NEWSBRIEFS

Ukraine on U.N. Human Rights Council

KYIV - Ukraine has been elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council. The General Assembly elected 47 nations out of 63 in the running for council membership. Each candidate had to receive not less than 96 votes. In addition to Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Russia and Azerbaijan have been included in the Eastern Europe Group of the council. According to Human Rights Watch, such nations as Cuba, China, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Russia should not have been elected to the council, as these countries violate human rights. The new U.N. body replaced the Human Rights Commission, which had been operating since 1946. The United Nations Human Rights Council will convene its maiden session on June 19. (Ukrinform)

Film in the works about Chornovil

KYIV - The Dovzhenko Ukrainian Film Studio is shooting a feature documentary film about the life of the late Vyacheslav Chornovil, officially awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine, national deputy and former leader of the National Rukh of Ukraine. The film is to be broadcast on leading Ukrainian TV channels in mid-June. Mr. Chornovil (1937-1999) was a journalist, former Soviet political prisoner and a co-founder of the National Rukh of Ukraine. In 1994 he ran for president. Mr. Chornovil died in a car crash near Kyiv. The car crash has long been considered a political murder. (Ukrinform)

President upbeat on building coalition...

KYIV - President Viktor Yushchenko said after meetings with Ukrainian political leaders in Kyiv on May 5 that he believes it is possible to create a governing coalition in the country by May 24, UNIAN reported. Mr. Yushchenko was commenting on his separate meetings with Prime Minister Yurii Yekhanurov from the Our Ukraine bloc; Yulia Tymoshenko, head of the eponymous political bloc; Socialist Party head Oleksander Moroz; and Party of the Regions leader Viktor Yanukovych. President Yushchenko stressed that a future governing coalition should be built on four principles: a "maximally harmonized nationwide concept of values"; an operational legislature; a stable parliamentary majority; and the presidential foreign- and domestic-policy programs as the basis for the coalition's actions. (RFE/RL Newsline)

...questions remain on its composition

KYIV - Yulia Tymoshenko told journalists after her meeting with President Viktor Yushchenko on May 5 that her bloc, jointly with Our Ukraine and the Socialist Party, will present a draft coalition agreement on May 10 or 11, Ukrainian and international news agencies reported. "I think this meeting brought us much closer than we have been for weeks to an understanding on creating a coalition and making it work," Reuters quoted Ms. Tymoshenko as saying. Meanwhile, Viktor Yanukovych revealed to journalists on May 5 that his party also was conducting talks with Our Ukraine on the creation of a governing coalition. Mr. Yanukovych's statement came as a surprise, since Our Ukraine activists had thus far denied the existence of such talks. "We do not rule out the possibility to create a coalition with other parties, we are conducting talks at different levels," Mr. Yanukovych added without elaborating. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Belarus, Ukraine mark V-Day

MIENSK/KYIV - Belarus and Ukraine celebrated the 61st anniversary of the victory over Germany during World War II with parades of veterans in Miensk and Kyiv, respectively, according to Belarusian and Ukrainian media reports. The respective parades were attended by the Belarusian and Ukrainian presidents, Alyaksandr Lukashenka and Viktor Yushchenko. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Symonenko comments on coalition

KYIV - The leader of the Communist Party of Ukraine, Petro Symonenko, sounded confident that a parliamentary coalition would be created between the Our Ukraine bloc and the Party of the Regions. He aired his opinion at a press conference on May 10 in Kyiv. Mr. Symonenko said he believes that the recent statement by the Socialist Party of Ukraine about the likely participation of the Party of the Regions in the coalition proved that the Socialists do not oppose the Regions' participation in the coalition. At the same time, Mr. Symonenko said he believes the Our Ukraine-Party of the Regions coalition will "bring discordance" to the Verkhovna Rada's work. In that case, he said, the Parliament's work would be challenged from the point of view of solving national issues. According to Mr. Symonenko, Our Ukraine and the Party of the Regions could manage to negotiate the appointment of Yurii Yekhanurov as prime minister, while giving other government and Rada posts to the Regions. According to the CPU leader, such a coalition cannot last long - a maximum of one year; and, if it is joined by the Socialists - half a year, for the coalition would be based on business interests. Mr. Symonenko was also confident that the Verkhovna Rada would not be dissolved if the coalition failed to be formed, as "the capital is not interested in dissolving the Parliament." (Ukrinform)

Ukraine mulls leaving CIS

KYIV - Ukrainian presidential adviser Kostiantyn Tymoshenko told journalists in Kyiv on May 5 that the Presidential Secretariat is considering Ukraine's withdrawal from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), UNIAN reported. Mr. Tymoshenko added that the issue is "not very pressing on the agenda." The previous day, Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council Secretary Anatolii Kinakh noted that the CIS "has virtually lost its economic sense," according to Interfax-Ukraine. "Hundreds of documents have been adopted within the CIS framework that are not being implemented. In particular, the procedure for forming a free-trade zone has not yet been finished, and the agreement that was signed 10 years ago [on a free-trade zone] has not yet been ratified by the Russian State Duma," Mr. Kinakh added. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili recently asked the Georgian government to assess the possible repercussions if Georgia leaves the CIS. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Yushchenko comments on EU

VILNIUS - President Viktor Yushchenko told the conference "Common Vision for a Common Neighborhood" in Vilnius on May 4 that Ukraine finds it difficult to remain in a "suspended state," without guarantees that it can join the European Union in the future, Interfax-Ukraine reported. Mr. Yushchenko stressed that Ukraine hopes to obtain a "clear signal that the philosophy of [EU-Ukraine] relations is based on the philosophy of open doors." According to Mr. Yushchenko, Ukraine would now welcome an association agreement with the EU as the next stage on its path toward achieving full membership. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Ukrainian, Lithuanian presidents meet

VILNIUS - Presidents Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine and Valdas Adamkus of Lithuania met in Vilnius on May 3 to discuss the agenda for the Vilnius Conference "Common Vision of Common Neighborhood" that began the next day. Mr. Yushchenko stressed during talks with his counterpart that Ukraine's foreign policy course will not be revised. He thanked Lithuania for supporting Ukraine's European integration aspirations and Ukraine's plans for joining NATO. Touching on the internal political situation in Ukraine after the parliamentary elections, Mr. Yushchenko said he is optimistic with regard to forming a new government in June. Presidents Yushchenko and Adamkus analyzed bilateral relations and focused on regional initiatives, including strengthening stability and cooperating in the humanitarian sphere. President Yushchenko said Ukraine intends to inaugurate a monument to Taras Shevchenko in Vilnius and addressed the Lithuanian president with a request to promote this idea's realization. The Ukrainian president invited the Lithuanian president to come to Ukraine in 2006 on an official visit and to attend the GUAM (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova) summit, which Kyiv will host in late May. (Ukrinform)

Cheney issues strong rebuke to Russia

VILNIUS - In one of the U.S. administration's strongest reprimands of Russia to date, Vice-President Dick Cheney on May 4 accused Moscow of retreating from democracy and using its energy supplies for blackmail, Reuters reported. "Russia has a choice to make," Mr. Cheney told a summit of Baltic and Black Sea leaders in Vilnius, Lithuania. Mr. Cheney said opponents of reform in Russia are "seeking to reverse the gains of the last decade" and that such actions will harm Moscow's relations with other countries. Mr. Cheney was equally harsh about allegations that Moscow is using its energy supplies for political advantage. "No legitimate interest is served when oil and gas become tools of intimidation or blackmail, either by supply manipulation or attempts to monopolize transportation," he said. But the vice-president also struck a conciliatory note, saying: "None of us believes that Russia is fated to become an enemy." (RFE/RL Newsline)

Russia decries speech by Cheney

MOSCOW - A speech by U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney in which he criticized Moscow has triggered a bitter backlash in Russia, whose leaders have accused Washington of starting a new Cold War, Reuters reported on May 5. In a speech in Vilnius, Lithuania, on May 4, Mr. Cheney accused Moscow of backsliding on democracy and of using its energy resources for blackmail. Within hours, the Kremlin responded by calling the vice-president's comments "completely incomprehensible." The Kremlin's deputy spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Mr. Cheney's speech was "full of a subjective evaluation of us and of the processes that are going on in Russia. The remarks ... are completely incomprehensible for us." The Kommersant daily on May 5 compared Mr. Cheney's comments to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill's famed 1946 "Iron Curtain" speech. In a long commentary, the official government-run daily Rossiiskaya Gazeta wrote that Russia is "being asked to deny ourselves and take orders from those who know better and will decide everything for us." (RFE/RL Newsline)

State Department criticizes Moscow

WASHINGTON - U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack assailed Russia on May 3 over arms sales to Iran and urged Moscow to take a tougher stance on Tehran's nuclear program, Reuters reported. "Certainly, we don't think it's appropriate that they continue with arms sales to such a regime, a regime that has talked about wiping Israel off the face of the map," Mr. McCormack said in Washington. "In our view, that's not a regime to whom you should be selling arms." Washington wants Moscow to cancel the planned sale to Iran of Tor tactical surface-to-air missiles. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Luzhkov: Russia should protect Belarus

MOSCOW - Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov suggested on May 5 that Russia protect Belarus from Western pressure, Interfax reported. "The Cold War is over and we have relaxed. However, the West has not," Mr. Luzhkov said at a meeting with World War II veterans. "They said that Belarus is a problem country" similar to Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and North Korea, Mr. Luzhkov said, referring to the United States and European Union opposition to Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka. "We Russians should protect Belarusians. We should say, 'We will not allow Belarus to be spoken of that way,' " Mr. Luzhkov argued. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Gongadze's mother to see case files

KYIV - President Viktor Yushchenko on May 4 signed a directive to allow the late journalist Heorhii Gongadze's mother access to information about the case's investigation, which is categorized as a state secret. Thus, the president is following the recommendations of the National Security and Defense Council. On April 20 President Yushchenko had approached NSDC Secretary Anatolii Kinakh and Security Service of Ukraine Chairperson Ihor Drizhchanyi to petition them to allow Georgian citizen Aleksandra (Lesia) Gongadze to have access to that information. The Kyiv City Court started hearing the Gongadze murder case on January 9. On March 22 the court recessed the hearing, with a view toward allowing all interested parties to become familiar with case-related classified materials. (Ukrinform)

Regions activist foresees new elections

KYIV - Speaking in an interview with the Vremia Novostei, Nikolai Azarov, chairman of the Political Council of the Party of the Regions, offered his opinion that time is working in favor of his political force. The Orange coalition, Mr. Azarov said, is doomed to failure; within several months they will quarrel over ministerial portfolios and will eventually seek the Regions Party's support to somehow stabilize the situation. However, the Party of the Regions will likely insist on holding new parliamentary elections, Mr. Azarov said. (Ukrinform)

President sacks four oblast chairs

KYIV - President Viktor Yushchenko has dismissed Vadym Chuprun, Eduard Zeinalov, Vasyl Tsushko and Iryna Syniavska, the administration chairs of the Donetsk, Kirovohrad, Odesa and Zhytomyr oblasts, Ukrainian news agencies reported on May 3, quoting the presidential press service. Messrs. Zeinalov and Tsushko were discharged because of their wish to switch to the Verkhovna Rada after winning parliamentary seats in the March 26 vote; Ms. Syniavska was dismissed at her own request; no official reason has been given for Mr. Chuprun's dismissal. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Kyiv gets a new mayor

KYIV - Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko on April 20 appointed Leonid Chernovetskyi, the winner of the March 26 mayoral election in Kyiv, as chairman of the Kyiv City Administration, Ukrainian media reported, quoting the presidential press service. At the same time Mr. Yushchenko dismissed former Kyiv Mayor Oleksander Omelchenko. The presidential decisions put a formal end to a dispute between Messrs. Omelchenko and Chernovetskyi, in which the former accused the latter of bribing voters during the election campaign and tried to challenge his election victory in court. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, May 14, 2006, No. 20, Vol. LXXIV

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