Communists in Verkhovna Rada try to bloc passage of WTO bills

by Zenon Zawada
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - Ukraine's Communists proved they remain committed to violence in order to prevent Ukraine's membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Verkhovna Rada Chairman Volodymyr Lytvyn attempted to bring several necessary WTO bills to vote on November 15 when Communist Party national deputies stormed his podium and immediately began blaring their sirens.

Repeating his deeds during the July violence in the Rada over the WTO, National Deputy Oleksander Bondarenko of the Communist Party grabbed Mr. Lytvyn's microphone to prevent him from speaking.

"American money has bought the factions," an exhausted Mr. Bondarenko told reporters afterwards. "We are defending Russia on one side, while they are defending the United States."

When Mr. Lytvyn gave the floor to Minister of the Economy Arsenii Yatseniuk, who was seated on the ministers' rostrum, the Communists swarmed around him to prevent him from giving a report on Ukraine's WTO efforts.

Pro-Western national deputies rushed to defend Mr. Yatseniuk, who looked like a deer caught in headlights, and responded to the Communists with punches, thus igniting an all-out brawl.

By the day's end, the Rada managed to pass one more WTO bill regarding sanitary and epidemiological standards, while two others were passed on their first reading. (Two parliamentary readings are required for a bill to become law.)

Ukraine's Parliament has so far ratified eight of 14 bills necessary for WTO membership. Mr. Lytvyn had intended to read other bills, but decided to table them after the violent outburst.

President Viktor Yushchenko had named as one of his top economic priorities WTO membership by the year's end. His goal was to arrive at the organization's December ministerial conference in Hong Kong with all the necessary measures in place.

Commenting on the WTO opposition while on a trip to Paris, Mr. Yushchenko said the Communists are acting against Ukraine's strategic interests.

While Mr. Yushchenko has widespread support for his WTO initiatives, even his allies have expressed skepticism over his plans. Mr. Yatseniuk acknowledged on November 16 that it's possible Ukraine wouldn't join the WTO this year.

In fact, WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy said last month that Ukraine has no chance of joining the organization this year.

Rather than blaming the opposition in the Rada, Mr. Yatseniuk said his ministry is defending Ukraine's national economic interests in its ongoing negotiations with member-states.

He specifically cited negotiating challenges with the United States in a television interview with ICTV on November 4, calling the situation a "trade war" that has reached deadlock.

Communists have alleged that the Yushchenko administration has been rolling over in negotiations with other countries in its rush to join the WTO, an accusation Mr. Yatseniuk firmly denied.

Ukraine has rejected certain agricultural provisions, a proposal to eliminate customs duties on scrap metal as well as another proposal to have mutual access to commodities markets, he said.

"We are engaged in an extremely tough trade war with the U.S. in defense of our own economic interests, while the U.S. is defending its interests," he said.

Mr. Lytvyn criticized the president for setting a time frame for Ukraine's WTO membership, which he called a "strategic mistake." Other states are imposing harsher measures on Ukraine now that they know the government is pressed against a deadline, Mr. Lytvyn said on November 14.

Instead, Mr. Yushchenko should have set a time frame for his government without announcing it, Mr. Lytvyn said.

Communists said they are defending Ukrainian industry and agriculture against foreign capital. They denied financial backing from the Russian Federation for their actions.

"Our Ukraine and the Ukrainian People's Party are selling off Ukraine, and I don't know for what price," Mr. Bondarchuk said. "Today, with the approval of these laws and further steps toward the WTO, we are practically killing our industry and agriculture."

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, November 20, 2005, No. 47, Vol. LXXIII

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