NEWSBRIEFS

Rada fires two ministers...

KYIV - The Verkhovna Rada on December 1 dismissed Foreign Affairs Minister Borys Tarasyuk, Ukrainian media reported. A motion to sack Mr. Tarasyuk was supported by 247 deputies. Shortly afterward, 248 deputies endorsed the dismissal of Internal Affairs Minister Yurii Lutsenko. The Verkhovna Rada tried to fire Mr. Lutsenko on November 30 but fell three votes short of the 226 required to do so. Mr. Tarasyuk was appointed to his Cabinet post directly by President Viktor Yushchenko, as stipulated by the Constitution of Ukraine. Mr. Lutsenko too was proposed to his Cabinet post by President Yushchenko, following an agreement with Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych. Mr. Yushchenko said in an interview with the BBC on November 30 that the Verkhovna Rada's attempts to dismiss Messrs. Tarasyuk and Lutsenko destabilize the situation in the country. (RFE/RL Newsline)

... and appoints two new ministers

KYIV - The Verkhovna Rada on December 1 appointed Vasyl Tsushko, head of the Socialist Party parliamentary caucus, as internal affairs minister to replace Yurii Lutsenko, Ukrainian media reported. Earlier the same day the legislature appointed Viktor Korzh as family, youth and sports minister to replace Yurii Pavlenko, who resigned in October. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Ukrainian PM visits Moscow

MOSCOW - Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych made a working visit on November 30 to Moscow, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov, UNIAN reported. Mr. Yanukovych reportedly discussed "current issues" in bilateral relations and an upcoming visit by Mr. Putin to Kyiv. Mr. Putin told the Ukrainian prime minister that he will come to Kyiv on December 22. (RFE/RL Newsline)

President directs Tarasyuk to stay on ...

KYIV - President Viktor Yushchenko on December 5 issued a decree directing Borys Tarasyuk to continue fulfilling his duties as foreign affairs minister. The decision was made in accordance with Article 106 (Item 3, Part 1) of the Constitution of Ukraine, which stipulates that the president represents the state in international relations, leads the state's foreign policy, and negotiates and concludes international treaties of Ukraine. On December 1 the Verkhovna Rada dismissed Minister Tarasyuk. "It is irresponsible to try to cancel such decisions," Reuters quoted Mr. Yanukovych as saying in Washington about the president's decree regarding Mr. Tarasyuk. (Ukrinform, RFE/RL Newsline)

... but this may prove problematic

KYIV - Borys Tarasyuk told an RFE/RL Ukrainian Service correspondent in Kyiv on December 5 that he was not allowed to attend a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers earlier the same day. Mr. Tarasyuk said Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers Anatolii Tolstoukhov prevented him from entering the meeting room. "I was told [by Tolstoukhov that] I wasn't on the list and [I was barred from meetings] until further clarification, even though I showed them the court decision and the presidential decree. This is outrageous. I will press for my rights as a Cabinet member to be respected," Mr. Tarasyuk said. Also on December 5, Mr. Tarasyuk told journalists that a district court in Kyiv ruled to suspend the Verkhovna Rada's resolution on his dismissal. Mr. Tarasyuk, who was appointed as foreign affairs minister directly by the president, argues that only the president has the right to submit a motion for his dismissal, which was not the case in his dismissal vote. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Tarasyuk says dismissal was illegal

KYIV - Borys Tarasyuk, who was dismissed from the post of foreign affairs minister by the Verkhovna Rada on December 1, told journalists in Poltava on December 2 that his dismissal was illegitimate and unconstitutional, UNIAN reported. "The voting in the [Verkhovna] Rada took place with violations, since the foreign minister is appointed after being designated by the president and, accordingly, his dismissal must take place under such a procedure as well," Mr. Tarasyuk said. The previous day, Mr. Tarasyuk commented that his sacking rekindled "a war against the president [and] for his authority." He added, "This whole situation following the [March parliamentary] elections calls for the rethinking and regrouping of all patriotic and democratic forces, in order to unite and together prevent a rollback of democracy." (RFE/RL Newsline)

Yanukovych says he'll settle the matter

WASHINGTON - Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych said on December 6 that he is confident that when he is back in Kyiv he will settle the situation surrounding Foreign Affairs Minister Borys Tarasyuk, who was dismissed by the Verkhovna Rada on December 1. "When I'm back to Kyiv I will meet with the president, the speaker (Verkhovna Rada chairman) and Mr. Tarasyuk, and we'll settle the situation," the prime minister told journalists, while on his visit to the United States. He stated his strong conviction that Mr. Tarasyuk must step down. "I think in such conditions the foreign minister should realize his political responsibility to the state," he stressed. He described recent moves by Mr. Tarasyuk as "irresponsible." (Ukrinform)

Hrytsenko may be dismissed

KYIV - A draft resolution on dismissal of Defense Minister Anatolii Hrytsenko was filed with the Verkhovna Rada on December 5. The draft resolution was submitted by national deputies of the Anti-Crisis Coalition: Oleh Kalashnikov (Party of the Regions), Ihor Alekseyev (Communist Party) and Vasyl Volga (Socialist Party). The draft resolution notes Mr. Hrytsenko's lack of the budgetary discipline to the tune of over 6.6 billion hrv and low level of leadership and control over the ministry's affairs. The draft resolution authors also accuse the minister of "abrupt growth of incidents of servicemen's loss in peaceful time and violence in the army." (Ukrinform)

Deputy asks Knesset to recognize Famine

KYIV - National Deputy Oleksander Feldman, leader of the Ukraine-Israel caucus in the Verkhovna Rada, urged the Israeli Knesset to recognize the 1932-1933 Famine in Ukraine as a genocide against the Ukrainian nation. The recognition may serve as a friendly gesture in view of the tragic histories of both nations and Ukrainian Famine survivors who reside in Israel, Mr. Feldman said. He added that he believes the Knesset will pass such a bill in the very near future. (Ukrinform)

UOC-KP leader completes U.S. visit

KYIV - On October 26 to November 7, Patriarch Filaret (Denysenko), head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kyiv Patriarchate, visited UOC-KP parishes in the United States. He also met with representatives of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church (UGCC) and hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A. (UOC-U.S.A.). In the Chicago area, Patriarch Filaret visited local UOC-KP parishes and also two UGCC parishes. The patriarch said he is glad that there are such very good brotherly relations between Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Ukrainians in the U.S. On October 28 some of the clergy and heads of the UOC-KP in the U.S. gathered at St. Sophia Church in Chicago and discussed parish life and problems. The patriarch greeted the creation of the Movement for a Single Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, whose goal is to hasten the process of uniting all Orthodox Ukrainians in the diaspora into one Church guided by the Kyiv Patriarchate. On November 1 Patriarch Filaret arrived in Cleveland, where one of the parishes he visited, St. Nicholas Church, is a Belarusian community that came under the jurisdiction of the UOC-KP. Patriarch Filaret also met with UGCC Bishop Robert Moskal in Parma, Ohio, and the patriarch awarded the bishop the Order of St. Volodymyr the Great (third degree) on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of his episcopal ordination. On November 6 the patriarch visited Pittsburgh, Pa., where he met with Metropolitan Constantine and Archbishop Antony of the UOC-U.S.A. (Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

Husar thanks Roman Catholic bishop

KYIV - Patriarch Lubomyr Husar, head of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church (UGCC), has sent a letter to the Roman Catholic bishops of Ukraine, Lithuania and Latvia, to thank them for their support when the UGCC was forced underground by the Soviets from 1946 to 1989, reported ugcc.org.ua on November 22. Patriarch Lubomyr recalled in his letter that in 2006 the UGCC commemorated the 60th anniversary of the Lviv Pseudo-Sobor (Assembly) of March 8-10, 1946, at which the UGCC in the USSR was forcibly joined to the Russian Orthodox Church. Consequently, many clergy, religious, and faithful were persecuted. "Against the general background of negative memories about the persecutions suffered, it is very pleasant for us to recall that our brother Christians who, though they themselves in those evil times knew certain limitations in their official existence and activities, were ready to help our clergy and faithful," wrote Patriarch Lubomyr. "This help manifested itself in various ways, but always brought with it the threat of possible repressions." (Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

Compensation for Famine survivors?

KYIV - Survivors of the 1932-1933 Famine may demand compensation from Russia, well-known Ukrainian jurist Ihor Horodetskyi said on November 30. "Theoretically, those citizens who suffered from the Soviet regime can demand compensation. And Russia, as the successor of the USSR, will have to pay it. But it is possible only if the fact of genocide against the Ukrainian people is recognized internationally," the jurist said. The chairman of the Ukrainian Union of Victims of Nazism, Markian Demidov, said the Verkhovna Rada's recognition of the Famine as genocide will be surely followed by the appearance of public organizations protecting the rights of the Famine victims. "I believe it would be fair if living victims of the genocide were paid compensations. Since 2000, Ukrainians who suffered as a result of Nazism were paid some 80 million euros in compensation," he said. (Ukrinform)

Symonenko on religion committee

KYIV - Commenting on the recent decision of Ukraine's government to create a State Committee on Matters of Nationalities and Religions, National Deputy Petro Symonenko, leader of the Communist Party of Ukraine, said that this committee should protect the faithful, reported pravoslavye.org.ua on November 16. "The work of the future state structure will depend upon who will be the executor and what functions he/she will carry out. If he/she defends interdenominational peace in society and helps improve legislation so that the Church can be returned the status of a legal person and its property, as well as solve its land and other problems, then its establishment is justified. It should defend the faithful from violence to our historical monuments, [from violence to] the traditional denominations of a multiethnic country. If it is going to conduct a policy of the violent Americanization and Catholicization of religious life or, like [Ukrainian President Viktor] Yushchenko, lobby and support the interests of just one denomination, then the faithful will not support it. The State Committee on Matters of Nationalities and Religions should protect the faithful. This should be its main function," Mr. Symonenko said. (Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

Orthodox criticize committee's creation

KYIV - Both the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP) have criticized the November 8 decision of Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers to create a State Committee on Matters of Nationalities and Religions, reported kommersant.ua on November 14. The UOC-MP said it is afraid the creation of the new committee will lead to the return of government control over the Church. The UOC-MP's statement emphasizes that the committee will "continue the practice of interfering in the affairs of the Church and encourage the spread of sects, in which previously the State Department on Religious Matters was involved." The UOC-KP stated that "Such frequent changes in the system of Church-state relations bring little advantage. ... Now it is not possible accurately to assess the sincere intentions of the government, but if the goal of reorganization is a desire to influence the denominations, to impose some idea, then neither our Church nor other Churches will allow this." Larysa Zhuravska, assistant to the head of the formally re-structured State Department on Religious Matters, said that the new committee will have more delegated authority than the present department, but its joining with the State Committee on Matters of Nationalities and Migration "will bring certain benefits to the denominations that represent national minorities." Other religious groups, in particular Muslims, refused to comment on the government reforms. Decree 1575 of Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers announced the creation of a new structure of the executive branch, the State Committee on Matters of Nationalities and Religions, on the basis of the State Committee on Matters of Nationalities and Migration, and the State Department on Religious Matters. (Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

Rada rejects bill on religious schools

KYIV - Ukraine's Parliament on November 1 rejected Bill No. 2020 "On the introduction of changes and additions to certain legal acts of Ukraine," regarding the right of religious organizations to establish schools, which was authored by National Deputy Volosymye Stretovych. According to the Institute of Religious Freedom, 239 national deputies from the parliamentary factions of the Party of the Regions, the Socialist Party of Ukraine and the Communist Party of Ukraine (members of the Anti-Crisis Coalition) voted against the bill. The Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc and Our Ukraine argued for passage of the bill. On October 9 the heads of the main Ukrainian Churches and religious organizations (Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate, Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kyiv Patriarchate, Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, Protestant churches and others) appealed to Rada Chairman Oleksander Moroz, the leaders of the parliamentary factions and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych to support changes in law which would give religious organizations the right to set up schools. According to the Institute of Religious Freedom, the deputies of the Anti-Crisis Coalition neglected the interests of the faithful and the denominations of Ukraine again, as a similar situation was observed on October 17 when Parliament reviewed a bill on the restoration of the right of religious organizations to permanent land use. According to the Institute of Religious Freedom, these results prove to society the low level of understanding of religious freedom and demonstrate unwillingness to satisfy the legal wish of parents to give their children proper education. (Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, December 10, 2006, No. 50, Vol. LXXIV

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