"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"
"THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT" - Number 441
morganw@patriot.net, ArtUkraine.com@starpower.net
Washington, D.C. and Kyiv, Ukraine, MONDAY, March 14, 2005
-----INDEX OF ARTICLES-----
"Major International News Headlines and Articles"
1. UKRAINE-US BUSINESS NETWORKING SERIES: FORUM II
March 30/31, 2005, New York City, NY
Walter A. Zaryckyj, Executive Director
Center for US-Ukrainian Relations,
Program Coordinator, UA-US B2B Networking Series;
Tamara Gallo, National Office Director
Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA),
Executive Coordinator, UA-US B2B Networking Series
New York, New York, Saturday, March 12, 2005
THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT
Washington, D.C., Monday, March 14, 2005
2. ON SOME URGENT MEASURES FOR THE NEW GOVERNMENT
Letter of Olexander Moroz, Head of the Socialist Party of Ukraine, To
the President of Ukraine Yushchenko, Head of the Verhovna Rada Litvin
Prime Minister Timoshenko
Office of MP Olexander Moroz, Kyiv, Ukraine, 17 February, 2005
3. NATIONAL BANK OF UKRAINE (NBU) RESOLUTION 482
Capital Flight: NBU tentatives for foreign investors that invest or divest
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Jacques Mounier, Head of Calyon Bank Ukraine,
First western bank to have come to Ukraine in 1993
Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, March 12, 2005
4. ORANGE CLEAN-UP LOOMS IN UKRAINE
"My government will not take bribes. My government will not steal."
By Marina Denysenko, BBC Ukrainian Service
BBC NEWS, UK, Sunday, March 12, 2005
5. UNTIMELY DEATHS IN UKRAINE
Strange suicides and car crashes among foes of the former regime
bring calls for investigations.
By Kim Murphy, Times Staff Writer
Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, CA, Sun, Mar 13, 2005
6. COMMERCIAL LAW REFORM IN RUSSIA AND EURASIA
International Conference, April 8-9, 2005
Washington,D.C.
Joseph Dresen, Woodrow Wilson Center
Conference Announcement:
Commercial Law Reform in Russia and Eurasia,
Washington, D.C., Thursday, 10 Mar 2005
7. SOVIET HEROES 'WRITTEN OUT OF WAR'
Murdo Macleod, Scotland On Sunday
The Scotsman, Edinburgh, Scotland, Sunday, March 13, 2005
==============================================================
1. UKRAINE-US BUSINESS NETWORKING SERIES: FORUM II
March 30/31 2005, New York City, NY
Walter A. Zaryckyj, Executive Director
Center for US-Ukrainian Relations
Program Coordinator, UA-US B2B Networking Series;
Tamara Gallo, National Office Director
Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA)
Executive Coordinator, UA-US B2B Networking Series
New York, New York, Saturday, March 12, 2005
THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT
Washington, D.C., Monday, March 14, 2005
UKRAINE-US BUSINESS NETWORKING SERIES: FORUM II
March 30/31 2005, New York City, NY
You are respectfully invited to attend a conference entitled "Ukraine-US
Business Networking Series: Forum II," which will take place March 30/31
in New York City.
The two-day forum will bring together experts from the corporate and
academic world as well as key representative of Ukraine, the United States,
the European Union, and Ukraine's several neighbors to evaluate Ukraine's
ability to advantageously compete in the global economic arena.
It will be held at a very critical moment in Ukraine's history; in a period
of time when Ukraine has been recording double digit economic growth
and in the immediate aftermath of an election that has brought to power
a leadership committed to 'rule of law' and to 'market transparency.'
The forum's format will include four regular sessions featuring twelve
panels (open to registered general participants), two working lunches,
twelve breakout B2B sessions (open to registered corporate participants)
and two conference receptions.
Three of the regular sessions and the breakout sessions will essentially
exam "micro" issues in the following categories of economic interest:
Agriculture, Aerospace and Defense Technology, Consumer Goods,
Construction, Energy, Financial Services, Information Technology,
Machine and Auto Building, Media and Entertainment, Medical Technology,
Metals and Chemicals and Travel/Tourism. The final regular session,
the working lunches as well as the conference receptions will dwell on
"macro" issues facing Ukraine's economy.
Due to the time constraints we kindly ask that you respond just as soon
as possible concerning your acceptance to participate.
Ukraine-US Business to Business Networking Series: Forum II
GENERAL FORUM CALENDAR OF EVENTS
MARCH 29, TUESDAY-----------------------
Event: Forum Registration
Time: 4 PM - 6 PM; Venue: UIA/NYU [Institute of Fine Arts]
Event: Forum Orientation
Time: 6 PM - 7:30 PM; Venue: UIA/NYU [Institute of Fine Arts]
MARCH 30, WEDNESDAY -----------------
Event: First Day of the Forum
Time: 9 AM - 5:30 PM; Venue: Ukrainian Institute of America
Event: Forum Evening Reception
Time: 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM; Venue: Union League Club
MARCH 31, THURSDAY --------------------
Event: Second Day of the Forum
Time: 9 AM - 5:30 PM; Venue: Ukrainian Institute of America
Event: Patrons' Reception
Time: 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM; Venue: NYU [The Torch Club]
Ukraine-US Business to Business Networking Series: Forum II
DAY 1 - MARCH 30 - WEDNESDAY MORNING
Conference Venue: Ukrainian Institute of America
(Open to all registered general and corporate participants)
9:00 AM - 9:30 AM Opening Remarks ----------
Theme: Taking Measure of the Present General State of the UA Economy
Chair: Adrian Karatnycky (Freedom House)
Featured Speaker: Oleh Rybachuk (Vice Premier for Euro-Integration)
9:30 AM -12:45 PM [II] Resources: Overview -Three Panels
(1) Theme: Does UA Have a Financial Infrastructure Sufficient to Sustain Its
Recent Impressive Economic Growth?
Moderator: Oleh Havrylyshyn (IMF)
Panelists: Michael Bleyzer (SigmaBleyzer); Jcques Mounier (Calyon Bank/UA)
Oleksandr Sorokin (Ukreximbank)
(2) Theme: What Can the "Land of Endless Black Earth" Do to Become a
World Class Food Producer?
Moderator: John Costello (CNFA)
Panelists: Alexiy Havrilov (United Grain Group)
Ivan Tomych (VR/Committee on Agriculture)
(3) Theme: Is the Emergence of UA as a "Player" in the Global Energy
Production and Transport Business Possible?
Moderator: George Laszkiewicz (ComPro)
Panelists: Olexandr Hudyma (VR Committee on Energy)
Robert Bensh (Carpatsky Petroleum); Keith Smith (CSIS)
And a Good Word About the......UA Travel and Tourist Business
Special Speaker: Andrij Hinkul (Navigator CU)
9:30 AM - 11:00 AM B2B Sessions (Open to Registered Corporate
Participants):
Media and Entertainment [Four Lead Discussants]
Tourism [Four Lead Discussants]
11:15 AM - 12:45 PM B2B Sessions (Open to Registered Corporate
Participants):
Medical Technology [Four Lead Discussants]
Information Technology [Four Lead Discussants]
Ukraine-US Business to Business Networking Series: Forum II
DAY 1 - MARCH 30 - WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON
(Open to all registered general and corporate participants)
12:45 PM - 2:15 PM Working Lunch ----------
Theme: Divining the Economic Priorities of the New UA President
Chair: Myron Wasylyk (PBN)
Featured Speaker: Olexandr Zinchenko (State Secretary/POUA)[Invited]
2:15 PM - 5:30 PM [II] Industry: Overview - Three Panels (Open to
all registered general and corporate participants)-------
(1) Theme: Is UA's Fast Moving Consumer Goods Sector Ready for a
Major Breakout?
Moderator: Desi Jordanoff (US DOC/BISNIS)
Panelists: George Logush (Kraft Foods)
Jose Carlos Gonzales-Hurtado (Procter & Gamble)
(2) Theme: Has Anybody Noticed That UA Is Literally Rebuilding from
the Ground Up?
Moderator: Andrew Nadzhos (UA Econ. Mission/US)
Panelists: Vasyl Mazhur (Kyivmiskbud HC); Michael Perry (Perry
Construction); Andriy Vasylashko (KAS Group)
(3) Theme: How Might UA's Materials Processing Sectors Move Beyond
a Regional Presence?
Moderator: Bo Denysyk (Global USA)
Panelists: Vitaliy Satskyi (Zaporizhal); Mykola Yankovsky (Stirol)
And a Good Word About the......UA Vehicle Building Business
Special Speaker: Ihor Fomenko (FTF Kraz)
2:15 PM - 3:45 PM B2B Sessions (Open to Registered Corporate
Participants):
Financial Sector [Four Lead Discussants]
Agriculture [Four Lead Discussants]
4:00 PM - 5:30 PM B2B Sessions (Open to Registered Corporate
Participants):
Machine and Auto Building [Four Lead Discussants]
Aerospace and Defense Technology [Four Lead Discussants]
7:30 PM - 9:30 PM Forum Reception ----------
[Venue: Union League Club]
Theme: Pondering the Future Legal Climate for Foreign Investors in UA
Chair: John Hewko (Millennium Challenge Corporation)
Featured Speaker: Roman Zvarych (Minister of Justice/Ukraine)
Ukraine-US Business to Business Networking Series: Forum II
DAY 2 - MARCH 31 - THURSDAY MORNING
Conference Venue: Ukrainian Institute of America
Open to all registered general and corporate participants
9:00 AM - 12:15 PM [III] Hi Tech: Overview - Three Panels
(1) Theme: Pondering UA's Future Place in the "Global Pharmacy or
Bio-engineering Lab"
Moderator: Roxolana Horbovyj (US Food & Drug Administration)
Panelists: Christian Carrer (FICM); Fila Zhebrovska (Farmak);
Ihor Birka (Desomark)
(2) Theme: UA's Young IT Designers..Giving Innovation a Whole New Meaning
Moderator: Andrew Bihun (US Department of Commerce)
Panelists: Taras Kitsmey (SoftServe Inc.); Sergey Yanchyshyn (Motorola/UA)
Andrij Kholodiuk (Techinvest)
(3) Theme: Is There a Place in the Global Aviation Market for the Folks Who
Have Built AN-140s? Moderator: William Courtney (CSC/Dyncorp.)
Panelists: Craig Jones (Boeing); Oleksandr Kiva (Antonov)
And a Good Word About the.......UA Media and Entertainment Business
Special Speaker: Peter Borisow (Hollywood Trident Foundation)
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM B2B Sessions (Open to Registered Corporate
Participants):
Consumer Goods [Four Lead Discussants]
Construction [Four Lead Discussants]
10:45 AM - 12:15 PM B2B Sessions (Open to Registered Corporate
Participants):
Machine and Vehicle Building [Four Lead Discussants]
Metals and Chemicals [Four Lead Discussants]
12:15 PM - 1:45 PM Working Lunch ----------
Theme: Contemplating Strategies for Investing in the Ukraine's Economy
Chair: Ihor Rawkowsky (Citigroup)
Featured Speakers: Marianna Kozintseva (Bear Stearns); Andrey
Terekhov (Carlyle Group); Jorge Intriago (Price WaterhouseCoopers)
Ukraine-US Business to Business Networking Series: Forum II
DAY 2 - MARCH 31 - AFTERNOON
Open to all registered general and corporate participants)
1:45 AM - 5:00 PM [IV] From the Micro to the Macro - Three Panels
(1) Theme: Assessing the Pace of Privatization in the UA Economy
Moderator: Christine Lucyk (US Department of Commerce)
Featured Speaker: Yuri Yekhanurov (VR Comm. on Industry)
Lead Discussant: William Miller (Kennan Institute)
Suggested Topics: Privatization of Industry; Privatization of Land
Privatization of Resources; Ownership Transparency
(2) Theme: Assessing the Pace of Fiscal Reform in the UA Economy
Moderator: Maksm Vdovychenko (UA Econ. Mission/US)
Featured Speaker: Valeriy Asadchev (VR Budgetary Comm.)
Lead Discussant: Matthew Gaertner (US Department of Treasury)
Suggested Topics: Reduction of Number of Taxes; Lowering Taxes
Rates Elimination of Exemptions; Provision of Investment Incentives
(3) Theme: Assessing the Pace of Administrative Reform in the UA
Economy;
Moderator: Yevhen Burkat (UA Embassy to the US)
Featured Speaker: Olexandr Slobodyan (VR Comm./Investments)
Lead Discussant: J.Peter Higgins (US Department of State)
Suggested Topics: Ending Regulatory Discrimination
Ending State Intervention in Pricing; Elimination of Subsidies
Elimination of Trade Barriers
A Final Good Word About..... Investing in Ukraine
Special Speaker: Myron Rabij (Salans Partners Kyiv)
5:00 PM - 5:30 PM Concluding Remarks ----------
Theme: Taking Measure of the Role the US Can Play in Assisting
Ukraine's Drive Toward a Developed Market Economy
Chair: Kyle Parker (American Foreign Policy Council)
Featured Speaker: Catherine Novelli (Assist. US Trade Rep/EEA) [Invited]
7:30 PM - 9:30 PM Patrons Reception ----------
[Venue: NYU/The Torch Club];
Chair: Jay Oliva (New York University)
Featured Speaker: Rudolph Giuliani (Giuliani Partners) [Invited]
Ukraine-US Business to Business Networking Series: Forum II
Business-to-Business Break-out Sessions I and II
Wednesday, March 30th - First Morning Sessions
(Open to Registered Corporate Participants)
9:30 AM - 11:00 AM MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT ----------
Chair: Peter Borisow (Hollywood Trident) Printed Press and Internet
Media
USG: Zoryslav Bajdiuk (VOA) Radio and Television
UAG: Andrij Nadzhos (UA EM/NY) Movie Industry
Discussants: Music/Theater/Arts
Volodymyr Ariev (5 Kanal); Oles Sanin (Freska Productions)
Iya Labunka (Disney Studios); Virlana Tkach (Yara Arts Group)
9:30 AM - 11:00 PM TRAVEL & TOURISM ----------
Chair: L. Hodges (Hippocrene Travel Guide) Air Travel
USG: Desi Jordanoff (US DOC/BISNIS) Border Control Issues
UAG: Maksym Yvdovchenko (UA EM/NY) Hotels
Discussants: Vasyl Popovych (Lviv-InTourTrans); Evhen Budko
(International Tourism); Marika Helbig (Scope Travel)
Wolodymyr Kozicky (Dunwoodie Travel) Excursions and Cruises
Business-to-Business Break-out Sessions III and IV
Wednesday, March 30th - Second Morning Sessions
(Open to Registered Corporate Participants)
11:15 AM - 12:45 PM MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY ----------
Chair: Thomas Materna (Biomark) - Pharmaceuticals
USG: Roxolana Horbovyj (US FDA) -Medical Instruments
UAG: Yehven Burkat (UA EMB/EM) - General Medical Supplies
Discussants: Oleh Siarkevych (Farmak); Dmitry Itkin (Solux)
Oleh Denysyk (Roche); Nick Yaremko (Johnson & Johnson) -
Bio/Genetic Engineering
11:15 AM - 12:45 PM INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ----------
Chair: Lubomyr Romankiv (IBM) - Telecommunications
USG: Andy Bihun (US DOC ITA) - Computer Software
UAG: Serhiy Korsunsky (UA EMB/UA) -Computer Hardware
Discussants: Serhiy Loboyko (Techinvest);Bohdan
Kupysh (Kvasar Micro); Volodymyr Sharov (Intel UA)
Yaroslav Lubynets (Soft Serve UA) -IT Server Systems
Ukraine-US Business to Business Networking Series: Forum II
Business-to-Business Break-out Sessions V and VI
Wednesday, March 30th - First Afternoon Sessions
(Open to Registered Corporate Participants)
2:15 PM - 3:45 PM FINANCIAL SERVICES ----------
Chair: Bohdan Kekish (SR NY FCU) - Banking and Investment
USG: Matthew Gaertner (US/Treasury) - Insurance
UAG: Valeriy Asadchev (VR Budget Cm.) - Pension Funds
Discussants: Oleh Savchenko (Int'l Commerce Bank)
Kostiantyn Symonenko (Ukreximbank); Jorge Intriago
(PricewaterhouseCoopers); Andrij Bej (Salans Partners) -
Bonds Issuance/Commodity Trading
2:15 PM - 3:45 PM FOOD PRODUCTION ---------
Participants Subjects for discussion
Chair: David Sweere (Kyiv Atlantic Farms) - Growing
USG: Andy Bihun (US DOC ITA) - Processing
UAG: Ivan Tomych (VR Agric. Comm.) - Packing
Discussants: John Costello (CNFA); Ivan Smahalsky
(Khmelbud); Volodymyr Halushko (Ukragroleasing)
Vasyl Shpak (VR/UA) - Transportation
Ukraine-US Business to Business Networking Series: Forum II
Business-to-Business Break-out Sessions VII and VIII
Wednesday, March 30th - Second Afternoon Sessions
(Open to Registered Corporate Participants)
4:00 PM - 5:30 PM ENERGY----------
Chair: Olga Oliker (RAND) - Oil and Gas
USG: Andy Bihun (US DOC ITA) - Coal
UAG: Olexandr Hudyma (VR Energy Cm.) Nuclear
Discussants: Robert Bensh (Carpatsky Petroleum); Andrij
Honcharuk (Interpipe); Oleh Ivchenko (Ukreximnefteproduct)
Keith Smith (CSIS) - Energy Infrastructure
4:00 PM - 5:30 PM AEROSPACE & DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY ---------
Chair: William McLaughlin (SOLID TEAM) - Civilian Aircraft
USG: Karen Kay (DOD) [Invited] - Military Aircraft
UAG: Andriy Lukianets (UA EMB/DA) - Missile Technology
Discussants: Oleh Dekhtyarov (Pivdenmashavia)
Oleksandr Sharapov (Ukroboronservice) - Katerina Rogatch
(KATREDES); George Gamota (MITRE) - Anti-Missile Technology
Ukraine-US Business to Business Networking Series: Forum II
Business-to-Business Break-out Sessions IX and X
Thursday, March 31st - First Morning Sessions
(Open to Registered Corporate Participants)
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM CONSUMER GOODS -----------
Chair: Peter Teluk (PM/UA) FMCG
USG: Desi Jordanoff (US DOC/BISNIS) - Textile and Clothing
UAG: Maksym Vydovchenko (UA EM/NY) - Furniture and Appliances
Discussants: Illarion Mendrov (Gregory Arber); Mykhaylo Fylypovych
(Office Projekt); George Logush (Kraft Foods); J.C. Gonzalez-Hurtado
(Procter & Gamble) - Leisure
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM CONSTRUCTION ---------
Chair: Walter Prochorenko (Pro W Ukraine) - Housing
USG: Matthew Gaertner (US/Treasury) - Land Transport Infrastructure
UAG: Andrij Nadzhos (UA Econ. Mission) - Industrial Complexes
Discussants: Michael Perry (Perry Construction); Myron Rabij (Salans
Partners); Oleksandr Kovtunenko (KAS Group); Anatoliy Perekupka
(Servdonmetalbaton) - Development Financing
Ukraine-US Business to Business Networking Series: Forum II
Business-to-Business Break-out Sessions XI and XII
Wednesday, March 30th - Second Afternoon Sessions
(Open to Registered Corporate Participants)
10:45 AM - 12:15 PM MACHINE AND VEHICLE BUILDING ----------
Chair:Nestor Scherbey (CTRMS) - Process Control Equipment
USG: Andrew Bihun (US DOC) - Heavy Machinery
UAG: Serhiy Korsunsky (UA EMB/EM) - Auto Building
Discussants: Volodymyr Volkov (Vektor Tekhnolohiya)
lan Frederickson (Die Casters Int'l); Ihor Fomenko (Kraz)
Andrij Lyssikov (IFT) - Ship Building
10:45 AM - 12:15 PM METALS AND CHEMICALS ----------
Chair: Chuck Walton (Walker-Bauman) - Ferrous
USG: Desi Jordanoff (US DOC/BISNIS) - Non Ferrous
UAG: Yevhen Burkat (UA EMB/EM) - Plastics
Discussants: Vasyl Mikulin (Ukrkoks); Mykola Yankovsky (Stirol)
Bohdan Harhaj (Transammonia); Christopher Goss (Mining
Investment/IFC) - Industrial Chemicals
UKRAINE-US Business Networking Series: Forum II
March 30/31 2005 New York City
(1) Forum Venues & Hotel Information ----------------
Wednesday & Thursday, March 30/31, 2005
UKRAINE-US Business Networking Series: Forum II will be held
at the Ukrainian Institute of America
2 East 79th Street [On the Corner of Fifth Avenue and 79th Street]
and NYU's Institute of Fine Arts, 1 East 78th Street
[On the Corner of Fifth Avenue and 78th Street], NY, NY
(2) Receptions Venue ---------------
The Forum Reception will be held on March 30th, 2005
at the Union League Club, 38 East 37th Street
[Between Park Avenue and Madison Avenue], NY, NY
The Patrons Reception will be held on March 31st, 2005
at the New York University Torch Club; 18 Waverly Place,
[One Block East of Washington Square Park], NY, NY
(3) Hotel Accommodations --------------
THE NEW YORK HELMSLEY HOTEL
212 East 42nd Street, [One Block East of Grand Central Station]
A block of rooms has been reserved for Forum Participants.
(4) Registration Fees ---------------
The general participant's registration fee is $250.00. This fee
includes the general conference proceedings and working lunches.
There is an additional fee of $150.00 if one wants to attend any
of the B2B Breakaway Sessions. The Wednesday evening Forum
reception costs an additional $50.00 and the Thursday evening
Patron's Reception also costs an additional $50.00.
The corporate participant's registration fee is $500.00 and this
includes all the various events offered by the Forum.
(5) For Information and Reservations please contact--------------
(a) Walter A. Zaryckyj, Executive Director, Center for US-Ukrainian
Relations; Program Coordinator, Ukraine-US Business Networking
Series: Forum II, tel: 212-473-0839, fax: 212-473-2180; or e-mail,
waz1@nyu.edu; or contact:
(b) Tamara Gallo, National Office Director, Ukrainian Congress
Committee of America (UCCA); UA-US B2B Networking Series
Executive Coordinator; tel: 212-228-6840, fax 212-254-4721,
or e-mail, ucca@ucca.org.
6. UA-US B2B Forum II Steering Committee and Sponsors----------
(a) STEERING COMMITTEE---------------
Chairs: Vira Hladun Goldmann, Bohdan Kekish, Julian Kulas
Members: Peter Borisow, Yevhen Burkat, Annie Condoulis
Tamara Gallo, Mykola Hryckowiana, Adrian Karatnycky
George Laszkewicz, Andrew Nadzhos, Kyle Parker
Herman Pirchner, Maxym Vdovychenko, Walter Zaryckyj
(b) SPONSORS---------------
American Foreign Policy Council
Center for US-Ukrainian Relations
Columbia University/UA Studies Program
NYU Stern School of Business
NYU/Liberal Arts Program
UA Economic Mission to the United States
UA Embassy to the United States
Ukrainian Congress Committee of America
Ukrainian Institute of America
US Dept. of Commerce/BIZNIS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Formatting and Edits by: The Action Ukraine Report Monitoring Service]
==============================================================
2. ON SOME URGENT MEASURES FOR THE NEW GOVERNMENT
Letter of Olexander Moroz, Head of the Socialist Party of
Ukraine, To the President of Ukraine Yushchenko, Head of the
Verhovna Rada Litvin Prime Minister Timoshenko
17 February, 2005, Kyiv, Ukraine
Letter of Olexander Moroz
Head of the Socialist Party of Ukraine
To the President of Ukraine Yushchenko
Head of the Verhovna Rada Litvin
Prime Minister Timoshenko
Subject: On some urgent measures for the new government
Analysis of the current situation in the country provide evidences that
there is a need for urgent and concrete measures to demonstrate to citizens
that the new government has a great deal of commitment to make changes and
sustainable development of the country. These steps are necessary in order
to show the willingness of the new political forces to reform the country.
I believe that it is necessary to implement the following measures
I - In Public Administration
a.. Separate government and private sector activities
b.. Undertake functional reviews of the President's Administration. The
reform should devolve functions to the line ministries such as issuance of
Presidential Decrees on economic regulations and organization of agencies.
It should also transfer reporting of most Central Committees to line
ministries.
c.. Eliminate conflicts of interest and consolidate the flow of funds from
collecting agencies (State Tax Administration, Custom Service etc.)
subordinating them to one governmental unit (such as the Ministry of
Finance of Ukraine)
d.. Decentralization of government with a clear definition of the
functions and responsibilities transferred to local levels.
II - Strengthen Public Finance Discipline
a.. Eliminate tax privileges and exemptions for selected industries and
enterprises.
b.. Eliminate free economic zones
c.. Complete the tax reform program, including the reduction in VAT, the
elimination of tax exemptions and privileges, and the adoption of a single
social security tax.
d.. Complete the restructuring of VAT arrears.
e.. Eliminate the incentives of state agencies to carry out excessive
government intervention in businesses.
f.. Completely change the staff of the State Custom Administration
g.. Make a clear decision on the state monopoly for producing and trading
alcohol
III - Deregulate Business Activities
a.. Implement the one-stop-shop system of business registration across
the country.
b.. Simplify and reduce the number of inspections, eliminating ad-hoc
inspections.
c.. Eliminate the current system of tax police.
IV - Foreign Trade and FDI
a.. Ease the system of certification and standardization to acknowledge
international standards and certificates for quality and safety
b.. Urgently prepare measures related to the country's accession to WTO
c.. Secure rights of foreign investors and ensure fair and equal treatment
for all entities
V - Legal Environment
a.. Urgently pass the amendment to the Constitution of Ukraine #3207
b.. Pass the Law on Cabinet of Ministers
c.. Pass set of Laws, which will identify functions, authorities and
responsibilities transferred to local administrations and local self
governments
d.. Define the framework of the internal and external policies
e.. Urgently pass the Law on Temporarily Investigation Committees
The necessary conditions for success are:
a.. Improving information transparency and openness will also be an
important weapon to combat corruption, which is a major cause of distortions
in public sector behavior. Eliminate numerous privileges in the Ministry of
Internal Affairs, Ministry of Transportation, Ministry of Defense, State
Auto Inspection
b.. Secure transparency in appointments of the new government officials
c.. Not allow privatization of the strategically important companies
d.. The legitimacy of the questioned privatization cases should be
examined only by courts
e.. Issue state acts for land property not later than the end of this year
f.. Establish the Coalition Council for the President of Ukraine with 7-10
members, which will be supporting country's development
I am considering on your support.
Sincerely, Olexandr Moroz
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally Published in Ukrainian in Olexander Moroz web site at
http://www.spu.org.ua/sp/aktuall/zajava/index.php?cont=long&id=87&year=2005&today=17&month=02
[The Action Ukraine Report Monitoring Service]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOOTNOTE: Our thanks to Dr. Ediberto Segura, Chief Economist,
SigmaBleyzer, Kyiv, for sending us a copy of the Moroz letter.
=================================================================
3. NATIONAL BANK OF UKRAINE (NBU) RESOLUTION 482
Capital Flight: NBU tentatives for foreign investors that invest or divest
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Jacques Mounier, Head of Calyon Bank Ukraine,
First western bank to have come to Ukraine in 1993
Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, March 12, 2005
RE: "URGENT AND RADICAL IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED IN
UKRAINE'S LEGAL REGIME FOR BUSINESS AND INVESTMENT"
By Dr. Irina Paliashvili, President and Senior Counsel
Russian-Ukrainian Legal Group, P.A.
Washington, D.C. and Kyiv, Ukraine
THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT, No. 438, Article No. One
Washington, D.C., Thursday, March 10, 2005
Dear Madame, Dear Mr Editor,
Having been for 6 years in Ukraine, as a foreigner and a banker, and
being very involved in banking matters, in lobbying on them, I was a bit
surprised , when I read the comments made by you Madame about the
National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), and its awkward tentatives to combat
capital flight, by instituting some hurdles for "foreign" investors that
invest or divest. As you probably should know it, those foreign investors
that were targetted are for their majority, investors of Ukraine and of
Russia, which in both cases act from tax havens mostly..
If you, as suggested below, want to write a specific article about it,
and especially about NBU Resolution 482 , probably to be revamped, and
other resolutions on such matters, try first to understand the magnitude
of the problems, the motivations of Ukraine ( the NBU ), and try also , at
the same time, by meeting with them, to decipher the real motivations of
the ones, Russian first, but also of some westerners, that were and are
so vocal about such tentatives . Ukrainians cannot be vocal about those
measures obviously....
I do not mean that the NBU was not clumsy in its attempts, that such a set
up is perfect...that it was implemented in a legal way..but bottom line :
if one desires to invest in Ukraine, or divest from Ukraine , even if it
takes a bit more time, and could cost a bit more, , one will invest or
divest. And the schemes that westerners ( that are very often fake noses
of Ukrainians, Russians...) used, will hardly work !
Please understand and accept that it is right for a country (and/or for
one of its key regulators ) to care about its national interests first,
and second that the law of the jungle is not to privilege.
Ready thus, with others, to help you to discuss about the issues, if you
accept so
I would appreciate, Mr Editor, if it is it the rule, my comment to be
published.
Jacques Mounier
Head of Calyon Bank Ukraine
First western bank to have come to Ukraine in 1993
jacques.mounier@ua.calyon.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOOTNOTE: The Action Ukraine Report welcomes further discussion by
our readers about the above subject and encourages readers to write
the comments to us on other Ukrainian matters of interest to them. EDITOR
===============================================================
4. ORANGE CLEAN-UP LOOMS IN UKRAINE
"My government will not take bribes. My government will not steal."
By Marina Denysenko, BBC Ukrainian Service
BBC NEWS, UK, Sunday, March 12, 2005
"My government will not take bribes. My government will not steal",
Ukraine's new liberal President Viktor Yushchenko proclaimed as the new
cabinet was triumphantly voted in by parliament last month. Yulia
Tymoshenko, nicknamed "the goddess" of the Orange Revolution and now
Ukraine's prime minister, spoke of separating Ukraine's "Siamese twins" -
business and politics.
Other key changes were looming: reviewing controversial privatisations,
weeding out unfair tax privileges and improving the management of state
monopolies by hiring new staff in open tenders.
The ambitious plans are causing a stir in Ukraine's business community and
among the public at large. Ukrainians accustomed to the cronyism and
corruption associated with Mr Yushchenko's predecessor, Leonid Kuchma,
were stunned by the new government's pledges. It was hard to believe that
the interests of the powerful oligarchs controlling large chunks of
Ukraine's economy could be trampled upon.
TRANSPARENCY
As in most other former Soviet countries, during Mr Kuchma's reign
ministerial offices were often viewed as a mere extension of the oligarchs'
business empires, competing for markets and influence. Some have already
hailed the new government for transparency.
"They are already more open than the previous Ukrainian governments, they
are talking more openly and publicly about the reforms, explaining what they
want to do and why they want to do it," said economist Edilberto Segura at
the Kiev offices of SigmaBleyzer Investment Bank, in a newspaper interview.
But others see confusion and internal strife within the government about how
the reforms should proceed.
The policy of re-privatisation is highlighted: President Yushchenko said
some 30 dubious privatisation deals would be revoked, while Ms Tymoshenko
said some 3,000 deals had irregularities.
According to Gennady Bogolubov, of the Privat Group industrial holding, "the
biggest blow is occurring now, in the uncertain time between the declaration
of their privatisation plans and the announcement of the list". But
Russia's Lukoil group announced it was increasing its investment in Ukraine
by $300m, while the stock market reported a 200% rise in some shares.
TEST CASE
It is almost certain that top of the list will be the Kryvorizhstal steel
mill, which in 2004 went to two Ukrainian business tycoons with close links
to the government for some $800m. One was Viktor Pinchuk, Mr Kuchma's
son-in-law. The other was Ukraine's richest man, Rinat Akhmetov, who
bankrolled the campaign of Mr Yushchenko's rival, Viktor Yanukovych. The
deal was rigged, according to the new government: the LNM Group and US
Steel offered twice as much. Ukraine's Supreme Court has ruled the sale
of the mill invalid.
"Kryvorizhstal is doomed," says Andriy Blinov of the International Centre
for Policy Studies. "It is about political face. But it is important that
everything is resolved through courts, within the legal framework." The
Supreme Court's ruling could be the beginning of a protracted legal battle
to return the giant to state hands. Some argue that if applied on a larger
scale, it could clog up Ukraine's legal system.
VESTED INTERESTS
Many Ukrainians remain sceptical about the leadership's willingness to
separate business from politics. Ministers should hand their businesses
over, President Yushchenko insisted - and not just to their families, but to
outside managers.
Last month the pledge was tested when a scandal erupted over the newly
appointed justice minister, Roman Zvarych. The Ukrainian media claimed
that the minister's wife was a top manager in an oil exporting company with
illegal multi-million profits. For the first time Ukraine witnessed a widely
publicised conflict of interest concerning a government official. It was not
resolved and the minister stayed in the government.
"Double standards are inherent to this government," Andriy Blinov says.
"Something is happening, but there is no public information. The government
promised to declare the incomes of their family members, but this has not
been done."
There are considerable business interests behind several government members,
like Petro Poroshenko, head of Ukraine's Security Council, and David
Zhvaniya, minister for emergencies. It is unclear whether any of them has
relinquished control over these interests. Meanwhile, many members of
parliament also have strong business interests.
Ms Tymoshenko, who was known to be one of the richest women in Ukraine in
the 1990s, insists that her business was destroyed under Mr Kuchma's reign.
"My past and my future testify that I love my country and want to serve its
interests," she told Time magazine. -30-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LINK: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4341375.stm
===============================================================
5. UNTIMELY DEATHS IN UKRAINE
Strange suicides and car crashes among foes of the former regime
bring calls for investigations.
By Kim Murphy, Times Staff Writer
Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, CA, Sun, Mar 13, 2005
KIEV, Ukraine - By all official accounts, Yuri Kravchenko died by his own
hand. The former Ukrainian interior minister, scheduled to meet in just a
few hours with prosecutors to give testimony in a high-profile case of
political murder, aimed a gun at his chin and fired, sending a bullet
ripping through his cheek and out his upper jaw. Then he aimed it at his
temple and fired again.
Suicide, government investigators ruled.
Exactly 13.1% of Ukrainians who responded to a Kiev Post Internet poll
believed it was suicide. More than 80% thought Kravchenko was slain this
month to prevent him from testifying, possibly implicating former President
Leonid D. Kuchma in the decapitation of journalist Georgi Gongadze and
other crimes. Many are sure that even if Kravchenko pulled the trigger, he
was driven to it by his powerful former friends.
It was also ruled suicide when Transportation Minister Hryhoriy Kirpa,
believed to be privy to evidence of large-scale vote-rigging in the fall
presidential election, was found shot to death Dec. 27 in his bathhouse.
And when banker Yuriy Lyakh, a business associate of Kuchma's powerful
chief of staff, was found dead in his office Dec. 3, stabbed through the
neck with a letter opener from his desk, that was a suicide too.
High-profile Ukrainians have come to untimely ends in recent years by
hanging themselves from refrigerator doors by their sweaters, swallowing
poison and swerving suddenly into oncoming trucks in fact, more than half
a dozen outspoken critics of the Kuchma regime have died in unexplained car
crashes. President Viktor Yushchenko nearly died from dioxin poisoning
during the election campaign.
Now, with the popular revolution that swept the pro-West Yushchenko into
power this year, there are growing demands in parliament to open the files
on Ukraine's violent past and determine the fate of dozens of opponents of
the former regime whose deaths were dismissed as accidents, suicides or
unsolved killings.
Equally strong are demands that Kuchma, the tough-talking post-Soviet
leader who accumulated vast power before Ukraine's Orange Revolution
swept him and his associates from office, be investigated and tried for what
happened during his turbulent reign.
"If Ukraine is to become the 'European' country Yushchenko says it is, it
must stop being one . in which skeletons are allowed to rattle eternally in
official closets," the Kiev Post editorialized last month. "How can Ukraine
move forward if it's weighted down with corpses?"
"Kuchma has committed hideous crimes against the people of Ukraine," said
Petro Symonenko, first secretary of the Communist Party. "But I would like
to inform you that Kuchma is not going to be held criminally liable. Not a
single crime will ever be resolved, for one simple reason: The
investigation of these crimes will be a trial of not just Kuchma, but the
entire system in this country."
Many are convinced that Yushchenko, whose face is scarred from the
poisoning, made a secret pact in the waning hours of the election campaign
to allow Kuchma to quietly retire either to set a precedent for peaceful
democratic transition in Ukraine or to protect allies who may have
skeletons of their own in Kuchma's closet.
But Ukraine's new leaders insist they are determined to get to the bottom
of crimes such as the Gongadze killing and will follow the evidence
wherever it leads. There are no deals, Justice Minister Roman Zvarych said
in an interview.
"I can respond to this question with absolute certainty. I was Mr.
Yushchenko's legal advisor throughout the campaign, and I think I would
certainly have been aware . of any assurances, even half-assurances,
half-guarantees, nuances or hints that Mr. Yushchenko would have made to
Mr. Kuchma. I can tell you that it is impossible."
On Feb. 2, a parliamentary commission presented the country's
prosecutor-general with a 26-page report containing what lawmakers claim
is evidence that Kuchma and his associates were responsible not only for
Gongadze's death but illegal surveillance of political opponents,
journalists and nongovernmental organizations, and bribe taking, money
laundering and misappropriation that may have reached $10 billion.
Yushchenko made it clear from the beginning that he was going to demand
answers for Ukraine's disturbing past, including the 1999 death of popular
opposition leader Vyacheslav Chornovil, who was killed when his car crashed
into a Kamaz truck blocking the road, not long before his planned run
against Kuchma in the presidential campaign.
Ukraine's roads in recent years have also claimed the lives of Valery
Malev, Ukraine's former arms export chief, whose car abruptly swerved into
a truck in 2002, a few days after tapes secretly recorded by one of
Kuchma's bodyguards revealed that he had discussed the export of air
defense missiles to Iraq with the president; Anatoly Yermak, a member of
the parliamentary committee investigating organized crime and corruption,
whose car plummeted off a road in 2003; and opposition politician
Oleksander Yemets, who died in 2001 when his car swerved into a ditch.
Who would go to the trouble of staging a car crash? "I asked the very same
question to many people," said Chornovil's son, Taras. "The answer was
the same: Different security services have different traditions they follow.
Here, they have honed their skills of organizing car crashes to such
perfection that they prefer this method . even if easier and more obvious
methods are available."
Lt. Gen. Oleksander Skipalsky, a former deputy director of the federal
security service, or SBU, did not rule out that slayings could have been
disguised as traffic accidents. "Of course it's possible," he said in an
interview. "As a secret service professional, I can tell you that the most
important thing is to formulate the task. And 99% of the time, it will be
accomplished."
Kuchma has expressed his sympathy and respect for Vyacheslav Chornovil,
and often dismisses as ridiculous the notion that the authorities would
resort to violence against political opponents. Before being questioned
by the prosecutor-general's office for three hours this month in the
Gongadze case, Kuchma said he was ready to answer any questions.
"What motives could I as president possibly have for any actions against
Gongadze?" he told reporters. "I did not know him and only saw him once. I
didn't even know that he opposed the president. There were lots of other
journalists, and you know better than me who kept pestering me."
Prosecutor-General Svyatoslav Piskun said Kuchma would be questioned again
in the case and insisted that he had reached no secret agreement to protect
the former president from prosecution.
For much of the last two weeks, the country has been gripped anew with the
5-year-old Gongadze case, starting with Piskun's move this month to arrest
three senior police officers, now charged with the investigative reporter's
murder.
That was followed within days by the death of Kravchenko, who is heard on
the Kuchma bodyguard's tapes being ordered by Kuchma to "throw out"
Gongadze and "give him to the Chechens." His cryptic suicide note raised as
many questions as it answered.
"My dear ones, I'm not guilty of anything," he wrote. "Please excuse me. I
fell victim to political intrigues of President Leonid Kuchma and his
associates. I am departing from you with a clear conscience. Farewell."
The newly appointed SBU chief, Oleksander Turchynov, told reporters that
the first bullet from Kravchenko's 9-millimeter Beretta went through his
mouth and out his upper jaw, and was "far from being fatal." The second
went through his right temple.
Zvarych, the justice minister, has expressed doubt that the former interior
minister could have recovered sufficiently from the shock of the first
wound to have delivered the second.
"I have certain doubts personally speaking about whether someone can
pull the trigger twice in order to commit suicide," he said. "There's this
threshold of pain, I think, that one would need to be able to cross in
order to be able to do that, something called a 'pain syndrome,' that I
think is very difficult to overcome.
"But whether it was suicide or murder, this pattern [of deaths] has begun
to emerge as a result of the psychological aftershock that these people [of
the former regime] must be dealing with at this point."
Because of the widespread doubts over the announcement that Kravchenko's
death was a suicide, Piskun said Friday he was pursuing the investigation
as if it were a homicide to make sure any possibility of foul play could be
ruled out.
The apparent suicide of Kirpa has also aroused questions and doubts, not
least because of the former transport minister's reputation of being a man
accustomed to fighting and winning.
According to several journalists and politicians who knew him, Kirpa had a
habit of laying a handgun down prominently on his desk when beginning a
meeting with an opponent or subordinate. "It's money and fear that rule
this world," he would say. "The money is mine. And the fear is yours."
If he died by his own hand, many want to know, what was he afraid of? And
how many others are also afraid?
Reviewing the large number of tapes that apparently rest in the hands of
Kuchma's bodyguard, now negotiating his return to Ukraine with senior
administration officials, could open a Pandora's box, many analysts say.
The current speaker of the parliament, for example, can be heard on the
tapes. Symonenko, the Communist Party chief, has publicly wondered whether
the tapes might also include conversations between Kuchma and Yushchenko,
who was Kuchma's prime minister in 1999.
Viktor Shyshkin, a former judge and prosecutor-general who served on the
commission that investigated Gongadze's death, said the public would hold
Yushchenko to account for assuring that the Orange Revolution achieves a
moral victory, not merely a change of power.
"In a lot of cases, people go out into the streets for economic reasons,
when their stomach gets less than it had before. In our case, the
locomotive force was our trampled dignity," he said. "So the betrayal of
these spiritual values will by no means be forgiven to Yushchenko."
Part of what Yushchenko owes the revolution is holding Kuchma to account,
Shyshkin said.
"We're not bloodthirsty. But what is important is to have the Kuchma regime
and what it did condemned in court. This is not vengeance. This is justice."
================================================================
6. COMMERCIAL LAW REFORM IN RUSSIA AND EURASIA
International Conference, April 8-9, 2005
Washington,D.C.
Joseph Dresen, Woodrow Wilson Center
Conference Announcement:
Commercial Law Reform in Russia and Eurasia,
Washington, D.C., Thursday, 10 Mar 2005
CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT
The Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center at the University of
Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and the Woodrow Wilson Center's Kennan
Institute present an International Conference on:
"Commercial Law Reform in Russia and Eurasia"
Friday-Saturday, 8-9 April 2005
Kennan Institute, Woodrow Wilson Center
Washington, DC
The conference brings together leading legal experts from Russia, Ukraine,
Kazakhstan, the United States, Canada, and Europe to assess the extent to
which the legal infrastructure needed for a competitive market economy has
been established and what future regulatory and legal reforms and policies
are necessary.
This conference is held in honor of Peter Maggs, Professor of Law and
Clifford M. and Bette A. Carney Chair in Law, University of Illinois at
UrbanaChampaign, for his contribution to the field of legal reform in
Russia and other former Soviet nations.
The conference is free and open to the public. If you plan to attend,
please RSVP to the Kennan Institute at 202-691-4100 or by email to J
Joseph Dresen at (dresenjo@wwic.si.edu).
For additional details and to view the conference program, please visit:
http://www.reec.uiuc.edu/events/annual.html.
COSPONSORS:
Office of the Chancellor, University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign
College of Law, University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign
Center for International Business Education and Research, University of
Illinois at UrbanaChampaign
International Programs and Studies, University of Illinois at
UrbanaChampaign
International Trade Center, University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign
Center for Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia, University of
Wisconsin, Madison
American Bar Association Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative
================================================================
7. SOVIET HEROES 'WRITTEN OUT OF WAR'
Murdo Macleod, Scotland On Sunday
The Scotsman, Edinburgh, Scotland, Sunday, March 13, 2005
ONE of Russia's most senior Second World War veterans has accused the
West of trying to ignore the role of the Soviet Union in the conflict.
Filipp Bobkov, who joined the Red Army in 1942 when he was just 16, and
who later became a KGB general, has claimed the West wrote the Russian
armed forces out of the history of the war, which cost an estimated 20
million Soviet lives and devastated large areas of the country. Scottish
veterans have backed their former comrade-in-arms, and blamed the Cold
War for the downplaying of the USSR's role in the defeat of Nazi Germany.
In an interview with the Russian news agency RIA Novosti, Bobkov, said: "The
role the Soviet Army played in liberating Europe from the Nazis was
deliberately played down in the postwar years as well as during the Second
World War. This could be seen in the delayed opening of the Second Front, in
inconsistent and often superficial coverage of the events on the Eastern, or
Soviet front.
"Our allies, particularly, Great Britain and Churchill personally, sought to
show that the main role in the victory belonged to them alone, and to
Britain in particular. "
Bobkov, originally from the Kirovgrad area of Ukraine, was 15 when the Nazis
attacked the Soviet Union in June 1941. He was evacuated to the north of
Russia to avoid being caught up by the onslaught. He joined the Red Army in
1943 at the age of 16 and took part in the ferocious battles in Western
Russia and Belarus. By the end of the war he had risen to the rank of
lieutenant, and commanded a platoon fighting the Germans in Latvia.
After the war, he joined Soviet intelligence and rose within the ranks of
the KGB. He served as a senior director of the organisation under the last
four Soviet leaders, from Leonid Brezhnev to Mikhail Gorbachev. He became
deputy chairman of the KGB in 1985, and since the collapse of the USSR has
been an adviser to the business community in post-Soviet Russia.
Railing against Western amnesia, he said: "We liberated Romania, Bulgaria,
Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Austria, most of Yugoslavia, Poland, and some of
Greece, Germany, Denmark, and northern Norway. "The Soviet Army lost about
69,000 soldiers in Romania, 600,000 in Poland, 8,000 in Yugoslavia, over
140,000 in Hungary, about 26,000 in Austria, and 102,000 in Germany."
The Soviets and the Western Allies were frequently at odds over when the
British and Americans would launch an invasion of Nazi-occupied mainland
Europe. Stalin urged that the invasion should be launched as early as
possible so that the Germans would be forced to split their resources
between the Eastern and Western fronts.
The Russians were angry about delays in launching the 'Second Front', and
suspected the West of wanting to allow the Germans to completely wear out
the Soviet Army. He said: "The real second front was not opened until after
the [1943] Tehran Conference. Then the Anglo-American troops landed in
Normandy in 1944. It was at the time when the Allies realised that we could
liberate Europe without them." He contrasted the failure to open the Second
Front with Stalin's willingness to change the timing of Soviet attacks to
relieve pressure on the Western Allies during the Battle of the Bulge, the
last German offensive in the West.
Bobkov also criticised the West for failing to bomb the rail lines to
Auschwitz and the concentration camps, and claimed that the fact that the
Red Army liberated the camps was overlooked. "People tend to forget, for
example, that Soviet soldiers liberated Auschwitz. You remember how the
Allies bombed the Third Reich territories? They virtually razed Dresden to
the ground. Why didn't they drop bombs on the railway leading to Auschwitz,
knowing that people were being sent to Auschwitz along that particular
railway to be killed? "
Commemorations of the end of the end of the Second World War are major
events in the countries of the former Soviet Union. The war killed a quarter
of the population of Ukraine and of Belarus. Veterans are revered, and
satire about the war, such as the British Dad's Army comedy, is unthinkable.
Few families were left unscathed, including that of Ukrainian President
Viktor Yushchenko, whose father - a soldier captured by the Nazis - was an
inmate at Auschwitz.
Scottish veterans say they agree the Soviet role in the conflict has been
played down. They recalled that Britons thought highly of the efforts made
by the Russians during the war years, but that feelings changed with the
onset of the Cold War. Neil Griffiths, spokesman for the Royal British
Legion Scotland, said: "He's got a point. It is very hard to argue that the
Soviets were given the credit they were due for their sacrifices and sheer
heroism. There is no doubt that we owe them a tremendous debt of honour that
we should never forget. And then things changed after 1945 when people
didn't think quite the same of the Russians, which was very sad."
Gerard DeGroot, Professor of Modern History at St Andrews University, agreed
that the Soviet role was underplayed during the Cold War, but claimed that
recent books and films, such as Enemy at the Gates starring Jude Law - which
focused on the Battle of Stalingrad - were making up for decades of neglect.
He said: "Growing up in the United States, I barely knew that the Soviet
Union was even on our side in the war, let alone that they played such an
important role.
Films such as the Longest Day gave the impression that the D-Day landings
broke the back of the German army and it was all over after then, which was
wrong, of course. "It's better than it was. There has been a lot of popular
history writing and films, such as the Jude Law film, which are redressing
the balance. -30- [The Action Ukraine Report Monitoring Service]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E-mail: mmacleod@scotlandonsunday.com
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