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Action Ukraine Report

"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 456
E. Morgan Williams, Publisher and Editor
morganw@patriot.net, ArtUkraine.com@starpower.net
Washington, D.C. and Kyiv, Ukraine, TUESDAY, April 5, 2005

-----INDEX OF ARTICLES-----
"Major International News Headlines and Articles"

1. REMARKS BY PRESIDENT BUSH AND PRESIDENT VIKTOR
YUSHCHENKO OF UKRAINE IN PRESS AVAILABILITY
The East Room 11:51 A.M. ED
THE WHITE HOUSE, Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release, Washington, D.C., Mon, April 4, 2005

2. A NEW CENTURY AGENDA FOR THE UKRAINIAN-AMERICAN
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP
Joint Statement by President George W. Bush and
President Viktor Yushchenko
THE WHITE HOUSE, Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release, Washington, D.C., Mon, April 4, 2005

3. YUSHCHENKO VISIT TO U.S. HERALDS RETURN TO "GOLDEN ERA"
By Taras Kuzio, The Eurasia Daily Monitor
Volume 2, Issue 65, The Jamestown Foundation
Washington, D.C., Monday, April 4, 2005

4. YUSHCHENKO'S CHALLENGES
COMMENTARY: By Robert O. Boorstin and John Lyman
Boston Globe, Boston, MA, Mon, April 4, 2005

5. YUSHCHENKO BRINGS NATO REQUEST TO BUSH
By Natalia A. Feduschak, The Washington Times
Washington, D.C., Monday, April 4, 2005

6. UKRAINIAN AN 'INSPIRATION' FOR BUSH NEW FEATURE
Yushchenko is praised despite Iraq exit plan
By Brian Knowlton, International Herald Tribune (IHT)
Europe, Tuesday, April 5, 2005

7. BUSH PROMISES MORE HELP TO UKRAINE
By Peter Baker, Washington Post Staff Writer
The Washington Post, Washington, D.C., Mon, April 4, 2005

8. UKRAINE TV UPBEAT ON FIRST DAY OF YUSHCHENKO'S US TRIP
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Mon, April 4, 2005

9. A UNITED STATES - UKRAINIAN PRIORITY
Designation of Ukraine as a Major Non-NATO Defense Ally of the US
COMMENTARY: By Nestor Scherbey
THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT
Washington, D.C., Tuesday, April 5, 2005

10. UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VICTOR YUSHCHENKO VISITS CHICAGO
Associated Press, Chicago, Illinois, Monday, April 4, 2005

11. TWO EX-POLICE ADMITTED KILLING UKRAINE REPORTER
AP, Kiev, Ukraine, Monday, April 4, 2005

12. LESYA UKRAINKA NATIONAL ACADEMIC THEATRE COMPANY
Letter to Mr. Victor Yushchenko President of Ukraine
From the Lesya Ukrainka National Academic Theatre Company
Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, March 27, 2005
Letter published in a one-half page ad in Ukrainian & English
The Washington Post, Washington, D.C., Mon, April 4, 2005, P. A18

13. YUSHCHENKO TO ATTEND POPE'S FUNERAL
Interfax-Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine, Tue, April 5, 2005
=============================================================
1. REMARKS BY PRESIDENT BUSH AND PRESIDENT VIKTOR
YUSHCHENKO OF UKRAINE IN PRESS AVAILABILITY

The East Room 11:51 A.M. ED
THE WHITE HOUSE, Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release, Washington, D.C., Mon, April 4, 2005

PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you. It's an honor to stand with a courageous
leader of a free Ukraine. Mr. President, you are a friend to our country
and you are an inspiration to all who love liberty. Welcome to America,
and we're pleased to welcome your wife, as well. We're looking forward
to having lunch with you.

President Yushchenko was the first head of state I called after my inaugural
address. I told him that the Orange Revolution was a powerful example -- an
example of democracy for people around the world. I was impressed, I know
millions of my fellow citizens were impressed by the brave citizens who
gathered in Kiev's Independence Square and rightly demanded that their
voices be heard.

It's an impressive moment, Mr. President, and an important moment. I've
oftentimes told our fellow citizens that the world is changing, freedom is
spreading -- and I use Ukraine as an example, along with Afghanistan and
Iraq, about a changing world. A world, by the way, changing for the better,
because we believe free societies will be peaceful societies.

Mr. President, I appreciate your vision. I want to thank you for our
discussion we just had. We discussed a lot of matters. We talked about
the neighborhood, of course. We talked about your commitment to fighting
corruption; your deep desire to introduce principles of the marketplace in
Ukraine. I told the President that our nation will stand by Ukraine as it
strengthens law enforcement, as it fights corruption, as it promotes a free
media and civil society organizations. To this end, I've asked Congress to
provide $60 million for new funding to help you in your efforts, Mr.
President.

We also agree with your desire to join the WTO, and we'll work with your
government to join the WTO, as well as to lift the Jackson-Vanik trade
restrictions that were created in a different era. Secretary Sam Bodman,
who is with us here, will be going to Ukraine to talk about cooperation on
energy. We look forward to working with you, Mr. President, as you build
progress at home to become a part of Europe -- a Europe that is whole, free
and at peace. And at the same time, we'll continue to work with you to help
your ties to the North Atlantic Alliance.

Mr. President, I want to thank you for being an active partner in the war on
terror. Our statement reflects our common desire to cooperate on law
enforcement matters, our desire to have export controls to prevent the
spread of dangerous weapons technology, including nuclear materials,
MANPADs, and ballistic missiles.

I appreciate Ukraine's strong commitment to a free Iraq. Ukrainian troops
helped to protect the Iraqi people during the elections this January. I
look forward to cooperating with your nation to help the Iraqis build a
peaceful society.

We share a goal to spread freedom to other nations. I mean, after all, the
Orange Revolution may have looked like it was only a part of the
Ukrainian -- the history of Ukraine, but the Orange Revolution represented
revolutions elsewhere, as well. And I look forward to working with you, Mr.
President, in places like Lebanon and Kyrgyzstan. I want to thank you for
your conversation on Moldova. I appreciate the discussion we had on --
about Belarus.

All in all, Mr. President, we're really thrilled you're here. I know our
Congress is looking forward to having you address them next Wednesday.
In the meantime, I want to thank you for our frank and open discussion. We
wish you all the best, and in America, you've got a strong friend. Welcome.

PRESIDENT YUSHCHENKO: (As translated.) Mr. President, dear American
friends, for me, for my wife, it is a great honor and privilege to be
received here in the White House and to hear the words that are addressed
to my country, my nation, my homeland.

Our ideals are simple and eternal: We want democracy and freedom -- our
apparent European aspirations, which we were discussing from the first days,
many days before the Maidan events when me and my team went into the
politics. This is my vision; this is the vision shared by my team. This is
something that my father taught me.

The legacy that we inherited is a very difficult country; Ukraine, where
the rule of law did not exist and human rights were not observed; where half
of the national economy is a shadow. The humiliated profession of
journalism, the journalists wanted to speak the truth and stood against the
official power, they could pay dearly. Dearly -- I mean it -- they could
pay their lives for it.

We're talking about the country where the number one problem remains
to be corruption. We're talking about the country where the huge problem
remains the problem of poverty. We realize all those challenges. We
realize that it's only -- the work that has to be done by the Ukrainian
power will help cope with the problems that the country inherited.

However, it is very important, Mr. President, to feel that we have partners
standing by, that we are not left in solitude in coping with these troubles.
Our conversation began with my saying that, for Ukraine, it was a very long
road to the Oval Office. I do appreciate the attention that you display and
the words that you have said.

And I would like to, once again, reiterate that the ideals of Ukraine are
democracy, which we perceive as the priority of people's interests in
political, economic and other areas of development. These are freedom
of speech that are the oxygen for democracy, this is a market economy
which grants equal rights to people, this is the reliable system of social
guarantees that secure protection to the weak.

Shortly speaking, the ideals for the new Ukraine are the ideals shared by
the Western civilization. I fully concur with my American colleague in his
saying that the freedom is not the gift for America, this is the Godly gift.

Today, Mr. President, we had a very frank and productive discussion on a
very broad spectrum of issues. We were talking about the approaches to
deepening our bilateral relations -- and this conversation is far from
finalization; about the role that democratic Ukraine can play in the
regional and global stability; the problem of non-proliferation of weapons
of mass destruction and other subjects.

Essentially, on all questions that we raised, we found mutual understanding.
I am convinced that relations between our nations are based not only by
mutual sympathy, but also by the unity of interests and ideals, like the
rule of law, protection of fundamental human rights and respect for people.
Majority of my fellow Ukrainians want to see America as their strategic
partner, and I am pleased to see that the U.S. President shares this
perception, and he has highlighted this support today.

In our joint statement, which we agreed on, based on our negotiations, we
have made it clear that Ukraine and the U.S. confirm the new era in the
strategic partnership between our nations and the friendship between our
peoples. We are looking forward to the effective support from the U.S.
administration to the new government of Ukraine in addressing important
issues faced by ourselves, including our accession to WTO at the end of
2005, the lifting of the trade sanctions on Ukrainian-exported goods,
Ukraine's accession to European and Euro-Atlantic security alliances.

We have a unique opportunity to write new and historical pages in the
chronicle of our relations to create the new agenda of real and contentful
U.S., American strategic partnership. The democratic Ukraine will enhance
stability in Europe and worldwide. And strategic partnership with the U.S.
will augment the democratic Ukraine. I'm convinced that our two nations
will stand by as global partners in order to achieve freedom, security and
prosperity in the 21st century.

I thank you.

PRESIDENT BUSH: We'll answer two questions a side. Terry Hunt.

Q Ukraine and Italy and other allies will withdraw their forces from
Iraq. Why should the United States continue to pay most of the cost and
suffer most of the casualties when our allies are leaving?

THE PRESIDENT: Our strategy in Iraq is clear, and it's a common strategy
that our coalition has agreed to, and that is to train Iraqi soldiers, Iraqi
security forces, so that they can do the hard work of securing their
country. And that's what's happening. And I appreciate the contribution
that the Ukrainian people have made toward liberating Iraq and helping
provide stability in Iraq and providing security for the elections of Iraq.

And the President made clear to me in my first conversation with him that
there -- that he campaigned on the idea of bringing some troops out. He's
fulfilling a campaign pledge, I fully understand that. But he also has said
that he's going to cooperate with the coalition, in terms of -- in terms of
further withdrawals, and I appreciate that.

The fundamental question is, is it worth it? And the answer is, absolutely
it's worth it for a free Iraq to emerge. We're talking about a part of the
world in which, you know, our foreign policy was, let's just hope for the
best and tolerate the fact there's no free societies. And what ended up
happening was, there was a -- tyrants have emerged, tyrants that threatened
our security. And so not only was the action worth it, the action is worth
it to make sure that democracy exists, and because democracies will yield
peace, and that's what we want.

And so we're going to continue to press forward with a strategy that
supports the elected government of Iraq. Today I spoke to the new Speaker
of the Transitional Assembly. I wished him all the best. I thanked him for
stepping up to take a leadership role. I look forward to working with the
new President and Prime Minister. And I look forward to continuing to
implement a strategy that will help Iraqis self-govern. And we're making
progress toward that goal. And I want to thank the Ukrainians for their
support.

Q Mr. President, did you hear a clear position of Ukraine concerning its
participation in NATO? And is America ready to support Ukraine in joining
the Membership Action Plan this year? Thank you.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you very much. Well, you know, the first time I
met the President was at NATO, during my latest trip to Europe. And my
conversation with him there was the same as I had here, and that is there is
a way forward in order to become a partner of the United States and other
nations in NATO. It is a path and we want to help Ukraine get on that path
as quickly as possible. It is not a given. In other words, there are
things that the Ukrainian government must do in order to satisfy the
requirements to be considered for NATO.

And we want to help -- the whole purpose of this meeting and the purpose of
the previous meeting was to help the Ukrainian government to understand that
which is necessary to do in order to become more likely accepted into NATO,
and that's what we want to do. We want to help in this process. And I
think it's -- I'm a supporter of the idea of Ukraine becoming a member of
NATO. I think it's important.

I also know that Ukraine wants to join the EU, and there's things that have
to do with the EU. But I do want to assure the Ukrainian people that you
don't have to choose between the EU and friendship with the United States.
That's not a choice the United States government will make our friends make.
You can be both a member of the EU and a friend of the United States. And
so we want to help your government make the difficult decisions and
difficult choices necessary to become available for membership in NATO.

Steve Holland.

Q Thank you. How do you think this Pope has affected America's spiritual
and political life? And how much weight did you give to his opposition to
the Iraq war?

THE PRESIDENT: First, Laura and I are looking forward to leading a
delegation to honor the Holy Father. He will go down in history as a -- he
will show people that one man can make a difference in people's lives. He's
a courageous person; he's a moral person; he was a Godly person. And he's
had huge influence, Steve, not only amongst, for example, young people in
America, but around the world. One of his great legacies will be the
influence he had on the young.

He spoke to the poor; he spoke to morality. And of course, he was a man of
peace. And he didn't like war, and I fully understood that and I
appreciated the conversations I had with the Holy Father on the subject.

I remember going to Castel Gandolfo -- Laura and I were there, and I can
remember him taking us out on the balcony of this fabulous palace
overlooking a magnificent lake, and talking about his views of the world.
It was a moment I'll never forget during my presidency.

And so the world will miss him. And it is my great honor, on behalf of our
country, to express our gratitude to the Almighty for such a man. And of
course, we look forward to the majesty of celebrating such a significant
human life.

One more.

Q I have a question for both Presidents, but primarily for Mr.
Yushchenko. What will be the American-Ukrainian cooperation in Iraq after
the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops? And could you please give some details?

PRESIDENT YUSHCHENKO: (As translated.) First of all, I would like to
indicate that Iraq is a zone of Ukrainian interest, and, therefore, when
this question was debated in the Ukrainian parliament, the majority of the
parliament members spoke in favor of this type of Ukrainian presence in
the country.

Another point, which I'm most pleased to indicate is, in my opinion, the
Ukrainian contingent has demonstrated its peace-making mission in a very
effective manner. Over the short period of time that our military
contingent has been deployed there, we have retrained three battalions of
the national armed forces of Iraq, two companies. We have examined in
our hospital about 5,000 local citizens. Due to the securing stability in
this region, we returned about 1,500 people to their jobs because it has
become much safer to travel to their work places.

Beginning from the 9th of January, in our region, there is not a single
incident in our area, and we, therefore, believe that it is precisely in
this region where the works aimed at restoration of the infrastructure of
the province where we had deployed, because there is no water nor other
amenities, elementary amenities. And there now these restoration works
could be commenced. This will be a very vivid example of how success
can be ensured by pursuing peacemaking policy.

We stand for -- we remain arguing that Ukraine is committed to pursuing
training -- retraining programs for the national guard of Iraq to the armed
forces of Iraq. We are prepared to share the experience and the material
on a mutually beneficial basis to make sure that this order remains. It is
my deep conviction that momentum has been created when Ukraine and
diplomats, businesspeople and politicians must do what Ukrainian
peacemakers started. Thank you.

PRESIDENT BUSH: As to what happens over time, that's going to depend
on the Iraqi government. We're dealing with an elected government. And
they will make the decision as to the security relationship, they'll make
the decision as to how the country rewards contracts for reconstruction.

This is a free country, and in free countries, governments get to decide --
sovereign governments decide their future. And so we look forward to
working with the new government. As you know, it's a process. The
Transitional Assembly will be writing a constitution, and when the
constitution is written, it'll be ratified. And upon ratification, there
will be another election.

And so we look forward to working with the interim government and we look
forward to working with the government that gets elected in December, all
aimed at helping Iraq develop into a free-standing, peaceful country --
which is in the interests of our children and grandchildren, by the way.

I also want to say something about Lebanon. Syria -- I appreciate that fact
that Syria has expressed its intent to fully leave that country, that
only -- that not only means troops, but it means security forces, as far as
I'm concerned. When they say, we're going to leave the country, we expect
troops and security forces to leave. And, secondly, it's important for this
election to take place on time. And we look forward to continuing to work
with our friends and allies to make sure Lebanon is truly free.

Mr. President, thank you, sir, let's go have lunch. Appreciate it. [END
12:13 P.M. EDT] [The Action Ukraine Report Monitoring Service]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/04/20050404.html
=============================================================
2. A NEW CENTURY AGENDA FOR THE UKRAINIAN-AMERICAN
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP
Joint Statement by President George W. Bush and
President Viktor Yushchenko

THE WHITE HOUSE, Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release, Washington, D.C., Mon, April 4, 2005

A New Century Agenda for THE UKRAINIAN-AMERICAN Strategic
Partnership: Joint Statement by President George W. Bush and
President Viktor Yushchenko

Today, the United States and Ukraine affirm a new era of strategic
partnership between our nations and friendship between our peoples. We
commit our nations to working together to advance freedom and security
grounded in democratic principles and institutions, which form the
foundation of our relationship.

We salute the people of Ukraine who claimed their right to elect freely
their leadership. Their brave stand was a victory for democracy inspiring
those throughout the world who yearn for freedom and dignity in the face of
tyranny, isolation and oppression. The territorial integrity, security, and
political and economic transformation of Ukraine are essential to building a
Europe whole, free and at peace. We will work together to strengthen
democratic institutions in Ukraine and to advance freedom in Europe, its
neighborhood and beyond.

We will work to defeat terrorism wherever it occurs and to advance economic
development, democratic reforms and peaceful settlement of regional
disputes. We are grateful to the men and women of those nations who have
served and sacrificed for Iraqi freedom. Today, we pledge ourselves anew
to assist the Iraqi people to secure liberty, peace and prosperity, and we
join our efforts to assist Iraq in its economic reconstruction. Fear and
resentment, the breeding ground of terrorism, must be replaced with
freedom and hope.

We also commit to work together to back reform, democracy, tolerance and
respect for all communities, and peaceful resolution of conflicts in Georgia
and Moldova, and to support the advance of freedom in countries such as
Belarus and Cuba. Citizens in our open societies value the freedom to
practice their faiths, and we are committed to promoting religious tolerance
globally.

As Ukraine undertakes far-reaching reform at home, it can count on the
United States for support. We applaud Ukraine's commitment to curb
corruption, promote the rule of law and improve the business climate.
Progress on reforms will allow Ukraine to realize its aspirations to move
closer to, and ultimately join European, Euro-Atlantic and international
institutions.

We will further integrate Ukraine into the world economy and promote
investment and trade between our two countries. As a first step, the
Ukrainian Government seeks expeditious U.S. recognition as a market
economy. We agree to continue our close cooperation to ensure a
process that recognizes the evolution of Ukraine's economy.

We are committed to working together to achieve Ukraine's accession to
the World Trade Organization (WTO). For its part, the Ukrainian Government
will seek to secure, on an urgent basis, approval of legislation and enact
regulations that will facilitate accession and contribute to lasting
economic reform, including in agriculture, manufacturing, services and the
protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights. The United
States and Ukraine are committed to working together to complete our
bilateral negotiations for Ukraine's accession to the WTO in 2005.

We will also cooperate on the outstanding multilateral work that must be
concluded for Ukraine's WTO accession. We also support immediately
ending application of Jackson-Vanik to Ukraine.

The United States supports Ukraine's NATO aspirations and is prepared to
help Ukraine achieve its goals by providing assistance with challenging
reforms. The United States supports an offer of an Intensified Dialogue on
membership issues with Ukraine at the meeting of Alliance Foreign Ministers
in Vilnius, Lithuania later this month. Our cooperation will also deepen
through the U.S.-led, largest-ever NATO trust fund to destroy obsolete and
excess weaponry.

We are initiating an energy dialogue to cooperate in the restructuring and
reform of Ukraine's energy sector to encourage investment, diversify
Ukraine's energy supplies, reduce its energy dependence, bolster
commercial competition in Eurasian energy sectors and promote nuclear
safety.

To advance this dialogue, we are establishing an Energy consultative
mechanism between our Energy Ministries. United States Secretary of
Energy Bodman will travel to Ukraine in the near future to initiate the
consultative mechanism and to promote our energy and nonproliferation
cooperation.

Building on our cooperation through the G-8 Global Partnership, the
Cooperative Threat Reduction Program and the Proliferation Security
Initiative, we pledge to begin a new chapter in the fight against the
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery.

We will deepen our cooperation on nonproliferation, export controls, border
security and law enforcement to deter, detect, interdict, investigate and
prosecute illicit trafficking of these weapons and related materials;
enhance the security of nuclear and radiological sources; and dispose of
spent nuclear fuel.

We also agree on the importance of addressing the growing threat posed
by the proliferation of ballistic missiles. In this regard, we will explore
how we can work together on missile defense, including beginning
negotiations on a framework to facilitate such cooperation and closer
industry-to-industry collaboration.

The security and stability of nations increasingly depends on the health,
well-being and prosperity of their citizens. We therefore commit to
cooperate on a broad agenda of social and humanitarian issues, including
halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and TB; fighting the scourge of organized
crime, trafficking in persons and child pornography; and completing the
Chornobyl Shelter Implementation Plan. To help complete the Chornobyl
Shelter, the United States will provide an additional $45 million to the
Shelter Fund.

Ukraine will also provide an additional financial contribution and
facilitate prompt completion of the Shelter. U.S. assistance to Ukraine
will particularly focus on solidifying democratic advances through
anti-corruption and rule of law programs, media and NGO development,
nonpartisan party and election monitor training and other steps to improve
electoral institutions and practices.

We also support a bold expansion of contact between our societies. To
this end, Ukraine will eliminate visa requirements for Americans, and the
United States will reduce visa fees for Ukrainians. We aim to enhance
citizen exchanges, training opportunities and cooperation between
business communities of both countries.

We commit our two nations to stand together as global partners for
freedom, security and prosperity in the 21st century. -30-
=============================================================
3. YUSHCHENKO VISIT TO U.S. HERALDS RETURN TO "GOLDEN ERA"

By Taras Kuzio, The Eurasia Daily Monitor
Volume 2, Issue 65, The Jamestown Foundation
Washington, D.C., Monday, April 4, 2005

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko's official visit to the United States
on April 4-6 is set to radically transform U.S.-Ukrainian relations and
return them to the "golden era" under President Bill Clinton. U.S.
Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst predicted, "We expect not only the
revival of the friendly ties that existed between our states seven to nine
years ago, but the establishment of a qualitatively new level of relations"
(Kievskiy Telegraf, March 25-31).

Orest Deychakiwsky, staff advisor at the U.S. governmental Helsinki
Commission, believes, "Despite the typical past rhetoric about visits
leading to a qualitatively new relationship between the United States and
Ukraine, this one really does." This is, "because for the first time you
have a Ukrainian leadership truly devoted to democracy and the rule of law
and determined to integrate with the Euro-Atlantic community. In short,
it's the first time you have a relationship based on shared values."
Deychakiwsky continued, "This will become clear throughout the visit and
cannot help but to influence U.S.-Ukraine relations in a positive way,
including building meaningful, substantive relationships in the security,
democracy, and trade and economic spheres."

Trust in Yushchenko's integrity and sympathy for the poisoning he endured
last year is very high in Washington. Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), who visited
Kyiv last month as part of a U.S. Congressional delegation, declared that
Yushchenko is "an international hero" (Ukrayinska pravda, March 26).

Yushchenko's visit is not likely to see any major policy issues resolved,
but it will serve to break the ice after four frosty years of U.S.-Ukrainian
relations. The latest State Department report on human rights outlines how
the United States assisted Ukraine in its election year
(state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41715.htm). U.S. support included assistance
for the rule of law, independent media, civil society, and human rights
organizations. The report also highlights numerous Congressional visits to
Ukraine during the presidential campaign, including one by Bush's special
representative, Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), during the second round.
These visits repeatedly underscored Washington's insistence that Kuchma
hold free and fair elections.

A Senate Republican policy committee paper entitled "Promoting a Robust
U.S.-Ukraine Agenda: Securing the Orange Revolution in Ukraine" was
released on the eve of Yushchenko's visit and distributed to the legislative
assistants, legislative directors, policy advisors, and counsels in all
Republican Senate offices (rpc.senate.gov).

The policy paper argues that it is in the interest of the United States for
the Bush Administration and Congress to strongly back Yushchenko. Among
the recommendations are to repeal the Jackson-Vanik amendment, support
Ukraine's membership in the WTO, and include Ukraine within the Millennium
Challenge Account. The policy paper also looks at ways to improve U.S.-
Ukrainian cooperation and transparency to block trafficking in weapons,
arcotics, and humans. The paper also calls for ensuring "a legitimate and
stable venue [for Ukraine] to meet its security concerns. Membership in
NATO provides such a platform."

Yushchenko's visit also represents a break with Kuchma's security policy
toward the United States, according to Oleksandr Potekhin. During the Orange
Revolution, Potekhin led a rebellion among Ukrainian diplomats while he was
based at the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington (foreignpolicy.org.ua). The
Kuchma administration believed it would gain Washington's blessing by
supplying troops to Coalition forces in Iraq but was willing to turn to
Moscow if Washington failed to meet its expectations.

Yushchenko's three-day visit starts off with a meeting and lunch with
President George W. Bush followed by a meeting with Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice. Later that day Yushchenko is set to speak at Georgetown
University, where Katya Chumachenko, Yushchenko's American-born wife,
earned a bachelor's degree in 1982.

On April 4-5, the Yushchenkos will visit Chicago. Chumachenko was born in
Chicago and received an MBA from the University of Chicago in 1986.
Yushchenko will speak at the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations. Between
1986 and 1991 Chumachenko worked in the State Department's Bureau for
Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs, the White House Office of Public
Liaison, the Treasury Department's Office of Policy Management, and the
Joint Economic Committee of Congress. The Kuchma team seized on these
U.S. government positions to depict Yushchenko as a lackey of the United
States.

In 1991, Chumachenko relocated to Ukraine as a founder and representative
of the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation, an NGO providing U.S. democracy assistance
programs in Ukraine. In 1993 she became the resident advisor for the
USAID-financed Bank Training Program managed by KPMG Barents Group,
and she worked as the company's country manager until 2000.

On the last day of Yushchenko's visit, he will address a joint session of
the U.S. Congress, a rare honor previously accorded to other U.S.-recognized
"freedom fighters" Lech Walesa, Vaclav Havel, Nelson Mandela, and Boris
Yeltsin. Yushchenko may use this occasion to return an original copy of the
1776 Declaration of Independence recently found in Ukraine's archives.

That same day he will lay a wreath at Washington's monument to Ukraine's
national bard, Taras Shevchenko, which had been unveiled by President Dwight
D. Eisenhower in 1964. Yushchenko, whose father spent most of World War II
in Nazi concentration camps as a German POW, will also visit Washington's
Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Yushchenko's final evening in the United States will be crowned first by a
joint reception organized by the International Republican Institute and the
National Democratic Institute. IRI and NDI Chairs Senator John McCain and
former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, respectively, are strong
supporters of recent democratic changes in Ukraine. The reception will be
followed by a banquet in Yushchenko's honor organized by Ukrainian diaspora
organizations. -30- [The Action Ukraine Report Monitoring Service]
=============================================================
4. YUSHCHENKO'S CHALLENGES

COMMENTARY: By Robert O. Boorstin and John Lyman
Boston Globe, Boston, MA, Mon, April 4, 2005

TOMORROW IN Boston, the newly minted president of Ukraine, Viktor
Yushchenko, will receive the John F. Kennedy Award for Freedom. The
leader of his nation's ''orange revolution" who survived first dioxin
poisoning and later attempts to steal the election, Yushchenko is certainly
an inspiration to those who root for democracy the world over.

When the cheers and speeches are over, however, Yushchenko will return
to a country in dire need of reform. The heady days of protest and election
will soon seem easy in comparison to tasks he must confront to erase the
dangerous legacy of his predecessor, Leonid Kuchma.

On the economic front, Yushchenko must not only maintain growth estimated
at more than 7 percent over the past few years but also tackle the country's
corrosive corruption. In a nation where more than half of economic activity
takes places on the black market, the new president must move aggressively
to break up the governing oligarchy. The difficulty of this task is clear
when one considers that two of the country's most prominent businessmen
are former President Kuchma's son-in-law and chief of staff.

Yushchenko's political challenges are no less severe. He must move
immediately to unify his divided nation by working with the pro-Russian
populace that is not his natural constituency. Just as 90 percent of voters
in Kiev cast their ballots for Yushchenko, 90 percent of voters in the
eastern city of Donetsk preferred his opponent. Clearly there is much
healing to do.

Yushchenko also faces the unpleasant task of reaching a modus vivendi with
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who worked to make sure Yushchenko
would never take office. Although Yushchenko has made the right early moves
journeying to Moscow to meet with Putin, he faces a tough balancing act to
make sure that Russia continues to supply Ukraine with energy while Ukraine
continues its move toward joining the European Union.

Yushchenko's dealings with these problems, however, may pale compared to
the aftermath of the 2001 sale to Iran and China of cruise missiles capable
of carrying nuclear warheads. The long-rumored deal, confirmed ''with
bitterness" last week by Yushchenko, has given Tehran the possibility of
doubling the range of its most powerful rockets and, through reverse
engineering, the ability to arm missiles with nuclear warheads.

The news of this sale has been greeted around the world with horror and
surprise. Only 10 years ago the United States was showering Ukraine with
praise and foreign assistance, as Kiev moved publicly to transfer about
one-half of its 1,000 nuclear-armed missiles back to Russia and destroy the
other half under a US-funded disarmament program. President Clinton called
Ukraine a ''friend" and ''partner" and claimed, ''Together we have made the
whole world safer from the risk of nuclear war."

Beginning in 2002 President Bush rightly reduced aid to Ukraine as the
Kuchma government reversed democratic progress and allegedly shipped a
radar system to Saddam Hussein's regime. But, in need of help in the war on
terror, the White House also attempted to maintain cordial relations with
Kiev. Ukraine dispatched 1,500 troops to Iraq and, as recently as last year,
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld strongly praised Ukraine's
contribution to that fight.

Ukraine's contribution of soldiers, however, is no fair trade for allowing
the shipment of nuclear-capable missiles to Iran and China. This action puts
Ukraine just above Pakistan and North Korea. It is an ominous sign in a
nation whose defense minister, when asked to explain the apparent
disappearance of hundreds of missing missiles, replied simply:
''Unfortunately, strange things happen."

To prevent further strange things from happening, the Bush administration's
top priority should be to provide technical assistance and financial
resources to the new Ukrainian government to ensure that all its missiles
are secure and scheduled for destruction or transfer. The White House must
also move quickly to implement one of the many credible plans designed to
help end black market sales of nuclear technology.

The Bush administration should also work with President Yushchenko to ensure
that his new government has the support it needs to pursue economic growth,
undertake anticorruption measures, and assume a new position vis-à-vis
Russia. Yet even now the budget for democracy assistance in Ukraine is under
severe threat from right-wing Republicans on Capitol Hill.

Honoring Viktor Yushchenko with an award named after President Kennedy is
a meaningful gesture. But the true measure of our commitment to freedom
and support for a stable, prosperous, and democratic Ukraine will come in
the months and years ahead. -30-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Robert O. Boorstin is the senior vice president for national security and
John Lyman is a research associate at the Center for American Progress.
=============================================================
5. YUSHCHENKO BRINGS NATO REQUEST TO BUSH

By Natalia A. Feduschak, The Washington Times
Washington, D.C., Monday, April 4, 2005

KIEV -- Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko will meet President Bush at
the White House today at the start of a triumphal four-day visit in which he
will seek support for his country's efforts to join NATO and other
international institutions. Mr. Yushchenko, elected late last year after a
bloodless Orange Revolution that thrilled the world, has said he also hopes
the visit will strengthen economic and political ties with "strategic
partner" United States.

U.S.-Ukrainian relations had soured steadily under the 10-year authoritarian
presidency of Leonid Kuchma, who was unseated in December after large
crowds refused to accept the result of a discredited presidential ballot. "I
believe the Ukrainian and U.S. sides both understand" that the relationship
has changed, Mr. Yushchenko told journalists in Kiev before his departure.

"I will speak of the political format of our relations. I would truly like
for U.S. ministers to know the road to Kiev, to get to know their Ukrainian
colleagues and to launch economic, humanitarian and other joint projects."

In Washington, Mr. Yushchenko will seek support for Ukraine's bid to join
the World Trade Organization and NATO and for relief from trade sanctions
imposed on the now-defunct Soviet Union three decades ago.

Mr. Yushchenko, who was inaugurated Jan. 23, has laid out aggressive
plans that he hopes will culminate in Ukraine's integration into the
European Union and other international organizations.

The highlight of his visit is expected to be a Wednesday address to a joint
session of Congress -- an honor reserved for Washington's closest allies,
such as British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Afghan President Hamid Karzai
and Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.

The Ukrainian leader is scheduled to meet Vice President Dick Cheney,
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Donald H.
Rumsfeld. He also will travel to Boston and Chicago, where his wife,
Kateryna, was born and which has a large Ukrainian immigrant community.
Mrs. Yushchenko received Ukrainian citizenship last week.

Neither Ukraine's decision to withdraw its troops from Iraq nor Kiev's
recent admission that nuclear-capable cruise missiles were illicitly sold to
Iran and China under the Kuchma administration are likely to dampen the
upbeat mood of the visit.

"We understand the commitment that the Ukrainian government has made to its
own people," Miss Rice has said of Mr. Yushchenko's campaign promise to pull
Ukraine's troops from Iraq. Mr. Yushchenko told reporters last week that he
expects the troops to be gone by mid-October, but sees a role for Ukraine's
businessmen and diplomats in Iraq.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Friday that Mr. Yushchenko's
government was "acting in a responsible manner" to investigate the sale of
18 X-55 strategic cruise missiles to Iran and China in violation of several
international agreements. The missiles were sold while Mr. Kuchma was in
power. His presidency was marred by complaints of high-level government
corruption.

Mr. McClellan said he expected Mr. Bush and Mr. Yushchenko also to discuss
"the importance of supporting the advance of freedom and democracy in
Eastern Europe and the broader Middle East region."

"Ukraine is a strategic partner of the United States, in our view," Mr.
McClellan said. "We strongly support the efforts by President Yushchenko
to build a Ukraine that is more prosperous, more free and more just. "He is
someone who has shown a commitment to strengthening the rule of law and
fighting corruption, and someone who has committed himself to accelerating
economic reforms." -30- [The Action Ukraine Report Monitoring Service]
=============================================================
6. UKRAINIAN AN 'INSPIRATION' FOR BUSH NEW FEATURE
Yushchenko is praised despite Iraq exit plan

By Brian Knowlton, International Herald Tribune (IHT)
Europe, Tuesday, April 5, 2005

WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush on Monday welcomed President
Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine to the White House as a symbol of the
democratization that Bush hopes will remake parts of the world. But Bush
played down the impact of a planned Ukrainian troop withdrawal from Iraq,
and said that clearly the price being paid by the United States in seeking
to install a stable democracy there was "worth it."

"You are a friend to our country and you are an inspiration to all who love
liberty," Bush said at the White House alongside Yushchenko, who was
beginning his first U.S. visit since leading the mass protests that forced
out a pro-Russian leadership in the so-called Orange Revolution.

Bush saluted Yushchenko warmly as "a courageous leader of a free Ukraine,"
and noted that his counterpart was "the first head of state I called after
my inaugural address." During the protests in Ukraine, sharp U.S.-Russian
rancor erupted over primacy of influence there. But at the White House on
Monday, both sides proclaimed a "strategic partnership."

Yushchenko, whose face still bears the scars of a poisoning he blames on
political foes, spoke in turn with uncommon candor about the problems facing
his country. "The legacy that we inherited is a very difficult country," he
said. "Ukraine, where the rule of law did not exist and human rights were
not observed, where half of the national economy is in shadow; that
humiliated the profession of journalism."

Corruption remained the leading problem, he said, and poverty was of
"huge" dimensions. That made it important, he told Bush, "to feel that
we have partners standing by; that we're not left in solitude."

The U.S. president said he understood that his Ukrainian counterpart planned
to withdraw Ukrainian troops from Iraq, but seemed to imply that Ukraine
might not remove all 1,650 of them by an announced October deadline.
"The president made clear to me in my first conversation with him that he
campaigned on the idea of bringing some troops out," Bush said. "He's
fulfilling a campaign pledge. I fully understand that." "But he also said
he's going to cooperate with the coalition in terms of further withdrawals,"
he said. "And I appreciate that."

Asked by an American reporter why the United States should continue to
pay most of the cost in Iraq even as allies like Ukraine and Italy were
pulling troops out, Bush, as usual, expressed no doubts about the
importance of change in Iraq.

"The fundamental question is, 'Is it worth it?' and the answer is,
absolutely it's worth it for a free Iraq to emerge," he said. "The action is
worth it to make sure that democracy exists."

Yushchenko received the support he sought for Ukrainian membership in the
World Trade Organization this year, and Bush said his administration would
also move to end Soviet-era trade restrictions. Yushchenko had been
expected to seek U.S. support for Ukrainian membership in the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization.

As he had when the two presidents met for the first time, during a NATO
summit in Belgium in February, Bush indicated an openness to Ukrainian
membership but also indicated that it was hardly imminent. "There is a way
forward" toward closer engagement with the alliance, Bush said. "We want
to help Ukraine get on that path as quickly as possible. It is not a given."

The NATO secretary-general, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, said Monday in
Japan that the alliance would be open to a Ukrainian candidacy.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/04/04/news/prexy.html
=============================================================
7. BUSH PROMISES MORE HELP TO UKRAINE

By Peter Baker, Washington Post Staff Writer
The Washington Post, Washington, D.C., Mon, April 4, 2005

WASHINGTON - President Bush, celebrating the recent Orange Revolution in
Ukraine as a "powerful example of democracy for people around the world,"
promised its visiting leader yesterday that he would help the former Soviet
republic move closer to the West and eliminate decades-old trade barriers.

By hosting a White House meeting with Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko,
who rode a wave of popular indignation to power last December, Bush hoped
to fortify the new government and send a signal to other countries
struggling with tyranny. At the same time, the show of support may be seen
as a challenge in Russia, which has grown jittery at three such revolutions
on its borders in the past 16 months.

At a news conference with Yushchenko before a White House lunch, Bush
endorsed the peaceful street revolution that toppled an unpopular
establishment in Kiev as a model for others to follow. "We share a goal to
spread freedom to other nations," Bush said with Yushchenko at his side. "I
mean, after all, the Orange Revolution may have looked like it was only a
part of . . . the history of Ukraine, but the Orange Revolution represented
revolutions elsewhere as well."

With his face still badly scarred from a mysterious dioxin poisoning during
last fall's campaign, Yushchenko renewed his commitment to reorienting his
nation of nearly 50 million toward the rest of Europe -- and implicitly away
from its historic place in Moscow's orbit. "The ideals for the new Ukraine
are the ideals shared by Western civilization," he said.

Bush offered support for Ukraine's ambitions to join NATO and the World
Trade Organization and vowed to lift Jackson-Vanik trade restrictions, first
imposed against the Soviet Union in 1974 and still applied to some of its
former parts. Bush for three years has promised to lift restrictions against
Russia without convincing Congress, but Ukraine may be an easier sell on
Capitol Hill. If Bush succeeds first with Ukraine, it will be seen in Moscow
as another slap.

But the United States has pledged support for Yushchenko before without
following through. While he was prime minister, many Ukrainians complained
that Washington did not do anything to help him succeed in enacting
Western-style reforms and he was fired by a change-resistant parliament in
April 2001 after 16 months.

"Obviously there have been disappointments," said Markian Bilynskyj, the
Kiev-based vice president of the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation, which promotes
good ties between the two countries. But he expressed hope that this time
will be different. "The key has been set for the renewal of the strategic
relationship between the two states. Now it's up to the officials in the two
countries to put some meat on the bones of this goodwill."

In that light, Bush noted yesterday that he has requested $60 million to
help cement Ukrainian democracy as part of a larger supplemental
appropriations bill. But he did not mention that the House has cut that
request to $37 million. Nor did he mention his administration's decision to
cut 46 percent of funding for democracy and civil society programs in the
former Soviet Union over the past four years.

For all the comity of yesterday's meeting, Bush and Yushchenko agreed to
disagree about Iraq. Yushchenko promised during his campaign last year to
withdraw Ukraine's 1,650 troops from Iraq, one of the largest non-U.S.
contingents, and he has committed to following through since taking office.
Bush brushed off the dispute. "He's fulfilling a campaign pledge," Bush
said. "I fully understand that."

Yushchenko's four-day trip to the United States will be a celebration of the
bloodless street revolt he led after the old government tried to rig an
election to install then-President Leonid Kuchma's chosen successor. With
the help of activists trained by U.S.-funded groups, hundreds of thousands
of protesters occupied Kiev's main square, most wearing orange, the symbol
of Yushchenko's campaign, until forcing authorities to order a new election,
which Yushchenko won easily.

Washington has eagerly embraced Yushchenko ever since. Yushchenko is
scheduled to address a joint session of Congress on Wednesday and, with
his Ukrainian-American wife, make several other stops in the country.

To further solidify ties, Bush and Yushchenko agreed to ease travel between
the two countries. In a joint statement, the presidents said Ukraine would
eliminate visa requirements for visiting Americans, while the United States
would reduce visa fees for Ukrainians. The two also committed to enhancing
cooperation on fighting AIDS, curbing the proliferation of nuclear material
and ballistic missiles, and completing the construction of a shelter over
the old Chernobyl nuclear plant. -30-
=============================================================
8. UKRAINE TV UPBEAT ON FIRST DAY OF YUSHCHENKO'S US TRIP

BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Mon, April 4, 2005

Ukrainian television has offered mostly positive comments on President
Viktor Yushchenko's ongoing US trip, saying the event signalled a marked
change in relations between the two countries. TV channels said Yushchenko
was warmly welcomed in Washington on the first day of the visit, and got
America's backing for his key policy priorities, including WTO entry and
Euroatlantic integration.

INTER -----
The president's US trip was the lead story on Ukraine's most popular TV
channel, Inter.
"Media attention to the visit is huge," the channel said. "The White House's
main message is that Ukraine is a strategic partner. This is the first such
visit over the past six years. Speaking at a press conference after meeting
Yushchenko, George Bush said Ukraine could count on Washington's support
in securing WTO accession, obtaining market economy status and eliminating
trade barriers. Bush seemed very happy with the meeting, saying that for him
it was an important moment... On Wednesday, Yushchenko will address
Congress. Few world leaders have had such an honour. Much will depend on
whether Yushchenko will be able to impress the congressmen, but the omens
so far are good, and Yushchenko is likely to succeed."
The channel also showed a lengthy clip of President Bush making
complimentary remarks about Yushchenko, saying it was an honour for him to
stand beside "the brave leader of free Ukraine", and pledging support in
economic issues and Euroatlantic integration. "We are friends of Ukraine. Mr
Yushchenko was the first person I called after my own inauguration," Bush
was shown saying.

ONE PLUS ONE -----
The second-most-popular channel, One Plus One, led with the Pope's death,
but was equally optimistic on the Yushchenko visit, which was the second
story of its main news bulletin.
"After the virtual isolation of Leonid Kuchma following the tape scandal and
the Kolchuga affair, the reception offered by the US to the winner of the
Orange revolution is more that just warm. The US has been openly supportive
of the recent political transformations in Ukraine - we will soon find out
whether Washington's political likings will be followed by concrete economic
breakthroughs. This is what everyone is really hoping for," the channel
said.
"Speaking upon arrival at the airport, Yushchenko said the visit would mark
the start of new relations between the two countries... The Ukrainian
delegation will focus on economic relations during the trip. And whereas the
cancellation of the discriminatory Jackson-Vanik Amendment is thought to be
a done deal in Kiev, winning market economy status and the US agreement for
Ukraine's admission to the WTO will yet require hard work. That being said,
the number of outstanding issues in the WTO accession talks has recently
been falling quite rapidly."

UKRAYINA TV -----
Ukrayina TV, which has been on occasions fairly sceptical of the new
government, also led on Yushchenko's US trip, offering lengthy clips from
the press conference.
"A new era of Ukrainian-US strategic partnership has begun, US and Ukrainian
presidents said today at a joint press conference in the White House," the
channel said. "Viktor Yushchenko stressed that the new strategy would
strengthen partnership for the sake of common values, freedom and security.
George Bush said the US supported Ukraine's aspiration to join the WTO and
strengthen relations with NATO. He also said he supported Ukraine's drive to
foster a market economy, and that the US administration had requested
approval from Congress to offer Ukraine financial assistance worth 60m
dollars."

5 KANAL -----
The 5 Kanal television, Ukraine's first all-news channel, carried a live
relay from the joint press conference. "When the two presidents appeared
before the press, they looked a bit tired but happy," the channel said. It
noted, however, Yushchenko's apparent reluctance to answer journalists'
questions at the joint press conference, with Bush doing most of the
talking.

ICTV -----
The private channel ICTV also led on the Pope's death, and then focused
on economic issues Ukraine hopes will be resolved during the trip.
"Yushchenko expressed his hope that he would be able to solve the
problems that have been piling up in relations with the US since the 1990s.
Economic issues will dominate the agenda. Ukraine hopes to join the WTO
by the year's end, but the protocol with the US is yet to be signed. In
addition, the US still has not granted Ukraine market economy status."
=============================================================
9. A UNITED STATES - UKRAINIAN PRIORITY
Designation of Ukraine as a Major Non-NATO Defense Ally of the US

COMMENTARY: By Nestor Scherbey
THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT
Washington, D.C., Tuesday, April 5, 2005

As a result of the Ukraine-U.S. Business Forum held in New York on
March 30 and 31, U.S. manufacturers in the defense, aerospace,
automotive and related industries as well as the investment community
are becoming increasingly aware of the significant changes and
developing opportunities with respect to economic cooperation, trade
and investment in Ukraine as a result of actions being taken by the new
Ukrainian Government led by President Yuschenko.

In order to facilitate these historic developments, please do all you can
to call attention to the topic of designation of Ukraine by President Bush
as a "major non-NATO defense ally of the United States" as a subject
to be raised in next week's meeting in Washington.

U.S. legislation provides that countries so designated may engage in
cooperative research and development projects with the U.S. Department
of Defense and appropriate U.S. defense contractors for a broad range
of defense articles and services that are otherwise prohibited or hampered
by current arms export controls legislation and regulations.

I am convinced that such designation will provide for important immediate
benefits to both nations as well as to other countries, for reasons briefly
summarized below.

Experience in Iraq and Afghanistan has made the DOD aware that the
current generation of U.S.military non-combat and combat vehicles were
never primarily designed for the types of conflicts and peace-keeping
operations that the U.S. and its allies face or are very likely to face. A
new generation of vehicles and military equipment that provide superior
protection for armed forces personnel, significantly improved fuel
efficiency, improved mobility and other performance enhancements are
needed.

Boeing has discovered with its Aviation Design Center in Moscow that there
exist unique capabilities in former Soviet countries for research and
applied engineering. U.S. firms are only now becoming increasingly aware
of the extraordinary capabilities of the Ukrainian so-called
"military-industrial complex" and other restructured enterprises typified by
examples like the "Yuzhmash" aerospace and missile complex in Dnipro-
petrovsk and related enterprises, the Antonov Aeronautical Scientific/
Technical Complex in Kyiv, the AuvtoKraz company in Kremenchug and
a host of others too lengthy to list.

U.S. defense contractors such as General Dynamics, AM General and other
suppliers of military vehicles and equipment in the United States along with
the DOD would greatly benefit from collaborative research, design and
development of the next generation of military vehicles needed by the U.S.
and its allies. It can be anticipated that such cooperative efforts are
likely to result in new vehicle, parts, components and equipment
manufacturing operations that, given Ukraine's "China-level" global
competitiveness, should develop into significant joint manufacturing,
contract manufacturing, sourcing and other business opportunities for
both U.S. and Ukrainian firms.

This is likely to provide for reduced costs for DOD procurement programs,
reduced development, manufacturing and acquisition lead times, significant
increases in U.S.-Ukraine export and import trade, increased employment in
both countries as well as enhancement of efforts related to Ukraine's EU and
NATO integration, global non-proliferation and enhanced cooperation with
respect to counter-terrorism.

The Yuzhmash aerospace and missile complex has demonstrated excep-
tional capabilities with a long string of successful and highly accurate
on-time satellite launches with the Sea Launch Company. New collaborative,
joint venture or other efforts with appropriate U.S. and Ukrainian firms
could result in significant benefits for the current Missile Defense testing
and development programs that are in progress.

I am equally convinced that there will be strong bipartisan support in the
Congress for such action by President Bush as the enhanced opportunities
for economic growth and employment gains in states throughout the nation
where major U.S. defense contractors are located such as Michigan, Illinois,
Indiana, Ohio, Colorado, Georgia, California, Virginia and a long list of
others are better understood.

It is understood that the political and diplomatic aspects of such
designation are matters of state and international relations for President
Bush and President Yuschenko, the U.S. State Department and the
Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss and make decisions
about.

Nevertheless, your support for calling this matter to their attention is
respectfully requested. -30- [Action Ukraine Report Monitoring]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nestor Scherbey, President, CTRMS, Ltd.
Tel: 1 616 940-0897; Fax: 1 616 940-1097
Mob: 1 616 780-0512; www.ctrms.com
=============================================================
10. UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VICTOR YUSHCHENKO VISITS CHICAGO

Associated Press, Chicago, Illinois, Monday, April 4, 2005

CHICAGO - Ukraine President Viktor Yushchenko thanked his compatriots
in Chicago Monday for their support during his dramatic populist election
last year and called for them to continue to invest in the eastern European
country. "The new Ukraine owes its existence in large part to your
contributions," Yushchenko told more than 1,400 mostly Ukrainian-Americans
at a hotel in downtown Chicago. "And as before, we still need your support.
We call you to Ukraine."

Earlier Monday in Washington, President Bush said the United States supports
expanding NATO to include Ukraine, the former Soviet republic that trying to
loosen historic ties to Russia, but membership in the Western alliance is
not guaranteed. "There is a way forward in order to become a partner of the
United States and other nations in NATO," Bush said during a joint press
conference with Yushchenko, the populist politician whose Orange Revolution
forced out Ukraine's pro-Russian government last year.

"It's not a given. In other words, there are things that the Ukrainian
government must do," Bush said. NATO membership is by invitation of the
member states, and requires guarantees of political, military and economic
openness. For Ukraine, joining NATO would mean taking more decisive steps
away from Russian influence and cleaning up systemic corruption. "We want
to help your government make the difficult decisions and difficult choices
necessary to become available for membership in NATO," Bush said.

"The ideals for the new Ukraine are the ideals shared by western
civilization," Yushchenko said through an interpreter. He called corruption
the No. 1 problem at home during Monday's speeches. He has promised a
thorough investigation of corruption and alleged political skullduggery
during his predecessor's 10 years as president.

"This is the kind of country your parents and grandparents dreamed of,"
Yushchenko said in Chicago. "We will curb corruption, we will curb poverty,
and we will have freedom of speech."

Also on Monday, Yushchenko spoke to the largest U.S. business lobbying
group, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and sought to assure business
leaders that Ukraine is trying to fight corruption and attract investments.

"I would like to clearly state that the rules of the game (have) changed in
Ukraine, that the law is working in Ukraine," he said through an
interpreter. "From now on the Ukrainian state, the Ukrainian government are
going to protect your interest." He asked business leaders "please, do not
give any bribes in Ukraine to anybody," saying he hoped that by cutting
bribes from their budgets, they would save enough money to become
more profitable.

Yushchenko is on a three-day trip to the United States to lobby for aid
and investment, win Washington's support for joining NATO, and greet
Ukrainian-Americans. He will address Congress later in the week.

The trip comes a little more than two months after Yushchenko took office
following a dramatic popular uprising. Masses of supporters camped out in
Kiev, claiming that a Kremlin-backed candidate stole a disputed election.
The government was forced to allow a second vote, which Yushchenko won.

After the election, Yushchenko claimed that the Russian-backed regime of
his predecessor, Leonid Kuchma, had tried to assassinate him. Yushchenko
suffered near-fatal dioxin poisoning during last fall's presidential
election, which left his once-smooth face sallow and pocked.

During Yushchenko's campaign, he received financial and political backing
from Chicago's Ukrainians. On Monday, many of those who attended the
Chicago Council on Foreign Relations speech wore orange ties and scarfs,
and yellow-and-blue Ukrainian flags fluttered atop buildings throughout
Chicago's Ukrainian-American community.

"We were asking God for a president like Yuschenko for decades," said
Katherine Domashevsky, 60, of Chicago, as she waited for more than
two hours to see him speak in Chicago.

Bush frequently points to Yushchenko's peaceful rise as an example of the
power of democratic ideals. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
have said that advancing Ukrainian-style democratic change is the unifying
theme of Bush's second term.

On Monday, Bush called Yushchenko "an inspiration to all who love liberty,"
and said Yushchenko was the first world leader he called after his
inauguration for a second term in January.

The two leaders stepped quickly past the most visible irritant in their new
friendship. Yushchenko is withdrawing Ukraine's troops from Iraq, a campaign
promise that acknowledges the deep unpopularity of the Iraq deployment
among Ukrainians. "He's fulfilling a campaign pledge. I fully understand
that," Bush said. -30- [Action Ukraine Report Monitoring Service]
=============================================================
11. TWO EX-POLICE ADMITTED KILLING UKRAINE REPORTER

AP, Kiev, Ukraine, Monday, April 4, 2005

KIEV -- Two former police officers have confessed to killing an
investigative journalist five years ago, an incident that galvanized
opposition to the regime of then-President Leonid Kuchma, prosecutors said
Monday. The investigation into the disappearance and beheading of Heorhiy
Gongadze has confirmed long-held suspicions that top officials in Kuchma's
government had a role in the death. Since taking office in January,
President Viktor Yushchenko has pushed for a full investigation.

Vyacheslav Astapov, a spokesman for the Prosecutor General, said the two
officers had "admitted charges" that they were cooperative and that they had
"helped investigators with the details." He refused to elaborate on what
exact role they played in the killing of Gongadze, who was abducted in
downtown Kiev in September 2000. His beheaded body was later found
buried outside the capital.

In an interview published Monday on a Web site once run by Gongadze,
Yushchenko said the two officers "confessed, so the first stage of the probe
in the case is over." The two have also helped investigators to reconstruct
the killing and "led them to locations where it all happened," he was quoted
as saying by the Ukrainska Pravda Web site. Yushchenko departed Sunday
for a three-day trip to the U.S.

Ukrainska Pravda was run by Gongadze, an Internet journalist who wrote
about top-level corruption under Kuchma. His killing touched off months of
protests against Kuchma, whom the opposition alleged was involved in the
killing. Kuchma has denied the allegations, and last month was questioned
by prosecutors.

Yushchenko, who was catapulted to power amid a popular uprising known
as the Orange Revolution, has accused Kuchma's administration of
"sheltering Gongadze's killers."

Astapov said prosecutors will have to complete forensic tests on Gongadze's
body before the case can be forwarded to the court. Since taking office in
January, Yushchenko has pledged that authorities would resolve the deaths of
more than two dozen prominent politicians, businessmen and journalists who
either died and were killed under suspicious circumstances in the last
decade. -30- [The Action Ukraine Report Monitoring Service]
=============================================================
12. LESYA UKRAINKA NATIONAL ACADEMIC THEATRE COMPANY

Letter to Mr. Victor Yushchenko President of Ukraine
From the Lesya Ukrainka National Academic Theatre Company
Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, March 27, 2005
Letter published in a one-half page ad in Ukrainian & English
The Washington Post, Washington, D.C., Mon, April 4, 2005, P. A18

Mr. VICTOR YUSHCHENKO,
PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE

Kyiv, Ukraine, March 27, 2005

Mr. President,

Today, on the day of the International Theatre Day, we appeal to you on
behalf of the Lesya Ukrainka National Academic Theatre Company. We
feel we have no other choice but to appeal to you directly because of
the very serious situation which our theatre is facing.

For more than ten years our theatre has been directed by Mr. Mikhail
Reznikovich, a well-known director who has received state awards and
who is also a professor and academic. During recent presidential
elections in Ukraine, Mr. Reznikovich supported your rival, the runner-
up for President.

We were appalled to find out that the General Prosecutor's Office
launched an investigation into our theatre right after the presidential
elections were over. Never, not even during Soviet times when KGB
control was widespread, did we experience such an attack on the life
of our theatre. This appears even more shocking considering the
democratic reforms that you have promised in Ukraine.

Mr. President, it takes a great deal to create a living theatre. Mr.
Reznikovich and his fellow-actors have been creating our theatre for
many years.

But it is very easy to destroy a theatre. All it takes is to fire a
director and appoint another.

The last thing we want is to believe that the events around the Lesya
Ukrainka are the result of a campaign of political prosecution of our
director. But regrettably it is increasingly looking so.

We therefore appeal to you not to allow our theatre to be destroyed.

Kind regards,

Lesya Ukrainka National Academic Theatre Company:

D. V. Babeav V. P. Aldoshin
B. L. Voznuk N. K. Dolya
I. M. Duka V. P. Zaitsev
O. M. Getmanskiy K. G. Kashlikov
L. V. Kadochnikova N. I. Kudria
O. Z. Smolyarova N. G. Nizharadze
L. G. Yaremchuk O. V. Kulchitska
V. M. Shestopalov D. V. Savchdenko
V. V. Saraikin
And other 50 signatures
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOOTNOTE: It would be interesting to know who exactly paid
for this advertisement. One-half page advertisements in The
Washington Post are not cheap. EDITOR
=============================================================
13. YUSHCHENKO TO ATTEND POPE'S FUNERAL

Interfax-Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine, Tue, April 5, 2005

KYIV - Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko will join the mourners
paying their respects to Pope John Paul II, as head of a Ukrainian
delegation.

On the day of the funeral Ukraine, jointly with Catholics and believers
of other confessions, will mourn a man who did so much for defending
peace all over the world, said Yushchenko's press secretary Irina
Herashchenko.
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http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/0/28.html?id_issue=11265309
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