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"THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT"
An International Newsletter
In-Depth Ukrainian News, Analysis, and Commentary
"The Art of Ukrainian History, Culture, Arts, Business, Religion,
Sports, Government, and Politics, in Ukraine and Around the World"
ELECTION DAY UKRAINE
Vote for Democracy, Vote for Rule of Law, Vote for Prosperity
Vote for Human Rights, Vote for Freedom of the Press
"WHAT'S AT STAKE IN UKRAINE?"
"THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT" Year 04, Number 226
The Action Ukraine Coalition (AUC), Washington, D.C.
Ukrainian Federation of America (UFA), Huntingdon Valley, PA
morganw@patriot.net, ArtUkraine.com@starpower.net (ARTUIS)
Washington, D.C., Kyiv, Ukraine, SUNDAY, November 21, 2004
-----INDEX OF ARTICLES-----
"Major International News Headlines and Articles"
1. UKRAINE TORN APART BY DIRTY ELECTION TACTICS
Russian-backed premier pulls out the stops to rob favourite of presidency
By Ian Mather, Diplomatic Correspondent
The Scotsman, Edinburgh, Scotland, Sunday, Nov 21, 2004
2. TV SAYS USA BANS ENTRY TO UKRAINIAN OFFICIALS
TV 5 Kanal, Kiev, in Ukrainian 1600 gmt 20 Nov 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Sat. Nov 20, 2004
3. GEORGE BUSH URGES KUCHMA TO PROMOTE HOLDING
OF HONEST UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Ukrainian News Agency, Kyiv, Ukraine, Sat, Nov 20, 2004
4. UKRAINIANS BELIEVE THEMSELVES AS THE MOST
MISERABLE PEOPLE IN EUROPE
AP, Kiev, Ukraine, Friday, Nov 19, 2004
5. VICTOR YUSHCHENKO'S ADDRESS TO THE PEOPLE OF
UKRAINE ON THE EVE OF THE ELECTION
Our Ukraine Website, Kyiv, Ukraine, Sat, Nov. 20, 2004
6. UKRAINIAN HELSINKI GROUP CALLS ON SPEAKER
LYTVYN TO HELP STOP ARREST OF CITIZENS FOR
EXPRESSING POLITICAL POSITION
Ukrainian News Agency, Kyiv, Ukraine, Fri, Nov 19, 2004
7. UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER RAPS OUTGOING
PRESIDENT KUCHMA OVER ELECTION
UNIAN news agency, Kiev, in Ukrainian, Sun, 21 Nov 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Sun, Nov 21, 2004
8. "WHAT'S AT STAKE IN UKRAINE?"
OP-ED: by Columnist Melana Zyla Vickers
TechCentralStation, Washington, D.C., Fri, Nov 19, 2004
9. REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS EXPRESSES CONCERN
OVER GROWING THREAT TO PRESS FREEDOM AHEAD OF
SECOND ROUND OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Ukrainian News Agency, Kyiv, Ukraine, Fri, Nov 19, 2004
10. CONGRESSMEN LIKE WHAT THEY'RE PAID TO SEE
United Press International (UPI), Kyiv, Ukraine, Sat, Nov 20, 2004
11. LETTER TO FORMER MEMBERS IN DELEGATION HEADED
BY FORMER REPRESENTATIVE ROBERT CARR OF MICHIGAN
TO MONITOR THE UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
TO: Former Members in Delegation headed by Former Representative
Robert Carr of Michigan to Monitor the Ukrainian Presidential Election
FROM: Joseph Davis Tydings
Former United States Senator (D-Maryland)
Kyiv, Ukraine, November 21, 2004
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No. 226: ARTICLE NUMBER ONE
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1. UKRAINE TORN APART BY DIRTY ELECTION TACTICS
Russian-backed premier pulls out the stops to rob favourite of presidency
By Ian Mather, Diplomatic Correspondent
Scotsman, Edinburgh, Scotland, Sunday, November 21, 2004
ORANGE banners flutter from the trees in the streets of Kiev, and the
pavements are a sea of orange ribbons and scarves.
If the vote in today's run-off presidential election were confined to the
Ukrainian capital, opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko would be home
and dry, resulting in a seismic shift in Ukraine's relationship with the
West.
But Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, the candidate of the old political
establishment, has strong backing in the countryside, especially in the east
of the country, where his blue and white colours are as dominant as the
orange of Yushchenko is in the west.
Ukraine, the former Soviet republic once considered the most likely to
embrace democracy, is at the crossroads.
Thirteen years after Ukrainians voted for independence from Soviet rule
they must now choose between Yanukovych, backed by an increasingly
authoritarian Russia, and Yushchenko, who aims to draw Ukraine closer
to a free-market Europe.
In the first round three weeks ago, Yushchenko won a narrow victory, with
a difference of just under 156,000 votes. Today's run-off is taking place
because no candidate gained more than 50% of the votes.
The first round was tarnished by a huge effort to discredit Yushchenko,
silence the opposition media, and dominate the election commissions, all
of which led international monitors to say the elections did not meet
international standards.
A 10-day gap between the vote and the final count produced bitter
recriminations. The day before the results were announced, outgoing
president Leonid Kuchma fired the heads of 11 local district
administrations. Ten of the 11 regions were areas Yushchenko had won.
There were even claims that Yushchenko had been poisoned. He was
rushed to hospital in Austria, emerging later with his face covered in pock
marks.
The election will produce a verdict on a decade of rule by Kuchma, who has
endorsed Yanukovych. Under Kuchma, scandals spread and corruption was
rife.Independent journalists were hounded and several reporters killed, with
the opposition implicating Kuchma in the most celebrated case, the murder of
investigative journalist Heorhiy Gongadze. Kuchma denied any involvement.
Further international criticism followed the sale of a big steel company to
his son-in-law.
Yushchenko has labelled his opponent "Kuchma-3": "The current authorities
and Kuchma are Siamese twins," he told a TV audience last week. "They are
the same thing. The team that Yanukovych represents is Kuchma's team. It
is an old team with refined, powdered faces."
He accused the government of carrying out "family privatisation". "Look at
the authorities today, from heads of state administrations and central
authorities," he said. "They are either in Ukraine's top 100 wealthiest
people or Europe's. So there are rich people embodied by the authorities
on one side and 47 million of a poor nation on the other."
One of the most bitter election issues is Ukraine's relations with Russia.
The 1991 independence referendum was widely seen as a deliberate move
away from the Soviet Union after 300 years of domination by Moscow.
Ukraine gave up its Soviet-era nuclear arsenal, and was rewarded by the
West with financial and political support. But under Kuchma it has moved
back into the Russian camp.
At the heart of the election is the split between nationalist western
Ukraine, which backs Yushchenko, and the Russian-speaking industrial east,
behind the prime minister. Some observers even warn of the danger of
bloodshed between the west, which is heavily Catholic and was once part
of the Austro-Hungarian empire, and the east, which is Orthodox.
Yanukovych promises to make Russian a state language and give dual
nationality to citizens of both countries.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited Ukraine twice in the past few
weeks to bolster support for Yanukovych. He arrived in Ukraine on the
eve of the first round and took part in a military parade on the 60th
anniversary of the liberation of Kiev from Nazi occupation. The parade
was the last big event in Yanukovych's campaign.
Last week Yanukovych told an interviewer: "We are urged to run to Europe
where no one is waiting for us. There's no choice for us between the
European Union and Russia. We are tied to Russia by culture and blood.
The only question left is how Ukraine is going to build economic cooperation
with its neighbours.
"I used to be a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. I
don't feel ashamed of it. On the contrary, I am proud of it. My life in
the Soviet Union and my membership in the Communist Party gave me
the priority of the idea of justice and equality.
"Ukraine and Russia together will shortly be able to compete with US and
European companies on the markets of third-world states. Ukrainian-
Russian joint aircraft and rocket building hold much promise on
international markets which could be ruined by Ukraine joining Nato."
While a Yanukovych presidency would be a setback for the cause of
Ukrainian integration with Europe, a President Yushchenko could expect
the European Union to confer economic benefits on Ukraine by giving it
the "market economy" status that it withheld from Kuchma.
Yushchenko has also pledged to combat corruption, increase social spending,
reduce the army, simplify business registration and recall troops from Iraq.
The two candidates are neck and neck. Recent polls show Yushchenko with
an advantage greater than the statistical margin for error.
But once again the powerful government machine is working flat out for
Yanukovych, and electoral abuse is rife. Special police units have been
formed to intimidate the opposition, criminals are being paid to masquerade
as opposition supporters and cause trouble, and opposition observers have
been jailed.
Tape recordings have surfaced which allegedly implicate Yanukovych in talk
of buying parliamentary votes and smashing the heads of disobedient
journalists against the wall.
On the other hand, Yushchenko has won the backing of the candidate who
came third in the first round, Socialist Party leader Oleksandr Moroz. If
his first-round supporters all transfer to Yushchenko, the challenger could
add 5.81% to his total.
Ivan Lozowy, who runs an Internet newsletter, the Ukraine Insider, said:
"Whether Yushchenko can hold on to his lead and turn his current edge into
a winning margin is anyone's guess. And if he cannot, the fear lingers that
there may be street clashes between opposition supporters."
EAST MEETS WEST
SLIGHTLY smaller than France or Texas, Ukraine lies north of the Black
Sea and borders Russia, Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and
Moldova.
Of its population of more than 47 million, 73% are ethnic Ukrainian, 22%
Russian, with dozens of other ethnic minorities.
The site of the medieval Kievan Rus state, Ukraine endured long periods of
Mongol-Tatar, Polish and Austro-Hungarian rule. During the 18th century
most of Ukraine was absorbed by the Russian empire. Short-lived
independence after 1917 was followed by Stalin's terror and famine, and
Nazi occupation. Ukraine finally gained independence in 1991 with the
collapse of the Soviet empire.
With some of the best soil in Europe, Ukraine was the Soviet Union's
breadbasket. It also produced up to third of Soviet weaponry. The country
registered significant economic growth in 2004 after years of post-Soviet
decline. Market-style reforms have been adopted, but corruption remains
rampant. Ukraine remains energy-dependent on Russia, its key trade partner.
But the country aspires to be part of the European Union and Nato, while
maintaining warm relations with Russia and other former Soviet republics.
In an attempt to restore relations with the United States hurt by
allegations of arms sales to Saddam Hussein and problems with democratic
and press freedoms, Ukraine deployed some 1,600 troops as a part of the
US-led coalition in Iraq. -30- [Action Ukraine Monitoring Service]
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LINK: http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1340372004
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.226: ARTICLE NUMBER TWO
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2. TV SAYS USA BANS ENTRY TO UKRAINIAN OFFICIALS
TV 5 Kanal, Kiev, in Ukrainian 1600 gmt 20 Nov 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Sat. Nov 20, 2004
KYIV - The heads of the Sumy and Kirovohrad regional state administrations,
Volodymyr Shcherban and Vasyl Kompaniyets, have been denied US entry. 5
Kanal learnt from sources in a US delegation led by US Senator Richard Lugar
that a decision to that effect had already been taken.
This week, US entry was prohibited to Ukrainian presidential administration
chief Viktor Medvedchuk, the son-in-law of the president [Leonid Kuchma] and
MP Viktor Pinchuk, Interior Minister Mykola Bilokon and Prosecutor-General
Henadiy Vasylyev.
[The Ukrainian opposition has complained of gross election violations in
Kirovohrad and Sumy regions in the first round of the presidential election
on 31 October, in particular, ballot-theft and shooting at some polling
stations, see Interfax-Ukraine news agency, Kiev, in Russian 0207 gmt 1 Nov
04.] [The Action Ukraine Report Monitoring Service]
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.226: ARTICLE NUMBER THREE
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3. GEORGE BUSH URGES KUCHMA TO PROMOTE HOLDING OF
HONEST UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Ukrainian News Agency, Kyiv, Ukraine, Sat, Nov 20, 2004
KYIV - US President George W. Bush has called on Ukraine's President
Leonid Kuchma to promote the holding of honest election for a new
president of Ukraine. This is mentioned in Bush's letter to Kuchma, the
text of which the press service of the President of Ukraine gave to
Ukrainian News.
"Mr. President, your personal influence on honest election will be a good
testament of your extraordinary career in the post of president," Bush
appeals to Kuchma.
The letter was delivered by Bush's personal representative to monitor the
second round of the Ukrainian presidential election, US Senator Richard
Lugar, at a meeting with Kuchma.
Bush observes the significant contribution Kuchma made to the establishment
and strengthening of the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. The US
president reckons that under Kuchma's leadership the Ukrainian economy
improved, its borders became safer, and the people more confident. Bush
also emphasizes the contribution of the Ukrainian peacekeeping mission in
Iraq.
"With your support of the Iraqi people in this difficult time, you showed
that your policy is aimed at freedom throughout the whole," it is mentioned
in the letter.
Bush, however, notes that Kuchma has one more important business in the
post of president, and that is to ensure the free election of a new
President.
"But you have one more duty, one more very important contribution to your
country, to its future...As President, you play a central role in
guaranteeing that the presidential elections in Ukraine will take place
democratically and without manipulations and deception," Bush emphasized.
President Bush opined that the peaceful transfer of power will be to the
benefit of Ukraine, Europe and the entire world. Otherwise, Bush warns that
the US will reconsider its ties with Ukraine with the people that would take
part in the deception and manipulations.
At the meeting with Kuchma, Lugar expressed the hope that Ukraine will
exert all efforts to ensure the conduct of democratic election. Kuchma
emphasized his interest in ensuring that transparent election was held in
Ukraine and the president was elected absolutely legitimately.
Lugar noted at a meeting that was previously held with journalists that for
the time being he is not satisfied with the course of the Ukrainian
presidential elections.
He bases his opinion on the results of the election monitoring that was done
by international observers. As Ukrainian News earlier reported, the first
round of the presidential election took place on October 31.
The United States, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe,
the parliamentary assemblies of NATO, the Council of Europe, and also
Canada, Japan and the European Union stressed that the election fell short
of a whole range of democratic standards.
Over 4,000 international observers will also keep close track of the second
round of the election, which is planned for November 21. -30-
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.226: ARTICLE NUMBER FOUR
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4. UKRAINIANS BELIEVE THEMSELVES AS THE MOST
MISERABLE PEOPLE IN EUROPE
AP, Kiev, Ukraine, Friday, Nov 19, 2004
KIEV - Ukrainians see themselves as the most miserable people in Europe,
according to a worldwide survey - a dismal self-assessment ahead of the Nov.
21 presidential election. How that outlook may be reflected at the ballot is
unclear: Some see it as a call for change, others as reason to preserve the
status quo out of fears that change would just make life worse.
In a survey of 82 countries conducted by the World Values Survey, a
U.S.-based consortium of sociologists, Ukrainians ended in 80th place in
terms of "subjective well-being," behind even such troubled European
countries as Albania and Moldova. Worldwide, only Zimbabweans and
Indonesians ranked lower, according to updated results released in July.
It's not necessarily a question of money, says 37-year-old Mykola Ignatiyev,
a timber merchant whose success is reflected by his four-bedroom downtown
apartment and the big Lexus he drives. "I guess it comes partly from what we
have endured over the centuries and partly from our melancholic Slavic
spirit," he speculated.
The survey, which questioned 2,811 Ukrainians, echoed some of that view,
saying the unhappiness appeared to stem from centuries of subjugation under
Mongol, Polish and Russian rule, followed by eight decades of Soviet
troubles and the uncertainties of the post-Soviet period.
After Ukraine gained independence with the breakup of the Soviet Union in
1991, Ukrainians rushed to embrace a Western style of life and the
advantages of capitalism. But the decline of Soviet society was also
"followed by the collapse of the political and economic systems," the
research said.
The newly gained freedoms brought wealth and prosperity to a few. Others
struggled to make ends meet. Ukraine also became infamous for its organized
crime, corruption and red tape. "All I saw was despair and sadness," said
Klava Skavarotko, 61, a pensioner from Kyiv.
Hopes for prosperity have become a campaign issue ahead of the Nov. 21
presidential runoff. Both candidates, Viktor Yushchenko, a key opposition
leader and Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraine's prime minister, campaigned on
bringing better times to this sprawling country of 48 million.
Yanukovych promised more jobs and Soviet-style improvements in the social
sector and offered closer ties with Russia, a key trade partner. Yushchenko
said he will eradicate corruption and nepotism, and boost the economy with
free-market reforms.Some Ukrainians are excited by the promises, at least in
theory. Yushchenko is not a guarantee of changes, but a chance," said a 35-
year-old mechanic who gave his name as Danyl.
However, Andriy Bychenko, a sociologist with the Kyiv-based Razumkov
think-tank says that Yanunokvych's power base is the older generation that
craves the stability they felt in the Soviet era. "The last thing they want
is more changes," Bychenko said. -30-
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.226: ARTICLE NUMBER FIVE
Your comments about the Report are always welcome
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5. VICTOR YUSHCHENKO'S ADDRESS TO THE PEOPLE OF
UKRAINE ON THE EVE OF THE ELECTION
Our Ukraine Website, Kyiv, Ukraine, Sat, Nov. 20, 2004
Dear friends! Dear Ukrainian citizens!
Elections are coming to an end. We have walked a long way together.
This is my final address to You on the eve of election. This is why I will
talk about the main things.
FIRST, I am grateful to You, dear friends, for 31 October. I thank all those
who came to the polling stations, those who voted and those who were
prevented from doing so. We have started to believe in our strength. We
have shown to the government that we are not just an electorate but that we
are citizens. We are the people! It was not Victor Yushchenko who won on
31 October; it was Ukraine. I am proud because it happened, proud that
we have endured.
SECOND, We will all come to the polling stations on 21 November. This
day will solidify our victory. Our final victory! 21 November is the last
frontier and it is the most important one. Every one of us will be choosing
his or her own morale, his or her Ukraine. Come out and vote according to
Your heart.
In the first round I have won despite pressure and falsifications. The
support of Oleksandr Moroz, Anatoliy Kinakh, and of the honest
communists is a guarantee of the complete victory.
With me are worthy people, strong and courageous: Lina Kostenko,
brothers Vitaliy and Volodymyr Klichko, Ruslan Ponomaryov, Oleh
Skrypka and the "VV" band, Slavko Vakarchuk with the "Okean Elzy"
band, Ruslana, Oleksandr Ponomaryov, tens and hundreds of famous
and respected people.
We do not trust this government; do not trust the Central Electoral
Commission, which had been fooling us for ten days by concealing the
victory. The entire government body today has been transformed into a
machine for falsifications. It is fabricating voter lists, preparing
widespread fraud via absentee ballots, organizing mass "add-ins" of votes
at voters' homes, and substitution of election protocols at polling places.
The victory is with us - I am convinced of it with my every cell. However,
we have to protect our victory.
The main events of 21 November: at polling stations and in Kyiv.
Sign up with volunteer teams at my headquarters, at the headquarters of
Oleksandr Moroz and Anatoliy Kinakh. Ensure order and calmness at
Your polling stations; wait till the protocols are made public.
We will hold a nation-wide vote count together at the Independence
Square in Kyiv so that the entire Ukraine and the entire world could see
how the people are voting and so that the Central Electoral Commission
does not distort the will of the citizens.
THIRD. I know how difficult it is for you today because I see what the
government is doing, how it applies pressure at every person in every town
and village. It is pressuring doctors and teachers, entrepreneurs and heads
of village councils, students and soldiers, government officials and
law-enforcers, and, what is most cynical of all - pressuring clergy!
I see the government engage in widespread legal violations in order to
preserve its cabinets and its loot all over the country.
I promise: We will protect our people.
We will reinstate all employees that have been fired for their political
views. We will reinstate all students that have been expelled for
participating in rallies or for wearing orange ribbons. We will investigate
every instance of pressuring people and the Law will punish the guilty.
We will live in safely and peacefully after 21 November. Members of the
law-enforcement institutions that the government is forcing to act against
the Law and against their conscience will be safe too. Militia and courts
will defend the rights of the common people. They will no longer serve
oligarchs and those in power.
I, Victor Yushchenko, swear to you - it must be and it will be!
And one last thing. I have made my choice on 4 July and I will go till the
end, till victory. You see how the government is resisting - brutally and
cynically. But I will not be stopped by it. It will not prevent the people
of Ukraine from fulfilling their legal right to choose their government. It
is stated in the Constitution.
If the government does not rescind and resorts to falsifications, the people
will not be silent. They will stand up for their choice. This is their
right, which is also guaranteed by the Constitution. We will raise millions
of citizens to defend the Constitution.
Dear friends!
Next time I will address You as the president of Ukraine. I believe in it
because I believe in your wisdom. I believe in Our strength. The people of
Ukraine are united and this is why unconquerable. We are united in our
desire to lead worthy lives. We are united in our desire to choose honest
government. We are united in our readiness to defend our legal right.
The people of Ukraine will make their choice on 21 November. It will be
done freely and without coercion in accordance with the Law. If anybody
interferes, they will be repulsed. This is not a threat; this is a serious
warning. We will defend the Law and the Constitution. We will not allow
the usurpation of power in Ukraine.
Truth is on our side and so is God!
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.226: ARTICLE NUMBER SIX
Your comments about the Report are always welcome
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6. UKRAINIAN HELSINKI GROUP CALLS ON SPEAKER LYTVYN
TO HELP STOP ARREST OF CITIZENS FOR EXPRESSING
POLITICAL POSITION
Ukrainian News Agency, Kyiv, Ukraine, Fri, Nov 19, 2004
KYIV - The Ukrainian Helsinki Group for Human Rights, an all-Ukrainian
association of civil organizations, calls on Parliament Speaker Volodymyr
Lytvyn to help stop numerous arrests of citizens who express their political
positions. Ukrainian News obtained a copy of the open letter that the Group
chairman, Yevhen Zakharov, has sent to Lytvyn.
"We address you with the request to use your powers and stop mass
violations of constitutional rights of the people to free expression of
their views, freedom, personal immunity and free movement," the letter
reads.
The Group believes that activities of law enforcement agencies are of
explicitly persecuting nature aimed at pursuing public activists for
political reasons.
"The practice of persecuting dissenters using law enforcement agencies
as an instrument of political struggle has been restored in Ukraine," the
letter reads further.
The Group underscored that tens of people are being detained in
Ukraine every day on no other charge but for expressing criticism
against the executive power.
"They have been sentenced behind the closed doors, with lawyers and
relatives given no access to them," the letter continues.
The Group reported that arrests of activists of non-governmental
organizations and teammates of opposition candidates are rampant.
Most of them confine people to 72 hours in detention - that is, until it is
up to announce formal charges.
As Ukrainian News earlier reported, the Ukrainian Helsinki Group has
spotted numerous violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms
during this year's presidential election campaign in Ukraine before the
October 31 first round. -30- [Action Ukraine Monitoring Service]
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.226: ARTICLE NUMBER SEVEN
Suggested articles for publication in the Report are always welcome
========================================================
7. UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER RAPS OUTGOING
PRESIDENT KUCHMA OVER ELECTION
UNIAN news agency, Kiev, in Ukrainian, Sun, 21 Nov 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Sun, Nov 21, 2004
KIEV - The chairman of the Ukrainian Supreme Council [parliament],
Volodymyr Lytvyn, has said that the statement by Ukrainian President Leonid
Kuchma yesterday showed that Kuchma "is inside the election process rather
than above it".
Lytvyn said this today, commenting on Kuchma's statement. Lytvyn added
that it was difficult for him to comment on the statement because this was
the presidential statement and he [Lytvyn] had been involved in the
preparation of similar statements for a long time (Lytvyn worked in various
posts at the presidential administration from 1994 to 2002, from 1999 to
2002 he was the presidential administration head - UNIAN).
Commenting on the fact that Kuchma did not sign the law prohibiting absentee
ballots, Lytvyn said that the Supreme Council had done everything possible
to ensure civil peace in the state. "If the opposition says that this was
the main tool to ensure a fair presidential election, probably it was
necessary, I mean for the president, to sign these proposals into law to
ensure civil peace," Lytvyn said. In that case there would be no claims that
the elections were not fair or transparent, Lytvyn says.
Lytvyn stressed that this was political and legal rather than legal issue.
"If we want to win the main things in difficult periods, probably we should
sacrifice less important things," he said. He agreed that the law banning
absentee voting "encroached on human rights at some points".
Lytvyn also draw attention to the aspect "which no-one has mentioned": this
law was "yet another attempt to reach a compromise so that the opposition
could vote for amending the constitution". He regretted the fact that these
agreements were ruined again. -30-
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No. 226: ARTICLE NUMBER EIGHT
Letters to the editor are always welcome
========================================================
8. "WHAT'S AT STAKE IN UKRAINE?"
OP-ED: by Columnist Melana Zyla Vickers
TechCentralStation, Washington, D.C., Fri, Nov 19, 2004
On a clip broadcast on Ukrainian TV in recent weeks, the tall, oafish clod
who is heir to the ruling party's power, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych,
is watching a military parade ginned up, in the days before Ukraine's
presidential election, to honor of his friend and patron Russian President
Vladimir Putin. Yanukovych stands there watching the soldiers for awhile,
then digs into his pocket for a candy. "Yum!" Is the expression on his face.
He munches and then, realizing he's forgotten himself, offers his Russian
KGB buddy a candy too. Putin has a look of "put that thing back in your
pocket, you moron" on his face.
The clip is worth a thousand words. It sums up the big-brother-little
brother relationship between the two proto-communist governments, aptly
symbolizes that for Putin, Ukraine is to be seen at Russia's side and not
heard, and that Ukraine's ruling party is only too happy to oblige.
Beyond what the camera is showing is the real news: There are very few
regular Ukrainians at the parade. They're all supporting the opposition
candidate for president, pro-Western Viktor Yushchenko.
In recent weeks, foreign policy opinion-makers ranging from Sen. John
McCain to the Washington Post editorial page have pointed out the
importance of the Ukrainian presidential election, the runoff for which
takes
place this Sunday. President Bush has belatedly recognized their point, and
has sent Sen. Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar to the
ex-Soviet country of 50 million to observe the voting. Polls show West-
leaning opposition democrat Yushchenko poised to defeat the Moscow-
backed ruling party's handpicked successor.
Why the attention to Ukraine? Because it is the main domino of the former
Soviet Union. Just as Ukraine's referendum vote to leave Moscow's side
signaled the final breakup of the USSR in 1991, a falsified vote in favor of
Moscow's candidate on Sunday can now significantly reconstitute it.
The risk of a stolen election is real and grave -- the ruling party engaged
in a great deal of fraud and violent voter intimidation in the first round
of voting Oct. 31. And if the ruling proto-communists succeed in rubbing
out the will of voters to elect the opposition candidate on Sunday, then
Russia will be free to reassert its authoritarian control in the ex-Soviet
space.
Ukraine, whose links to the West are still nascent, will fall back into
Moscow's grip just as tiny Belarus already has, as wobbly Kazakhstan
almost has, and as violence-wracked Georgia risks doing. Such a reversal
will fundamentally harm the strategic interests of the United States.
Evidence of Moscow's never-abandoned imperial designs has been plentiful:
Russia has funded about half of the ruling-party candidate Prime Minister
Viktor Yanukhovych's reelection campaign, according to the Washington
Post. If Yanukovych takes power after Sunday, he will owe Russian
President Vladimir Putin big time.
Russia's Putin has visited Ukraine twice in the last month alone, generating
plenty of media images of Yanukovych at his side, including the parade clip
(which is probably not one of Putin's favorites.) During that time Putin has
also welcomed Yanukovych into his home in Moscow.
Russia's state-influenced television stations have been running show after
show supporting Yanukovych and disparaging the opposition's Yushchenko.
Ukrainian television, which years ago lost its independence from the
government's will, has been running many of the Russian programs, with
several channels simultaneously broadcasting material that stresses a
Ukraine-Russia bond.
Russia has made clear that a Ukraine led by the ruling party's Yanukovych
will benefit from Russian economic ties and largesse, whereas Ukraine under
Yushchenko will not. The Russian government has even proposed that Putin's
brainchild, an economic union of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan
called the Common Economic Space, be headquartered in Ukraine.
Ukraine has been awash in positive trade news lately, such as record wheat
exports, and the good-news state of affairs that makes a vote for the ruling
party look like a vote for prosperity. Not surprisingly, the biggest buyer
of Ukrainian exports is the Russian state.
By contrast, opposition candidate Yushchenko has vowed that a Ukraine under
his presidency would integrate Westward, seeking entry into NATO and the
European Union. Observers see a Yuschenko presidency as Ukraine's
opportunity to get off the fence and join the West, leaving behind a decade
of vacillation in which it toyed with market reforms then regressed, toyed
with NATO then looked toward Moscow, and even went so far as to send
troops to Iraq but then showed political unity with Iraq-war-opponent
Russia, not the United States.
To be sure, Ukraine's return to Russia's embrace won't be alarming to those
in the Bush administration -- and there do seem to be a few around -- who
see President Putin as a force for good. But for those with a few doubts
about the purity of the KGB careerist's soul, here is a short list of how
Ukraine's lockstep with Russia, precipitated by a stolen election this
Sunday, might harm U.S. interests on the Eurasian land mass.
Russia will have reconstituted the Slavic core of its empire. Putin, who
says that strengthened ties to neighboring states will in turn strengthen
Russia, will hold sway over Minsk, Belarus, where the leadership has openly
sought to rejoin the Russian fold economically, politically and militarily,
and over Kiev, Ukraine, where he will have had bought the political loyalty
of the leadership by securing their electoral victory. In a week when Russia
announced plans for a new nuclear missile designed to trump U.S. missile
defenses, a victory for pro-Putin forces in Ukraine -- which disarmed its
nuclear weapons unilaterally at the behest of the U.S. -- risks pulling
Ukraine rather dramatically away from the U.S. More than ever, there will be
a divide between the EU members of Central Europe and the Russian sphere
beginning on the Polish border with Ukraine.
Russia will have neutralized any chance of democrats in the ex-Soviet Union
to band together against Moscow's will. An opposition victory Sunday would
let Ukraine join Georgia in electing a pro-U.S. president who came to power
despite the best efforts of Moscow. It would strengthen political groupings
such as the GUAM group of countries (Georgia, Ukraine, Armenia, Moldova)
which have toyed with formally counterbalancing Russian dominance of their
economies and political systems. A ruling-party victory will prevent any
such furthering of ties, and may ensure that Ukraine looks the other way as
Russia seeks to destabilize the Caucasian state of Georgia. Georgia, it's
worth noting, is a counterweight to Muslim fundamentalism in the Caucasus
region, and is in the midst of building military ties to the U.S.
Russia will have trumped an energy strategy in which U.S.-financed Caspian
oil was to have flowed through Ukraine to Poland and Western Europe. If the
ruling party holds on to power in Ukraine, a new cross-Ukraine pipeline
designed to feed U.S.-financed, Kazakhstani oil from the Black Sea north to
European markets will likely see a peculiar reversal of roles. It's likely
the Odessa-Brody pipeline would literally reverse its flow and instead be
used to ship Russian oil south through the Mediterranean, strengthening
Russia's export position, undermining U.S. energy and investment interests
in Kazakhstan, and preventing any European diversification away from
Russian energy.
Russia will have been rewarded for its authoritarian, anti-democratic ways,
and its strategy of playing on old Communist loyalties to build
international ties. Ukraine's people-power revolution will have been
smothered, unlikely to muster itself successfully for years to come. The
stillbirth will take place at a time when Putin has been reversing
democratic progress in Russia. The trend will be in stark contrast to the
Bush administration goal of breathing life into pro-democracy, pro-freedom
political movements in formerly repressive corners of the world.
Of course, a dark fate could also await an opposition-led Ukraine if the
democrat Yushchenko is able to secure power after the Sunday vote, but then
finds himself alone without significant U.S. or European support as Russia
punishes him economically, politically, and in terms of energy supplies, for
his victory. (Look to the powers-that-be in Russia to paint Ukraine as a
rogue state, bad debtor and hateful society if Yushchenko comes to power.)
Such Western neglect isn't out of the question -- Western Europe, at least,
shows little sign of wanting to embrace yet another new country to its east.
At least the U.S. has taken the first step of recognizing the importance of
the Ukrainian election. If the U.S. can follow through with rhetorical and
material support for a victorious Yushchenko -- through greater economic
ties, military-to-military ties, and expeditious integration of Ukraine into
the community of Western nations -- it will have helped its own interests a
great deal. -30- [The Action Ukraine Report Monitoring Service]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Melana Zyla Vickers is a former member of the USA TODAY editorial
board and a TCS Columnist. She She covers national security issues,
foreign affairs and global economics issues among other topics. She has
worked at the Asian Wall Street Journal, the Far Eastern Economic
Review and The Globe and Mail.
She has a Master's degree, focused on strategic studies and economics,
from the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins
University. She is married and has one daughter and three stepdaughters.
Melana is currently completing a novel about a terrorist threat against a
U.S. petrochemical target in the Strait of Malacca. It's called The Strait.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
LINK: http://www.techcentralstation.com/111904G.html
Melana Zyla Vickers: vickerssm@cox.net
========================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.226: ARTICLE NUMBER NINE
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9. REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER
GROWING THREAT TO PRESS FREEDOM AHEAD OF
SECOND ROUND OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Ukrainian News Agency, Kyiv, Ukraine, Fri, Nov 19, 2004
KYIV - Reporters Without Borders, an international organization of
journalists, has expressed concern over the growing threat to press freedom
in Ukraine ahead of this second round of this year's Ukrainian presidential
elections. Reporters Without Borders expressed this concern in a statement,
a text of which Ukrainian News obtained.
"Almost every method has been used to prevent complete and full coverage
of the [election] campaign," it said. According to Reporters Without
Borders, the threats to press freedom include assaults, sackings, and denial
of access to information.
Reporters Without Borders notes that many journalists continue to protest
at the authorities' systematic use of "temnyky" or instructions to editorial
offices as to how certain subjects should be handled. As an example,
Reporters Without Borders cited the protest that about 20 television
journalists held near a television station in Kyiv on November 16.
Reporters Without Borders also reported that a journalist on the main
opposition television station Channel 5, Serhii Skorobokhatko, was beaten
up at a polling station by assailants who also snatched his camera on the
eve of the first round of the elections on October 31. According to
Reporters Without Borders, Enver Musayev of the weekly Voice of Crimea
was physically assaulted and his colleagues threatened in Simferopol on 3
November.
Reporters Without Borders also noted that the state-owned Ukrposhta postal
agency refused to deliver the 630,000 copies of the November 17 edition of
the Silski Visti newspaper to subscribers because Socialist Party leader
Oleksandr Moroz called on voters to vote to the Our Ukraine coalition's
leader and presidential candidate Viktor Yuschenko in that day's edition of
the newspaper. As Ukrainian News earlier reported, the International
Federation of Journalists recently called on the Ukrainian authorities to
end their interference in the operations of the mass media ahead of the
second round of the presidential elections. -30-
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.226: ARTICLE NUMBER TEN
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10. CONGRESSMEN LIKE WHAT THEY'RE PAID TO SEE
United Press International (UPI), Kyiv, Ukraine, Sat, Nov 20, 2004
KIEV, Ukraine - Nov. 20 (UPI) -- The first round of Ukraine's presidential
election has gained the basic approval of a group of Democratic former
congressmen paid to observe the vote.
The group declared the Oct. 31 election was basically free and fair and
"geared toward the finest methods of ensuring fairness and accuracy,"
the Washington Post reported Saturday.
But the assessment contradicts that of European monitors and U.S. state
department officials, all of whom cited widespread irregularities and
called the election "a step backwards."
The Democrats were recruited -- and paid $500 per day -- by a Washington
lobbyist registered as an agent of pro-Russian candidate Prime Minister
Viktor Yanukovych. He and former Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko
each received 39 percent of the vote.
The Democrats' group was led Rep. Robert Carr, D-Mich., and included
Rep. Norman D'Amours of New Hampshire, Ronald Coleman of Texas
and Mike Ward of Kentucky plus several former Democratic Congressmen.
The entire trip cost $125,000. -30-
========================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.226: ARTICLE NUMBER ELEVEN
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11. LETTER TO FORMER MEMBERS IN DELEGATION HEADED
BY FORMER REPRESENTATIVE ROBERT CARR OF MICHIGAN
TO MONITOR THE UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
TO: Former Members in Delegation headed by Former Representative
Robert Carr of Michigan to Monitor the Ukrainian Presidential Election
FROM: Joseph Davis Tydings
Former U.S. Senator, (D) Maryland
November 21, 2004
Dear Gentlemen:
Like yourselves, I am a former Member of the U.S. Congress. I was United
States Senator from Maryland, 1965-1971.
I am one of a seven former congressmen delegation sent to monitor Sunday's
election. Our delegation is sponsored by the U.S. Association of Former
Members of Congress (USAFMC) and the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation.
Funding for this delegation and the previous four delegations of U.S.
congressmen is provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development.
The purpose of this letter is to make absolutely certain that each of you is
aware the many reports and findings of the USAFMC delegations and other
monitoring delegations who have spent considerable time in Ukraine. These
delegations - and respected international organizations such as the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the International
Republican Institute, and the National Democratic Institute - have observed
overwhelming accounts of intimidation, threats, media oppression, and
administrative abuses across Ukraine. For your reference, please see the
last two reports of the USAFMC/USUF delegations.
The numerous accounts have prompted the OSCE, Council of Europe, and
many others to declare that the first round of Ukraine's presidential
election was well below international standards and a "step back from
democracy."
The four prior reports of the USAFMC delegations emphasize that Ukraine's
adherence to international standards for a free and fair election is not
based solely on the orderly casting and counting of ballots on Election Day.
A free and fair election is inextricably connected with the election
process, including the freedom of association without fear of loss of job or
explusion from school, the freedom to report in the press free of directives
and orders from the government, and the proper maintaining of voter lists.
As you know, Senator Lugar is in Ukraine this weekend representing President
Bush. Echoing the statements of other missions, Senator Lugar said in his
November 10 statement, "The future of Ukraine will be decided not
necessarily by the outcome, but by the conduct of the upcoming elections.
To date, the campaign has been marked by widespread political intimidation
and the failure to give equal coverage to opposition candidates by the
media.My mission will not be to advocate the election of one candidate or
another, but to promote the need for a free and fair process."
The second reason for this letter is to advise you that your delegation's
funding, sponsorship, and objectivity is questioned both in Ukraine and the
United States. I include with this letter an article in yesterday's Kyiv
Post entitled "Delegation with ties to Prime Minister Returns" and an
English translation of an article in the Ukrainska Pravda dated November 14,
2004. Ukrainska Pravda is an independent, online news source funded by
the National Endowment for Democracy.
I also enclose a copy of the letter signed by former congressmen of previous
delegations which expresses their "alarm and concern" in response to the
findings of the previous Carr delegation.
The monitoring delegation sent to Ukraine by the Association of Former
Congressmen is here to observe and monitor the Ukrainian presidential
election. We have and should have no preferences or ties directly or
indirectly to any candidate. Our sole objective is to help ensure by our
presence an honest and fair election.
The rumors, allegations, and charges swirling around your delegation are
sufficiently disturbing that I felt compelled to bring them to your
attention. I urge you not to take lightly the charges noted in the
Ukrainska Pravda article.
If any of you wish to discuss the situation with me, I am staying at the
Dnipro Hotel.
With best personal wishes and expectations for successful monitoring and a
fair and honest election, I remain,
Yours very truly,
Joseph Davis Tydings
CC: Senator Richard Lugar
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