NEWSBRIEFS

Roundtable calls for declaration of unity

KYIV - During a roundtable meeting of political leaders in Kyiv on July 27, President Viktor Yushchenko asked that all factions of the Verkhovna Rada sign a declaration of unity, Ukrayinska Pravda reported. The declaration calls upon its signatories to conduct their activities "in the interests of Ukraine" and cites the need to "create a free-trade zone with the European Union" and to enter into membership talks with NATO. The declaration was subject to amendment before its expected singing on July 28. In remarks during the roundtable discussion, Party of the Regions leader and prime-ministerial candidate Viktor Yanukovych said President Yushchenko "will stand on the side of the state and the people, and not take the side of any political party." (RFE/RL Newsline)

President wants single Orthodox Church

KYIV - On the initiative and with the participation of President Viktor Yushchenko, parliamentary leaders and civic activists on July 27-28 sat down to discuss ways out of the country's current political crisis. The third hottest topic discussed, after NATO and the language question, was religion. Though freedom of religious expression was stressed, support for the creation of a single national Ukrainian Orthodox Church was part of the discussion led by Mr. Yushchenko. The leaders worked on drafting a document called the "Universal of National Unity," in which point No. 12 speaks of the creation of a single national Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Communist leader Petro Symonenko proposed that the point be removed, as, he said, "in the Constitution of Ukraine the Church is separated from the government To support or not a national Church is the right of the faithful. The Constitution presupposes another norm." Mr. Yushchenko responded that the "Universal" declaration does not give preference to any denomination or Church, and therein lies its strength, he said. "The theme of a united institution of the Orthodox Church is what the nation is waiting for," said President Yushchenko. "We need to raise this question for, not having spiritual unity, it is difficult to talk about other unity. The Church is independent of the state, but our task, as laypeople, human beings who go to church, is to see not a fragmented Orthodox Church, but a united, single Orthodox Church. If we are talking about unity in society, it is necessary to talk about spiritual unity." Yevhen Zakharov, co-head of the Kharkiv Group for Human Rights Protection, said the creation of a single Orthodox Church is not the affair of the government. Mr. Zakharov said that the government should ensure the equal rights of all Churches of Ukraine and the non-interference of one Church in the affairs of another. He mentioned an incident in Kharkiv in which the local authorities gave the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) the right to picket a church of the UOC - Kyiv Patriarchate and called this a blatant violation of Ukraine's law on freedom of conscience. "In very many churches anti-Ukrainian, anti-government propaganda is being conducted. And we should turn our attention to all that," said Ihor Yukhnovskyi, an academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine who also participated in the meeting. (Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

PRU makes accusations of blackmail

KYIV - Yevhen Kushnariov, a leader of the Party of the Regions, told Ukrainian ICTV on July 30 that any attempt by President Viktor Yushchenko to disband the Verkhovna Rada would "receive an adequate response from Parliament and will not bring peace to our country," UNIAN press agency reported. Mr. Kushnariov also said that talks with the pro-presidential Our Ukraine bloc have been characterized by pressure and blackmail. Mr. Kushnariov claimed that, by threatening to disband Parliament, President Yushchenko and his supporters are attempting to force the Party of the Regions to endorse the president's platform instead of seeking a compromise solution that could lead to cooperation. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Yushchenko meets with Yanukovych

KYIV - President Viktor Yushchenko on July 31 met with Party of the Regions leader Viktor Yanukovych to discuss the signing of a "declaration of national unity," which was proposed by Mr. Yushchenko last week as a precondition for forging a new, expanded coalition, Ukrainian media reported. "I remain firmly convinced that the declaration must be signed," Mr. Yushchenko said. At the same time, he added that his meeting with Mr. Yanukovych can be viewed as a link in the chain of consultations that the president is constitutionally obliged to hold with political leaders before dissolving the Ukrainian Parliament. Mr. Yushchenko met on August 1 with Yulia Tymoshenko, head of the eponymous political bloc, to discuss the possible dissolution of the Verkhovna Rada. Ms. Tymoshenko commented after the meeting that President Yushchenko is set to disband the legislature because of its failure to form a government within the constitutionally prescribed term. (RFE/RL Newsline)

PRU puts pressure on president

KYIV - The presidium of the Party of the Regions issued a statement on July 31 in which it reminds President Viktor Yushchenko that by law he has only three days left to decide whether to endorse its candidate, Viktor Yanukovych, for the post of prime minister, Interfax Ukraine reported on July 31. The presidium said the party had entered into talks with the pro-presidential Our Ukraine to "stabilize the political situation" in the country, but instead found that "a political force that managed to get less than 14 percent of the vote during the election ... is trying to force others to adopt their ideology and to rule over the majority." (RFE/RL Newsline)

Rivals find "understanding"

KYIV - Viktor Yushchenko has found "some understanding" with his presidential rival from 2004, Viktor Yanukovych, in talks on the formation of a new government in Ukraine, Ukrainian media reported on August 1, quoting presidential spokeswoman Iryna Heraschenko. "A rapprochement of positions has taken place, we can speak about some understanding, in particular, regarding such an important issue of principle for the president as the unity of Ukraine and abandonment of the topic of federalism," Ms. Heraschenko said about a nine-hour-long meeting between the two politicians on August 1. She expressed hope that parliamentary leaders will be able to hold a roundtable meeting on August 2 and sign a declaration of national unity, which will map out the political priorities of a future governing coalition. Mr. Yanukovych was proposed as a candidate for the post of prime minister on July 18 by a coalition of the Party of the Regions, the Socialist Party and the Communist Party. President Yushchenko has been trying for the past two weeks to bring Our Ukraine into this coalition. August 2 is the constitutional deadline for President Yushchenko to submit to the Verkhovna Rada or reject Mr. Yanukovych's nomination as the new prime minister. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Protesters call for new elections

KYIV - Some 5,000 activists of the Ukrainian People's Party marched in downtown Kyiv on August 2, demanding that President Viktor Yushchenko disband the Verkhovna Rada and call for new elections, UNIAN reported. "During the four months that passed after the March elections, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has proven incapable of resolving complex issues that are facing Ukrainian society. This is linked to the fact that, as a result of the use of manipulative electoral techniques, Parliament includes only those parties and blocs that represent political-business groups, which are waging an uncompromising war over the redistribution of property," the party said in a statement. The Ukrainian People's Party led by Yurii Kostenko took part in the March 26 parliamentary elections in the Kostenko-Pliusch Bloc, which failed to overcome the 3 percent voting barrier that qualified for parliamentary representation. The dissolution of the current Parliament is also demanded by the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc (with 129 seats in the Rada), which has refused to take part in parliamentary debates for the past two weeks. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Crimea seeks to buy gas directly

SYMFEROPOL - The head of the Crimean Parliament, Anatolii Hrytsenko, told a press conference in Symferopol on July 27 that the Crimean government is negotiating directly with Gazprom to buy 1 billion cubic meters of natural gas directly from the Russian gas monopoly, bypassing the Ukrainian state-owned firm Naftohaz Ukrayiny, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reported. According to Mr. Hrytsenko, an agreement has been reached with Gazprom and negotiations are proceeding to sell gas to Crimea at domestic Russian prices, which presently average about $47 per 1,000 cubic meters, far below the $90 charged the rest of Ukraine. Asked whether the Swiss-based company RosUkrEnergo will play a role in the possible deal, Mr. Hrytsenko said Gazprom is currently looking to find a suitable middleman to handle the transaction. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Court rejects Russian language status

DNIPROPETROVSK - On July 20 Dnipropetrovsk's Babushkinsky Court upheld an appeal that challenged a May 20 decision by local authorities that gave the Russian language a special status in the region, allowing it to be used alongside Ukrainian in state and public institutions, as well as universities and cultural institutions. Prosecutor Mykola Hornostaev argued against the special status for the Russian language, saying it violates the Constitution of Ukraine, which states that Ukrainian is the official state language. The Babushkinsky Court concluded that the May 20 decision by the Dnipropetrovsk City Council was illegal. The court's ruling is viewed as a potential precedent as several local governments had taken similar steps to give Russian a special status. The Party of the Regions of Ukraine, led by Viktor Yanukovych, who has been nominated by the Anti-Crisis Coalition for prime minister of Ukraine, campaigned on a promise to make Russian a second state language in Ukraine. (Associated Press, Kyiv Post)

Holocaust memorial unveiled in Lviv

LVIV - A new memorial to the victims of the Holocaust in Ukraine was unveiled on July 23 in Zolochiv, Lviv region. Chief Rabbi of Ukraine Azriel Chaikin, three regional chief rabbis and representatives of regional and city administrations were among those in attendance. "Thanks to the Almighty that we live in Ukraine, that here we can speak in our native language, pray and build such memorials," said Rabbi Chaikin at the unveiling ceremony. "We should learn from the mistakes of the past and do everything possible so that terrorism does not appear in any country of the world." (Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

ROC commission on parishes abroad

MOSCOW - The Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) has decided to set up a special commission to solve questions affecting the parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (ROCA) in Ukraine and Moldova. The session, at which permanent member Metropolitan Volodymyr Sabodan, head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), participated, was held in Moscow on July 17. The synod agreed to a proposal of the committees of the ROC and ROCA, which have recently agreed to develop an act of canonical communion, to set up a special commission on questions affecting the parishes of the ROCA in Ukraine and Moldova. Among those appointed to the commission was UOC-MP Metropolitan Onufrii Berezovskyi of Chernivtsi and Bukovyna. According to uaorthodox.org, a site of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kyiv Patriarchate, "the appointment of Metropolitan Onufrii to such a responsible commission should be yet another confirmation that Moscow considers him to be the successor of the aging and very ill Metropolitan Volodymyr at the Kyivan pulpit of the ROC." (Religious Information Service of Ukraine).

UGCC exarch for monastics presented

LVIV - Patriarch Lubomyr (Husar), head of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church (UGCC), meeting with all eight heads of men's and women's monastic communities of the UGCC, presented Bishop Hlib Lonchyna as exarchate in matters of monastic life. The meeting occurred in western Ukrainian Lviv on July 18. "In the Eastern churches, monasticism is the heart of the Church, which fills the community with spiritual strength. With this in mind, the synod of bishops decided to appoint one of the bishops to be an intermediary between monastics and the bishops," said Patriarch Lubomyr. Among his plans, Bishop Lonchyna said is to visit all UGCC monasteries in order to become acquainted with their difficulties and successes. On July 10 Bishop Lonchyna had been presented as head of administration of the Religion Board of the Kyiv-Halych Metropolitanate of the UGCC. In this position he will oversee the work of inter-eparchial committees. (Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

Lviv church built in 1454 burns

LVIV - At 2:55 a.m. on July 24, a fire started in Shklo, Yavoriv District of the Lviv Region, in a wooden Ukrainian Greek Catholic church built in 1454. The fire destroyed the church building, a bell-tower and other church property. Many recent fires have destroyed unique architectural monuments in the Lviv Region. A wooden church in the Zhydachiv District built in 1772 burned on June 20. On May 16 in the Drohobych District a wooden church built in 1797 burned down. On May 18 in the Brody District a church built in 1756 burned down. A wooden church in Sokal District, built in 1712 and a historical and architectural monument, burned on November 22, 2005. (Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

60,000 pilgrims come to Zarvanytsia

TERNOPIL - A pilgrimage to the Marian spiritual center in the western Ukrainian village of Zarvanytsia, Ternopil region, took place on July 15-16. It was organized as part of the Year of the Protection of the Child's Spiritual World. More than 60,000 pilgrims from Ukraine, Poland, Belarus and other countries participated in the pilgrimage despite cool, rainy weather. (Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

EU, Ukraine on Belarus sentencing

KYIV - Javier Solana, the European Union's high representative for common foreign and security policy, on July 18 denounced the five-and-one-half-year prison sentence imposed on former presidential candidate Alyaksandr Kazulin as politically motivated, Belapan reported the same day. "Kazulin was arrested during a peaceful demonstration, exercising his democratic rights," Mr. Solana said in calling on the Belarusian authorities to overturn the verdict and free all other political prisoners. Mr. Solana said the EU is "open to developing relations with Belarus," but added that doing so "requires specific steps toward democratization and respect for human rights." Ukraine has also backed the EU's statement condemning Mr. Kazulin's conviction, according to Ukrayinska Pravda on July 19. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Russia plans to repatriate 300,000

MOSCOW - Federal Migration Service Director Konstantin Romodanovsky was quoted by the daily Izvestia on July 24 as saying that the authorities plan to "repatriate" 300,000 ethnic Russians in the next three years, Interfax reported. "In the first year, we plan to bring in about 50,000 compatriots, in the second year 100,000, and in the third year 150,000. The program is intended for a period ending in 2012," Mr. Romodanovsky explained. He added that government agencies are working out the details. A pilot project will be set up in at least 12 regions in 2007 to help determine the total costs involved. He noted that the Federal Migration Service will set up bureaus abroad to implement the program. The plan is aimed at offsetting the ongoing decline in population, about which President Vladimir Putin has spoken out repeatedly. Some nationalist critics have charged that repatriation will not do much to offset that decline and that Mr. Putin is undermining any possible Russian claim to or role in former Soviet republics by encouraging ethnic Russians there to leave. Other critics say that the government should do more for illegal immigrants already in Russia before it brings in additional people. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Church groups for Anti-Crisis Coalition

KYIV - A number of Orthodox civic associations have come out in support of the parliamentary coalition created by the Party of the Regions and the Socialist and Communist parties, reported interfax-religion.ru on July 17. "We rightly expect that if they come to power, the policy towards Orthodoxy will change, the persecution will stop in western Ukraine, and churches given to the Greek-Catholics will be returned," said Yurii Yehorov, head of the civic association Orthodox Choice and leader of the Orthodox Brotherhood of Alexander Nevsky. Representatives of the civic association For Holy Rus and the Orthodox Faith also signed the statement in support of the coalition. Mr. Yehorov said that the Orthodox organizations support positions of the coalition, such as opposition to Ukraine joining NATO, giving Russian the status of a second state language, and close relations with Russia and Belarus. (Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, August 6, 2006, No. 32, Vol. LXXIV

| Home Page |