"UKRAINE REPORT-2004"
In-Depth Ukrainian News and Analysis
"The Art of Ukrainian History, Culture, Arts, Business, Religion,
Sports, Government, and Politics, in Ukraine and Around the World"

"UKRAINE REPORT-2004," Number 7
U.S.-UKRAINE FOUNDATION (USUF)
www.ArtUkraine.com Information Service (ARTUIS)
morganw@patriot.net, ArtUkraine.com@starpower.net
Kyiv, Ukraine and Washington, D.C., Wednesday, January 14, 2004

INDEX OF TWELVE ARTICLES

1. U.S. JUDGE: RULING ALLOWING KUCHMA TO SEEK
THIRD TERM IS WRONG
Associated Press, Kiev, Ukraine, Tuesday, January 13, 2004

2. "A SPLIT PERSON"
In Ukraine, making amendments to the Constitution seems
to have become a national sport. Kuchma becomes a "split" person.
By Serhii Rakhmanin. Zerkalo Nedeli on the WEB, Mirror-Weekly,
Kyiv, Ukraine, 10-16, January, 2004

3. "A RESOLUTION FOR UKRAINE"
EDITORIAL, The Washington Post, Wash, D.C., Mon, Jan 12, 2004

4. ANTI-AMERICANISM AN ELECTION TOOL FOR KUCHMA
Oxford Analytica, International Consulting Firm
Analysis of Worldwide Political, Economic and Social Developments
Oxford and London, UK, Washington, D.C., 09 January 2004

5. NATO AIMS FOR CLOSE TIES WITH UKRAINE
Hope the upcoming elections at the end of 2004 will be free and fair
Associated Press Online; Brussels, Belgium, Jan 13, 2004

6. TOP-5 PROGNOSIS FOR 2004
Dr. Oleksandr Sushko, "Ukrainian Monitor," Topic of the Week
Center for Peace, Conversion and Foreign Policy of Ukraine (CPCFPU)
Kyiv, Ukraine, January 2004

7. THREE NEW MINISTERS, RESHUFFLE FOR UKRAINE GOV'T
New Ministers of Economy, Agro-Industrial Complex and Industrial Policy
ICTV television, Kiev, in Ukrainian 1045, 12 Jan 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Jan 12, 2004

8. YUSHCHENKO EXPECTS SERHIY MEDVEDCHUK TO INCREASE
TAX ADMINISTRATION PRESSURE ON POLITICAL PROCESSES
UNIAN news agency, Kiev, in Ukrainian, 12 Jan 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Jan 12, 2004

9. RETHINKING MALEVICH
A Two-Day Conference in New York in Celebration of the 125th Anniversary
of [Ukrainian] Artist Kazimir Malevich (1878-1935), Feb 6-7, 2004
Charlotte Douglas, douglas@nyu.edu, NY, NY, Tues, Jan 13, 2004

10. UKRAINE POSTS 2003 GRAIN PRODUCTION STATISTICS
Total Production Down 47 Percent, Wheat Down 82 Percent
UNIAN news agency, Kiev, in Ukrainian, 13 Jan 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Jan 13, 2004

11. UWC SEEKS MEDVEDCHUK'S DISMISSAL
Ukrainian World Congress (UWC), Toronto and New York, January 9, 2004

12. NUCLEAR PLANTS PRODUCED 51 PERCENT OF
UKRAINE'S ELECTRICITY IN 2003
UNIAN news agency, Kiev, in Ukrainian, 13 Jan 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Jan 13, 2004
=========================================================
UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 7: ARTICLE NUMBER ONE
=========================================================
1. U.S. JUDGE: RULING ALLOWING KUCHMA TO SEEK
THIRD TERM IS WRONG

Associated Press, Kiev, Ukraine, Tuesday, January 13, 2004

KIEV.....Ukraine's first post-Soviet constitution, approved in 1996,
limits a president to two five-year terms in office. The Constitutional
Court ruled Dec. 30 that the limitation did not apply to Kuchma's first
term, which started in 1994, because it predated the constitution.

Judge Bohdan Futey of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, who helped
the drafters of Ukraine's constitution, called the Constitutional Court's
decision "unsupportable."

He said that Ukraine's Soviet-era Constitution, the 1994 election law
and a provisional constitutional agreement from 1995 all prohibit the
president from serving more than two terms.

"The whimsical and contradictory application of judicial rulings ...
removes the cloak of respect which veils an independent judiciary,"
Futey wrote.

Opposition lawmakers were outraged by the court's verdict, claiming
it reflected a politically controlled judiciary and undermined the
rule of law in Ukraine.

Kuchma, a former missile factory director whose second term ends next
year, has said repeatedly that he won't seek another term in
elections slated for October, but opposition leaders fear he's
bluffing.

Tension between opposition and pro-presidential forces has piqued in
recent weeks. The Constitutional Court's ruling came on the heels of
parliament's preliminary approval of a constitutional amendment that
would allow parliament to chose the president in 2006 - not voters.
Pro-Kuchma lawmakers hold a majority in parliament. (END) (ARTUIS)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EDITOR'S NOTE: To read the article by Judge Bohdan A. Futey entitled:
"Rule of Law in Ukraine: Forward or Backward?" click on the following link:
http://www.artukraine.com/buildukraine/futey4.htm.

Judge Bohdan A. Futey also wrote an article on December 19, 2003 entitled
"Some Comments on the Recent Attempts to Amend the Constitution of
Ukraine." The article was about the decision of the Constitutional Court
concerning the right of the Parliament to change the constitution regarding
the way the president of Ukraine is elected. To read this article by Judge
Bohdan A. Futey click on: http://www.artukraine.com/events/futey2.htm.
========================================================
UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 7: ARTICLE NUMBER TWO
=========================================================
2. "A SPLIT PERSON"
In Ukraine, making amendments to the Constitution seems
to have become a national sport. Kuchma becomes a "split" person.

By Serhii Rakhmanin. Zerkalo Nedeli on the WEB, Mirror-Weekly,
Kyiv, Ukraine, 10-16, January, 2004

In Ukraine, making amendments to the Constitution seems to have become a
national sport. Therefore it is not surprising that the author also would
like to make his contribution to the political and legal reform. The obvious
advantage of the amendments proposed here is that they are very brief. In my
view, it would be most expedient to make article 102 of the acting
Constitution the first article having formulated it as follows: The
President of Ukraine is the head of state, the guarantor of the state
sovereignty and the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. The name of the president is
Leonid Kuchma! After that, it wouldn't be necessary to read the Constitution
further and to amend it any more. Everything would be in the right place.

Do you think that I am kidding? Absolutely not. Your obedient servant is as
serious as the Constitutional Court. Let me remind you that on the eve of
this New Year this respectable organization gave the head of state a
generous present. Leonid Kuchma was granted the right to try his luck in the
presidential race for another time. One can only guess now if the Guarantor
and Supreme Commander-in-Chief will exercise this right or not. However, if
he takes the risk of running for president once again and if the country
takes the risk of electing him once again then Mr. Kuchma would legally run
the state for a third term.

Yet article 103 of the Constitution stipulates that "one and the same person
cannot be President of Ukraine for more than two consecutive terms."
Nevertheless, it is known that only the Constitutional Court has the right
to interpret the Basic Law. On December 25 of last year, it published its
interpretation of this article. In the translation from the language of
legal casuistry into common language it roughly sounds as follows: "One and
the same person can be President of Ukraine for more than two terms if this
person is Leonid Kuchma."

"----------------------------------------------------------"

NOTE: To read the entire analytical article, "A Split Person" click on:
www.http://www.mirror-weekly.com/ie/show/476/45229/
=========================================================
UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 7: ARTICLE NUMBER THREE
=========================================================
3. "A RESOLUTION FOR UKRAINE"

EDITORIAL, The Washington Post, Washington, D.C.
Monday, January 12, 2004; Page A16

ACCORDING TO Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, the Bush administration's
first foreign policy resolution for 2004 is "to expand freedom." And not
only in Iraq and the Middle East: In an op-ed article published in the New
York Times, Mr. Powell promised to support "the consolidation of freedom in
many new but often fragile democracies . . . in Latin America, Europe, Asia
and Africa." We hope that support will extend beyond the rhetoric that too
often has substituted for genuine democratic advocacy during President
Bush's first three years -- and that it will be applied even where the
United States has interests that make toleration of autocracy tempting.

One region where such U.S. engagement, or its absence, might prove decisive
is the band of former Soviet republics to the west and south of Russia.
Several are struggling democracies; others are ruled by autocrats. Almost
all are under threat from Moscow's resurgent imperialism. As the tiny state
of Georgia recently demonstrated, democracy is the best defense against
Russian President Vladimir Putin's attempts to create a Kremlin-dominated
sphere of influence. Countries that have held free and fair elections have
tended to gravitate toward strengthening their independence and seeking good
relations with the West, while unstable autocrats are more likely to yield
to Mr. Putin.

The country closest to a tipping point may be Ukraine. Like Russia, Ukraine
has an electoral democracy tainted by corruption and strong-arm tactics and
an economy warped by clans of oligarchs. Much of its population, however,
aspires to integration with the West. President Leonid Kuchma has been
linked to corruption and serious human rights violations. In recent months
he has been moving steadily closer to Mr. Putin, allowing a Russian takeover
of much of Ukraine's energy industry and signing an economic integration
treaty.

Now Mr. Kuchma appears to be looking for ways to curtail Ukraine's democracy
so that he can prolong his own hold on power when his term expires this
year. Last month his allies in Parliament pushed through the first draft of
a constitutional amendment that would cut short the term of the president
due to be elected in October and provide that future presidents be chosen by
Parliament -- where Mr. Kuchma's forces retain control. Then the judges he
appointed to the supreme court ruled that the constitution's two-term limit
does not prevent Mr. Kuchma from serving again. The president's cronies
protest that they are only moving the country toward a more
parliament-centered system, and Mr. Kuchma coyly says he has not "yet"
decided to seek another term. But the effect of his moves would be to
neutralize the country's most popular leader, Viktor Yushchenko, who, polls
say, would win the next presidential election if it were fairly held.

More than Mr. Kuchma's quest for continued power is at stake. Mr. Yushchenko
is popular precisely because he is associated with those Ukrainians who seek
to consolidate an independent democracy and move the country toward
integration with Europe. Mr. Putin surely will be sympathetic to Mr.
Kuchma's subversion of the system. The question is whether the Bush
administration will work with Western Europe to mount an effective counter.
Freedom could be consolidated this year in Ukraine or slip away. The outcome
may just depend on how well Mr. Powell keeps his resolution. (END)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8655-2004Jan11.html
=========================================================
UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 7: ARTICLE NUMBER FOUR
=========================================================
4. UKRAINE: ANTI-AMERICANISM AN ELECTION TOOL FOR KUCHMA

Oxford Analytica, International Consulting Firm
Analysis of Worldwide Political, Economic and Social Developments
Oxford and London, UK, Washington, D.C., 09 January 2004

SUBJECT: The establishment of a parliamentary commission to investigate
Western funding of civil society, NGOs and independent media in Ukraine.

SIGNIFICANCE: The move builds on the anti-Americanism which grew during the
'Kuchmagate' crisis that began in November 2000. It is also related to
attempts by the regime to collaborate with the Communists to block a victory
by opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko in the presidential elections in
October.

ANALYSIS: Parliament voted on December 11, 2003, to create a temporary
investigative commission of eleven deputies to investigate Western funding
of civil society, NGOs and independent media in Ukraine. The resolution
claimed that external financing of NGOs had "reached mass proportions, and
amounts to direct interference in the internal affairs of Ukraine". This, it
was claimed, required examination of the activities of foreign-sponsored
groups that might influence the presidential elections in October.

The United States and the EU dominate assistance to Ukrainian civil society,
NGOs and independent media. Without this assistance, most of these
activities would not exist. Civil society groups and independent media tend
to be critical of the regime, as their mandate is to pursue democratisation.
The ruling elites thus see external sources as selectively supporting the
non-Communist opposition.

Conspiracy theories. Moreover, the vote came soon after the 'rose
revolution' in Georgia. The Communist Party of Ukraine (KPU) and
pro-presidential centrists see the democratic revolution in Serbia in 2000,
the growth of a pro-Western opposition movement in Ukraine and recent events
in Georgia as part of a single chain of Western, specifically US, support
for opposition groups. These fears were compounded when, one week after the
disputed parliamentary vote on November 2, Mikheil Saakashvili, the Georgian
opposition leader who went on to win the presidency on January 4, visited
Kyiv. During his visit he voiced strong support for Our Ukraine leader
Viktor Yushchenko and called for an opposition victory in Ukraine's
presidential elections.

Anti-Americanism within the regime partly grew out of the 'Kuchmagate'
crisis that began in November 2000. The crisis was blamed by President
Leonid Kuchma on un-named "external forces". Kuchma is apparently convinced
that the United States was behind the bugging of his office in 1999-2000 by
presidential security officer Mykola Melnychenko, which led to the
Kuchmagate crisis. Melnychenko sought asylum in the United States in April
2001. Anti-American views were elaborated in a documentary film shown
extensively on Ukrainian television in the weeks leading to the 2002
elections. They attempted to portray Yushchenko -- whose wife is American --
and Melnychenko as being in the pay of the CIA. Radio Liberty was threatened
with the closure of its Kyiv office and the US-based National Democratic
Institute for International Affairs and International Republican Institute
were denied registration until 2003.

Undermining Yushchenko. The allegation that the overthrow of Yugoslav
President Slobodan Milosevic and Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze and
attempted removal of Kuchma was part of a US plot to topple these leaders
and replace them with pro-US figures was popularised in Ukraine by the Fund
for Effective Politics (FEP), headed by Gleb Pavlovsky, which has worked for
both the Russian Presidential Administration and the pro-Kuchma Social
Democratic Party of Ukraine (SDPUo). During the March 2002 parliamentary
elections, the FEP helped to coordinate a campaign against Our Ukraine
through the SDPUo and the Russian media, still extensively read and watched
in Ukraine. The campaign centred on Yushchenko's alleged links to the United
States and the 'nationalist' ideology of Our Ukraine. Such campaigns attempt
to reduce the popularity of Yushchenko and Our Ukraine in Russian-speaking
eastern Ukraine.

This campaign has been broadened to describe Our Ukraine as "Nashist" -- a
play on words to resemble "Nazi" based on the Ukrainian word for "Our".
During Our Ukraine's disrupted Donetsk congress on October 31, 2003, the
entire city was plastered with billboards showing Yushchenko giving a Nazi
salute. Secret instructions ('temnyky') sent to the Ukrainian media during
the weekend of the Georgian elections advised Ukrainian television, the
three main channels of which are controlled by the leader of the SDPUo and
head of the Presidential Administration, Viktor Medvedchuk, to label
Saakashvili a "Nazi", "nationalist" and "extreme radical".

Growing collaboration. The KPU found little difficulty in obtaining support
for the parliamentary resolution setting up the investigative commission
from the pro-Kuchma centrists, whose nine factions all voted in favour. The
resolution thus gained 289 votes, a large majority. The vote built on a
gradual increase in cooperation between the Communists and centrists since
summer 2003, when the KPU gave initial approval to draft political reforms
that envisaged changes to the constitution to permit the election of the
president by parliament. In November 2003, the Communists were enticed
further into cooperation when senior KPU member Adam Martyniuk was
given the position of deputy parliamentary speaker.

Further evidence of the growing Communist-centrist collaboration could be
seen in interviews granted by KPU leader Piotr Symonenko to 'Kyivski
Telegraf', the newspaper owned by pro-Russian and anti-US oligarch Andrei
Derkach, to voice hostile views against Yushchenko as a pro-Western
reformer. In November, Volodymyr Skachko, editor of 'Kyivski Telegraf',
published a scathing attack on US support for NGOs in Ukraine, in which he
accused the outgoing US ambassador, Carlos Pascual, of interfering in
Ukraine's internal affairs by supporting the opposition.

Cooperation between the KPU and pro-Kuchma centrists would not be
unprecedented in Ukrainian politics. A similar arrangement existed in
2000-02, when the Communists failed to support the opposition after the
Kuchmagate crisis began. The KPU tentatively joined the opposition after the
March 2002 elections, but it has since proved impossible to forge any united
opposition alliance, as Our Ukraine and the Communists are each hostile to
collaborating with the other.

The opposition will thus enter the election divided between at least two
candidates, Yushchenko and Symonenko. Alternatively, the regime could
potentially seek KPU support to gain a two-thirds majority in parliament to
pass constitutional reform proposals, although these still at present appear
primarily a tactic to distract the opposition ahead of the elections.

Pre-election tensions. Ukraine's anti-Americanism is out of step with its
attempts to improve its relations with the United States through the
dispatch of a military unit to the US-led stabilisation force for Iraq. It
will also negatively affect Ukraine's attempt to be upgraded from its Action
Plan to Member Action Plan at NATO's 2004 summit. This again reflects the
lack of strategic foreign policy direction for the country in recent years.

The implications of the investigative commission are likely to be felt
closer to the elections. It will provide the authority for the Tax
Administration, for example, to investigate, disrupt and close down civil
society groups aligned with the opposition. It will also enable the
authorities to close critical media outlets.

CONCLUSION: Renewed cooperation between the Communists and the
pro-Kuchma centrists is a serious threat to Yushchenko's chances of being
elected president in 2004. The regime will use anti-Americanism as an
ideological platform as it seeks to block a Yushchenko victory, which will
undermine the current government's attempts to improve relations with
Washington and NATO. (END) (ARTUIS)
========================================================
UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 7: ARTICLE NUMBER FIVE
========================================================
5. NATO AIMS FOR CLOSE TIES WITH UKRAINE DESPITE
CONCERNS ABOUT DEMOCRACY IN FORMER SOVIET REPUBLIC

Associated Press Online; Brussels, Belgium, Jan 13, 2004

Brussels........NATO's new Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said
Tuesday he intends to build close ties between the alliance and Ukraine,
despite concerns about democracy in the former Soviet republic.

"Under my leadership, this alliance attaches great importance to a very
constructive cooperation and collaboration with Ukraine," De Hoop Scheffer
said at a meeting with Kostyantyn Gryshchenko, Ukraine's foreign minister.
However, De Hoop Scheffer, who took office last week, passed on the
alliance's worries over political developments in Ukraine.

"The allies very much hope that the upcoming elections at the end of 2004
will be free and fair," the former Dutch foreign minister told reporters.
"That is ... an important yardstick by which NATO-Ukraine relations are
being measured."

Gryshchenko, a former Ukrainian ambassador to NATO, said his country
would work hard to improve political and defense links with an alliance
which Ukraine has said it would eventually like to join. He acknowledged
that Ukraine had to "strengthen" its democracy and said the elections would
be free and fair.

"Ukraine is a democracy, it is a transitional democracy where the situation
can clearly be improved," Gryshchenko said. "Democracy is not in question,
it is how to achieve the higher standards of democracy which is the target."

NATO has build up ties with Ukraine through a six-year-old partnership pact
despite complaints of corruption, election tampering and media restrictions
against the government in Kiev. The alliance has also praised Ukraine's
cooperation in peacekeeping operations and plans to scale down its
295,000-man military.

However, NATO has said Ukraine will have to meet higher democratic standards
before it is put on track for membership. De Hoop Scheffer said he planned
to visit Kiev soon. (pa-rac) (END) (ARTUIS)
=========================================================
UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 7: ARTICLE NUMBER SIX
=========================================================
6. TOP-5 PROGNOSIS FOR 2004
Five Events of 2004: an Attempt of a Holiday Season Futurology

Dr. Oleksandr Sushko, "Ukrainian Monitor," Topic of the Week
Center for Peace, Conversion and Foreign Policy of Ukraine (CPCFPU)
Kyiv, Ukraine, January 2004

A year 2003 has gone. It was rich in events that caused gladness and
disappointment, surprise and frank irritation. Now all this is a history....

We....suggest Top-5 of expected events of the year 2004. This is our
unofficial Holiday season prognosis.

Five Events of 2004: an Attempt of a Holiday Season Futurology

1. A finish of Leonid Kuchma's political career. Despite the Constitutional
Court's scandalous decision Leonid Kuchma will likely celebrate the next New
Year's Eve being a pensioner. Generation of young and more aggressive
politicians became overmature expecting for power. Besides, Baden-Baden
doctors' impartial conclusion can turn out less pleasant for a patient, than
Constitutional Court's Decrees. At that, nobody knows what kind of last gift
the President of Ukraine will make to Ukraine. As evil tongues say, he will
unpleasantly surprise the most of people. And this is the most disturbing
mystery of the last year of Leonid Kuchma's second term (emphasized by
author).

2. Constitutional reform. It, probably, will be held and signed by the
President. Two or three MPs of the Our Ukraine block or Social Party of
Ukraine will vote in favor and give the necessary 300 votes. Procedure
violations will be obvious, however the Court will declare it legal. After a
win at the elections a new president might appeal the reform in the
Constitutional Court, and amendments to the Constitution will be declared
invalid because of procedure violation. The reform will be reversed, and the
new president will play by the rules existing today. Maybe, this is a reason
why some parliament forces are actively provoking violation of the
regulations, and the others are openly violating them. So, reform's birth in
such a way can lead to its probable death.

3. Continuation of "a year of Russia in Ukraine". For Russians a year 2004
is perfect to end all their special operations concerning Ukraine. Ukrainian
authority, at least till presidential elections, will demonstrate a lack of
will in relations with Russia. Here are some problems Russia can solve in
its favor: Odessa-Brody reversion, gas-transport consortium creation,
confirmation of favorable to Russia regime of the Azov Sea and Kerch Strait,
refusal of full-fledged free trade area within CES and introduction of
customs union elements instead of it. New versions are also possible. This
phrase of Ukrainian supreme official can become a hit of the political
season: "Ukraine's participation in the CIS Treaty on Collective Security
doesn't contradict its strategic purpose of integration to NATO".

4. NATO Istanbul Summit. If members of the Council for Euro-Atlantic
Partnership will sit down to table in English alphabet order, it will be the
greatest achievement of Ukraine in next year foreign policy.

5. New President of Ukraine. He is about 50. His name is Viktor. He was
born in the Eastern Ukraine. He is a well-known figure, vivid personality,
and a leader of a powerful political force. He will determine the nation and
country's image for next ten years.

P.S. No 6. What we shouldn't expect from the year 2004. Ukraine will not
join WTO this year. Optimistic expectations were premature. (END)
Link: http://foreignpolicy.org.ua/eng/
=========================================================
"WELCOME TO UKRAINE" MAGAZINE
Just A Great, World Class Magazine about Ukraine, In English
http://www.artukraine.com/travel/wumagazine.htm
=========================================================
UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 7: ARTICLE NUMBER SEVEN
=========================================================
7. THREE NEW MINISTERS, RESHUFFLE FOR UKRAINE GOVERNMENT
New Ministers of Economy, Agro-Industrial Complex and Industrial Policy

ICTV television, Kiev, in Ukrainian 1045, 12 Jan 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Jan 12, 2004

[Presenter] The new year has begun with a reshuffle for the government: the
economy, industry and agriculture are now in new hands - those of well-known
politicians and industrialists. The new ministers were introduced to the
cabinet today by Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych. He explained that the
changes resulted from an analysis of last year's performance and from joint
action by the new parliamentary-government commission.

Mykola Derkach has come to head the Ministry of Economics and European
Integration. He spent the last two years as Ukraine's ambassador to
Lithuania. Presenting him, Prime Minister Yanukovych expressed hope that the
government's economic bloc would improve performance under Mykola Derkach's
leadership because, in the prime minister's view, it has been slacking
lately. Among the priorities, Viktor Yanukovych named filling the budget and
getting the economy out of the shadow.

[Yanukovych] The tax burden has been lightened, so we need to find the money
somewhere. The 13-per-cent [income] tax on individuals [has been
introduced], pensions have been raised. We need to find the money somewhere.
That is why I would really like to hear your proposals as to what we should
do and what consistent steps we should take in order to create transparent
mechanisms in the economy and society.

[Presenter] In accordance with other presidential decrees, Oleksandr
Neustroyev has been appointed minister of industrial policy. He formerly
headed the Nikopol pipe plant. He has come to replace Anatoliy Myalytsya.

Meanwhile, 51-year-old Viktor Slauta has become the new agricultural policy
minister. He is a member of parliament from Donetsk Region. Until recently
he had been a member of the Agrarian Party. The now former agriculture
minister, Serhiy Ryzhuk, has been appointed Zhytomyr Region governor.

Viktor Slauta thanked the president for his trust, and stated he had
first-hand knowledge of rural problems.

[Slauta] We know how to work, and how to overcome stupidity. I thank
everyone and I wish all of us good and a farmer's luck. (END) (ARTUIS)
=========================================================
UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 7: ARTICLE NUMBER EIGHT
=========================================================
8. YUSHCHENKO EXPECTS SERHIY MEDVEDCHUK TO INCREASE
TAX ADMINISTRATION PRESSURE AGAINST OPPOSITION

UNIAN news agency, Kiev, in Ukrainian, 12 Jan 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Jan 12, 2004

Kiev, 12 December: The leader of the centre-right opposition Our Ukraine
faction, Viktor Yushchenko, has said that the appointment of Serhiy
Medvedchuk as first deputy head of the State Tax Administration will
increase the pressure by tax authorities on political and economic processes
in Ukraine.

Yushchenko told journalists that there was no professional reason for this
appointment, calling it "a political step, a political reshuffle to bring in
people who are more loyal."

[UNIAN: Serhiy Medvedchuk, the brother of presidential administration head
Viktor Medvedchuk, previously served as head of the Lviv Region tax
administration, where Our Ukraine representatives regularly accused him of
misusing his powers to target opposition supporters.] (END) (ARTUIS)
=========================================================
UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 7: ARTICLE NUMBER NINE
=========================================================
9. RETHINKING MALEVICH..Two-Day Conference in New York
In Celebration of the 125th Anniversary of [Ukrainian] Artist
Kazimir Malevich (1878-1935), February 6-7, 2004
Sponsored by The Malevich Society

Charlotte Douglas, douglas@nyu.edu
New York, NY, Tuesday, January 13, 2004

Dear colleagues,

The Malevich Society is pleased to inform you that preliminary
registration for the conference "Rethinking Malevich" is now
available via mail to: The Malevich Society in care of Herrick
Feinstein LLP, 2 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016.

The fee for the two-day conference is $ 20; $ 10 for students. The
preliminary registration form can be downloaded from our website
at www.malevichsociety.org or requested by e-mail:
malevichsociety@hotmail.com. Tickets will also be available at
the door during the conference on February 6 and 7.

The conference "Rethinking Malevich," organized by The Malevich
Society in celebration of the 125th anniversary of Kazimir Malevich's
birth [on February 23, 1878 in Kyiv, Ukraine], will be held on Friday
and Saturday February 6-7, 2004, in the Elebash Recital Hall of The
Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New
York, located at 365 Fifth Avenue at 34th Street in New York City.

The conference promises to be an historic event, featuring
presentations by an international and renowned group of scholars.
Among them are leading researchers in the field from the USA,
Russia, the Netherlands and New Zealand.

The preliminary conference program and the abstracts of the
presentations are available on The Malevich Society's web-site
at www.malevichsociety.org. For further information please contact
The Malevich Society: malevichsociety@hotmail.com, 718-980-1805.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
EDITOR'S NOTE: To read more about the world famous Ukrainian
artist Kazimir Malevich, a pioneer of modern art, click on the following
four links:
http://www.artukraine.com/exhibitions/artists/malevich.htm
http://www.artukraine.com/exhibitions/artists/malevich2.htm
http://www.artukraine.com/paintings/malevich3.htm
http://www.artukraine.com/paintings/malevich4.htm
=========================================================
UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 7: ARTICLE NUMBER TEN
=========================================================
10. UKRAINE POSTS 2003 GRAIN PRODUCTION STATISTICS
Total Production Down 47 Percent, Wheat Down 82 Percent

UNIAN news agency, Kiev, in Ukrainian, 13 Jan 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Jan 13, 2004

In 2003, Ukraine harvested 20.2m tonnes of grain, including corn, or 47 per
cent less than the year before, the UNIAN news agency reported on 13
January, quoting the State Committee for Statistics.

Food grain output in 2003 plunged by 17.5m t, or 78 per cent, to a mere 5m
t, while fodder grain production totalled 15.2m t - 1.1t, or 6.5 per cent,
less than in 2002, the agency reported.

Ukraine's wheat harvest slumped by 82 per cent to 3.6m t, rye by 58 per cent
to 624,300 t, barley by 33 per cent 6.8m t and oats by 1 per cent to 933,200
t. However, Ukraine's millet harvest rose by 210 per cent to 340,800 t, corn
by 60 per cent to 6.9m t, buckwheat by 50 per cent to 311,000 t and rice by
11.3 per cent to 84,000 t, the agency said. (END) (ARTUIS)
========================================================
UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 7: ARTICLE NUMBER ELEVEN
========================================================
11. UWC SEEKS MEDVEDCHUK'S DISMISSAL

Ukrainian World Congress (UWC), Toronto and New York, January 9, 2004

Following up on the VIII UWC Congress venue fiasco, the UWC wrote to Chief
of Presidential Administration Viktor Medvedchuk requesting an explanation,
inasmuch as the original Congress site is within his jurisdiction. Having
failed to receive even the courtesy of a reply, the Executive Board in
December 2003 decided to wait an additional thirty days for a response, and
failing that, to request that President Kuchma dismiss his chief of staff.

The UWC's argumentation is as follows: the UWC entered into a binding
contract with the Ukrainian Home to hold its VIII Congress from August
19-21, 2003 and made the requisite deposit; two weeks prior to the event the
UWC was notified that the Ukrainian Home rescinds the contract because of
imminent renovations; the Ukrainian Home falls within the jurisdiction of
the Presidential Administration; throughout the ordeal the UWC intervened
with representatives of the Presidential Administration insisting on
contractual obligations; the UWC was compelled to contract for alternate
accommodations; these events were followed up with a demand for an
explanation from Chief of Presidential Administration Medvedchuk; there has
been no response.

The UWC's formal request for Medvedchuk's dismissal was forwarded to the
President on January 5, 2004. (congress@look.ca) (END)(ARTUIS)
=========================================================
UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 7: ARTICLE NUMBER TWELVE
=========================================================
12. NUCLEAR PLANTS PRODUCED 51 PERCENT OF
UKRAINE'S ELECTRICITY IN 2003

UNIAN news agency, Kiev, in Ukrainian, 13 Jan 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Jan 13, 2004

Ukraine's four nuclear power plants produced 81.47bn kWh of electricity in
2003, which equalled 51 per cent of power generated in Ukraine,
Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported on 13 January, quoting the Enerhoatom
state nuclear power company.

Compared to 2002, the nuclear plants increased power generation by 4.5 per
cent, the agency said. (END) (ARTUIS)
========================================================
"UKRAINE REPORT-2004," No. 7, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2004
ARTICLES ARE FOR PERSONAL AND ACADEMIC USE ONLY
========================================================
WEBSITE FOR NEWS AND INFORMATION ABOUT UKRAINE
http://www.ArtUkraine.com

FOLK ART MAGAZINE: NARODNE MYSTETSTVO
A Great Magazine About Ukrainian Folk Art Culture....In Ukrainian
http://www.artukraine.com/primitive/artmagazine.htm
========================================================
INFORMATION ABOUT "UKRAINE REPORT-2004"
The "UKRAINE REPORT-2004," is an in-depth news and analysis newsletter,
produced by the www.ArtUkraine.com Information Service (ARTUIS) with
production offices in Kyiv, Ukraine and Washington, D.C.. The report is
distributed worldwide free of charge, courtesy of the sponsors listed below,
using the e-mail address: ArtUkraine.com@starpower.net. Please make sure
this e-mail address is cleared for your SPAM filter. For further information
contact: morganw@patriot.net.

We give special thanks to "UKRAINE REPORT-2004" SPONSORS:
1.U.S.-UKRAINE FOUNDATION, (USUF), Nadia Komarnyckyj
McConnell, President; John A. Kun, VP/COO; Markian Bilynskyj,
VP, Dir. of Field Operations, Kyiv, Ukraine and Washington, D.C.
website: http://www.usukraine.org .
2. UKRAINE-U.S. BUSINESS COUNCIL, Kempton Jenkins,
President, Washington, D.C.
3. KIEV-ATLANTIC UKRAINE, David and Tamara Sweere,
Founders and Managers; Kyiv, Ukraine
4. VOLIA SOFTWARE, Software to Fit Your Business, Source your
IT work in Ukraine. Contact: Yuriy Sivitsky, Vice President, Marketing,
Kyiv, Ukraine, yuriy.sivitsky@softline.kiev.ua; Volia Software website:
http://www.volia-software.com/.
5. POTENTIAL, the launching of a new business journal for Ukraine.
http://www.usukraine.org/potential.shtml#about
6. INDIVIDUAL, CORPORATE and FOUNDATION READERS
OF "UKRAINE REPORT-2004" who financially support the publication.
Additional financial support is needed to maintain and expand the
program to include the translation and distribution of important articles
in Ukrainian.

PUBLISHER AND EDITOR
E. Morgan Williams, Senior Advisor, Government Relations and
Foundation Development, U.S.-UKRAINE FOUNDATION (USUF)
Publisher and Editor: "UKRAINE REPORT-2004,"
www.ArtUkraine.com Information Service (ARTUIS).
http://www.ArtUkraine.com News and Information Website,
P.O. Box 2607, Washington, D.C. 20013
Tel: 202 437 4707, morganw@patriot.net
NEWS Website: http://www.ArtUkraine.com
USUF Website; http://www.usukraine.org
Office In Kyiv: 380 44 212 5586, Mobile in Kyiv: 380 50 689 2874
====================================================
TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE "UKRAINE REPORT-2004" (FREE)
If you know of one or more persons you think would like to be added to
the distribution list for "UKRAINE REPORT-2004" please send us the
relevant contact information. We welcome additional names for the
distribution list. The report is sent FREE of charge and is courtesy of
our sponsors. To subscribe please send a subscription request e-mail
to Morgan Williams, morganw@patriot.net.

Past issues of the "UKRAINE REPORT-2004" will be sent upon
request. If you are receiving more than one copy please notify us about
this. If you want the REPORT sent to a different e-mail address than the
one we now have on the distribution list for you please notify us.

TO UNSUBSCRIBE
UNSUBSCRIBE: If you do not wish to receive future editions of the
"UKRAINE REPORT-2004," up to three times per week, please be sure
and notify us by return e-mail. We do not want to be sending this REPORT
to anyone who is not interested in receiving it. (END)
FOR PERSONAL AND ACADEMIC USE ONLY
========================================================