activities conducted during Soviet times. His announcement was made on May 28 in an article in a local newspaper, Lytsa Plus, dedicated to the Feast of the Holy Trinity. Mr. Zubov also stated that before making this announcement, he had discussed it thoroughly with his party mates. In his article, Mr. Zubov admitted the tragic policy of his predecessors toward the Church, which damaged church property and eradicated traditional spirituality from the hearts of Soviet youth. Mr. Zubov wrote that the collapse of the Soviet Union is the retribution for what has been done. "The only thing that we, the young Communists, can do about our past is to perform an act of repentance for our anti-Church history," said Mr. Zubov. "On behalf of the young Communists of the Zaporizhia region, I ask you to consider this statement such an act." (Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

PM: Orthodox Churches should unite

KYIV - Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych said he was for the unification of all Ukrainian Orthodox Churches. He voiced his comments on May 31, after he and members of the government attended a divine liturgy for Holy Trinity Day in the Dormition Cathedral of the Kyivan Monastery of the Caves. "I believe we have to strive for this, and it will be a remarkable day when the Orthodox churches unite," he said. Answering a question about his prayers in the Church, Mr. Yanukovych said he asked God to help Ukraine overcome difficulties and give happiness to the Ukrainian people. (Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

Kremlin expert opens Russian Club

KYIV - Effective Politics Foundation head and Kremlin insider Gleb Pavlovskii announced during a July 19 press conference in Kyiv that his foundation plans to open a non-governmental organization in Kyiv that will focus on relations between Russia and Ukraine, glavred.info reported. The organization, to be named the Russian Club, will be funded by public and commercial organizations in Russia and will host Russian politicians and other public and cultural figures. In reference to the Ukrainian presidential campaign, Mr. Pavlovskii said Russia is not intervening as it simply has no leverage to do so, RTR reported. Mr. Pavlovskii said that among the candidates in the October election, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych appeals most to Russia, while Our Ukraine candidate Viktor Yushchenko has given "no clear answers" to questions of interest to Russia, RIA-Novosti reported on July 19. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Population continues to shrink

KYIV - The State Statistics Committee made known on July 13 that as of June 1 Ukraine's population numbered 47.46 million - 30,000 less than a month before or some 200,000 less than six months before, Interfax reported. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Ukraine's GDP continues to rise

KYIV - The State Statistics Committee disclosed on July 14 that Ukraine's gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 12.7 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2004, Interfax reported. In 2003, Ukraine's GDP rose by 9.4 percent. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Kuchma criticizes EU policy

THE HAGUE - The Ukraine-EU summit in The Hague on July 8 has failed to produce any political or economic agreements regarding mutual ties, Ukrainian and international media reported. In particular, Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende did not make any promises about when the European Union may grant Ukraine a market-economy status, which is a key step for Kyiv on its path to membership in the World Trade Organization. Moreover, Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma said the EU's European Neighborhood Policy does not suit Ukraine's interests and he refused to sign a prepared action plan for Ukraine within the policy's framework. Mr. Kuchma said at The Hague that the action plan should not be a simple systematization of the existing cooperation areas but should open up "realistic prospects for expanding four freedoms in Ukraine - free movement of goods, services, capital and people," Interfax reported. According to Mr. Kuchma, the action plan should include a list of specific measures to set up a free-trade zone between Ukraine and the EU, to gradually liberalize the visa process, to facilitate the employment and social protection of Ukrainian labor migrants and to minimize the consequences of EU expansion in the areas of trade and the economy. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Council accepts Evangelical Church

KYIV - During a June 15 meeting in Kyiv, the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations accepted the Ukrainian Evangelical Christian Church, headed by Bishop Leonid Padun, into the organization. In addition, members of the council listened to reports by A. Hlukhivskyi, president of the Ukrainian Bible Society, on his organization's activities and by Viktor Bondarenko, head of the National Committee on Religious Matters, on the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the first translation of the Bible into Ukrainian. (Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

Kuchma vetoes law banning land sales

KYIV - President Leonid Kuchma has vetoed a law on prolonging the moratorium on land trading until January 1, 2007, Ukrainian news agencies reported on July 8. Last month the Verkhovna Rada made changes to the Land Code, prolonging the ban on the buying and selling of agricultural land for citizens and legal entities until January 1, 2007. In accordance with the current Land Code, the moratorium ends on January 1, 2005. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Rada leaves Tymoshenko's immunity intact

KYIV - The Verkhovna Rada has rejected a petition by the Procurator General's Office to lift the parliamentary immunity of National Deputy Yulia Tymoshenko, leader of the eponymous opposition bloc, Interfax reported on July 7. The Procurator General's Office has instituted criminal proceedings against Ms. Tymoshenko, accusing her of attempting to bribe a judge. Ms. Tymoshenko denied the accusation, calling it "totally wrong" and a provocation. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Opposition demands Gongadze info

KYIV - The Our Ukraine and Yulia Tymoshenko bloc caucuses demanded on June 22 in the Verkhovna Rada to hear the Ukrainian Procurator General's report on crime fighting in the country, Interfax reported. The demand was submitted by Oleksander Turchynov in connection with articles in The Independent newspaper on June 19. The newspaper published excerpts from interrogations of policemen, who say they trailed independent journalist Heorhii Gongadze before his abduction on orders from Internal Affairs Ministry senior official Oleksii Pukach. Mr. Pukach would have received his orders from Yurii Kravchenko, one of President Leonid Kuchma's closest associates. Mr. Turchynov said the publication proves "direct involvement of the president in Gongadze's murder, and Procurator General Hennadii Vasyliev does his best to wipe out the proof in the case." (RFE/RL Newsline)

Romania begins visa regime with Ukraine

KYIV - Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Markian Lubkivskyi said on June 22 that Romania introduce a visa regime with Ukraine as of July 16, Interfax reported. The visa agreement between Romania and Ukraine was signed in December 2003, but it did not provide a deadline for introducing visas for travel between both countries. According to Mr. Lubkivskyi, visas will be issued without needing a formal invitation. Free visas will be issued for children under age 18, students studying in exchange programs, residents of border regions, and the staff of international road and railroad services. Holders of service and diplomatic passports and the crews of ships and aircraft will qualify for visa-free travel. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Putin: CIS seeks to 'restore what was lost'

ASTANA - President Vladimir Putin said on June 18 that the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States "are now working to restore what was lost with the fall of the Soviet Union but are doing it on a new, modern basis," the RTR and ORT news agencies reported. He was speaking at a conference of international experts at Lev Gumilev University in the Kazak capital of Astana on June 18 devoted to Eurasian integration and globalization. Mr. Putin said the ideas of Gumilev, who founded neo-Eurasianism based on the idea of a united Eurasia in opposition to the trans-Atlantic West, "are beginning to move the masses." He added, "Of course destroying is not the same as building, but there is a common understanding that protection from external threats and increasing global competition is possible through common intellectual potential and united efforts." Mr. Putin said chauvinism, nationalism, the personal ambitions of leaders and foolishness hinder Eurasian integration. "But we are intelligent people, so let me conclude with an appeal: Intelligent people of the world, unite!" President Putin claimed a leading role for Russia in Eurasian cooperation, saying, "Russia is the very center of Eurasia." He also warned of the dangers of extremism in implementing controversial Eurasianist ideas. Mr. Putin's visit to Astana was part of a major diplomatic swing through Central Asia. Kazakstan's President Nursultan Nazarbaev has been promoting the concept of a "Eurasian Union" for the past decade. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Presidents visit restored monastery

NOVHOROD-SIVERSKYI, Ukraine - The presidents of Ukraine, Russia and Belarus on June 27 visited the Transfiguration Monastery in Novhorod-Siverskyi, in northern Ukraine's Chernihiv region, where they met with Metropolitan Volodymyr (Sabodan) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP). After Metropolitan Volodymyr celebrated a liturgy and consecrated a restored iconostasis, he showed the guests around the territory of the monastery, which celebrated its 970th anniversary in 2003. According to the press service of the UOC-MP, a year ago the monastery was dilapidated and most monastery buildings were in very poor condition. However, thanks to presidential support, the monastery has been repaired and restored.(Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

New chief tax inspector is named

KYIV - President Leonid Kuchma on June 11 appointed First Vice Minister of Finance Fedir Yaroshenko as head of the State Tax Administration, Interfax reported. Mr. Yaroshenko will replace Yurii Kravchenko, who resigned from the post the same day, following Mr. Kuchma's criticism that the STA has failed to enforce legislation regarding value-added taxes on major enterprises. (RFE/RL Newsline)

State monopoly in alcohol, tobacco voided

KYIV - President Leonid Kuchma has introduced amendments to a 2002 decree that effectively annuls the state monopoly in the manufacturing of alcoholic drinks and tobacco products, UNIAN reported on June 11. Mr. Kuchma's move followed last month's ruling of the Constitutional Court saying that the decree's provisions pertaining to the establishment of state monopoly in the production of and trade in alcohol and tobacco products contradict the Constitution of Ukraine. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Aleksei addresses East Slavic sobor

ZAPORIZHIA - Patriarch Aleksei II of the Russian Orthodox Church called upon the participants of the sobor (assembly) of the Peoples of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine, held on May 17-19 in Zaporizhia, to continue to strengthen friendly relations between the three brotherly nations. The sobor was dedicated to the 350th anniversary of the Pereiaslav Council in 1654, which led to a union between Ukraine and Russia. Among topics discussed at the sobor were the problems of cooperation between Ukraine, Russia and Belarus in the sphere of political and social life, as well as the spiritual and moral state of society in these countries. The meeting gathered famous politicians, social movement leaders, scholars and priests. "I think by remaining faithful to the ideas of union proclaimed 350 years ago during the Pereiaslav Council, you will successfully continue work for the future consolidation of friendship between our peoples," reads Patriarch Aleksei's statement. "Over the past years, much has changed in our lives, but the main thing, which unites all of us is our common history, traditions, culture and the common Orthodox faith," he pointed out. (Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, July 25, 2004, No. 30, Vol. LXXII

| Home Page |