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Action Ukraine Report

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

"ACTION UKRAINE REPORT" Year 2004, Number 52
Action Ukraine Coalition (AUC), Washington, D.C.
morganw@patriot.net, ArtUkraine.com@starpower.net
Washington, D.C., Kyiv, Ukraine, FRIDAY, April 2, 2004

INDEX OF ARTICLES

1. UKRAINIAN BABY'S FIGHT TO BREATHE AND TALK
Marika Tkachyk Now in New York City for Surgery, Assistance Needed
Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund (CCRF)
Short Hills, New Jersey, Thursday, April 1, 2004

2. PUTIN PUSHES FOR SINGLE ECONOMIC SPACE SAYING
WOULD BE VERY BENEFICIAL FOR BOTH RUSSIA AND UKRAINE
Putin Meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych
RIA news agency, Moscow, Russia, in Russian, 1 Apr 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Apr 01, 2004

3. UKRAINE PUSHES TRADE RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA
Inside Ukraine Newsletter, Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, April 2, 2004

4. MANEUVERING AROUND UKRAINE'S CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM
Inside Ukraine Newsletter, Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, April 2, 2004

5. PARLIMENTRY DEMOCRACY, ABOLITION OF DIRECT ELECTION
OF UKRAINE'S PRESIDENT AND CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM
FEEDBACK: Letter to the Editor, By Anthony van der Craats, Australia
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT (AUR), Washington, D.C., Fri, April 2, 2004

6. BOB SCHAFFER CANDIDATE FOR U.S. SENATOR
Letter from Bob Schaffer, Candidate for the U.S. Senate From Colorado
Bob Schaffer for U.S. Senate Committee, www.schafferforsenate.com
Greeley, Colorado, Friday, April 2, 2004

7. KIEV OLIGARCH KEEPS IT IN FAMILY
Viktor Pinchuk, one of Eastern Europe's richest men
By Elizabeth Piper, Reuters, Kiev, Ukraine, Thursday, April 1, 2004

8. GEORGE SOROS, VIKTOR PINCHUK TO CREATE LEGAL
AID FOUNDATION IN UKRAINE
Interfax-Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine, April 1, 2004

9. FIFTH BABY BORN TO VIKTOR YUSHCHENKO
Taras Yushchenko born March 25, 2004
UNIAN, Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, March 26, 2004

10. FINDING OUT THE FATE OF UKRAINE'S BEST
Book on Ukraine's Executed Elite, 1937-1938, "The Last Address"
The Day Weekly Digest in English, Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, Mar 30, 2004

11. NEBRASKA WOMAN DESIGNING INTRICATE UKRAINIAN
EASTER EGGS KNOWN AS PYSANKY
By Beverly J. Lydick/Tribune Staff, The Tribune,
Fremont, Nebraska, Thursday, March 31, 2004

12. BIG TIMES UPCOMING FOR THE BIGGEST BROTHERS IN
BOXING, UKRAINIANS VITALI AND WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO
By Tim Dahlberg, Associated Press, Los Vegas, NV, Wed, Mar 31, 2004
=========================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 52: ARTICLE NUMBER ONE
Politics and Governance, Building a Strong, Democratic Ukraine
http://www.artukraine.com/buildukraine/index.htm
==========================================================
1. UKRAINIAN CHILD'S FIGHT TO BREATHE AND TALK
Marika Tkachyk Now in New York City for Surgery, Assistance Needed

Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund (CCRF)
Short Hills, New Jersey, Thursday, April 1, 2004

NEW YORK CITY - On Tuesday, March 30, a two-year-old toddler from
Kyiv, Ukraine, Mariyhka Tkachyk, underwent preliminary surgery at the New
York Eye and Ear Infirmary to help protect her breathing passage, and to
repair damage to her vocal chords.

Under the supervision of plastic surgeon Dr. Oleh Slupchynskyj, the
Ukrainian child will undergo a series of delicate surgical procedures to
correct a facial deformity caused by a virulent infection.

A few months after her birth, Marika Tkachyk was stricken with a mysterious
but deadly virus that killed four other infants in the capital of Ukraine.

Doctors at the Kyiv City Hospital No. 2 were able to save Marika's life, but
the virus gradually infected Marika's nasal cavity and destroyed the
cartilage in her nose, forcing doctors to insert a breathing tube in the
infant's throat so that she would not suffocate.

Hospitals in Ukraine are ill equipped to deal with such procedures, and Dr.
Slupchinskyj volunteered to help in the next stage of her treatment. In his
first visit to the Kyiv hospital, Slupchinskyj was impressed with the local
doctors' skill and improvisational ability. "The Ukrainian medical team was
very talented," said Slupchinskyj. "I saw them do things that I've never
seen our doctors [in the United States] do."

Unfortunately, they lacked the technology available in many US facilities
and Slupchinskyj arranged for her to be treated at the New York Eye & Ear
Infirmary. Even with U.S. doctors donating their services, the cost of the
treatments is expected to reach $15,000.

Marika Tkachyk was brought to the United States under the auspices of the
Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund, an award-winning charity based in Short
Hills, New Jersey that specializes in the treatment of children affected by
the world's worst nuclear disaster. "In the wake of Chornobyl, many
children in northern Ukraine are still living in areas contaminated with
radioactive fallout, and many children are severely immune-depressed," said
Alexander Kuzma, CCRF's Executive Director.

Although Marika's condition may not be directly related to Chornobyl, the
Fund decided to intervene in her case. Thanks to several private donors,
including employees of Johnson & Johnson's Division of Pharmaceutical
Development and Research, CCRF was able to bring Marika and her mother,
Vera Tkachyk to the US.

During her month-long treatment program, Marika and Mrs. Tkachyk will be
staying with the Burachinsky family of Florham Park, New Jersey. Dr. Andrew
Burachinsky is a cardiologist at St. Michael's Medical Center in Newark and
a member of CCRF's Medical Advisory Committee. His wife Valerie has been
the Vice President of CCRF since the Fund was established in 1990. Mrs.
Burachinsky has helped to organize many of the Fund's 30 medical airlifts,
delivering millions of dollars worth of medical supplies and technology to
partner hospitals in Ukraine.

"In most cases, it is more cost effective to treat the children in Ukraine,"
said Alex Kuzma. "We can deliver new technology and resources that can
improve the quality of care and save more children's lives. In Marika's
case, however, we felt compelled to bring her here to make sure she received
the specialized surgery she could not get in her home country."

"Marika's case is quite exceptional", said Mrs. Burachinsky. "This is the
first child we have brought to the United States in many years." In 1990,
the Fund brought eight children to actor Paul Newman's Hole-in-the-Wall Gang
Camp in Ashford, Connecticut. One of those youngsters has fully recovered
from leukemia and remained in the United States. He is now attending
college in New Jersey.

"We are very grateful to Dr. Slupchinskyj and the staff at New York Eye &
Ear Infirmary for taking on this complicated case," said Mrs. Burachinsky.

"Considering the ordeal Marika has gone through, she is a remarkably calm
and sweet child. Her mother Vera is a lovely person, and she is very
grateful to all the donors who have stepped forward to help her daughter."

For further information, call (973) 376-5140 or (860) 652-0458. Tax
deductible donations may be made payable to CCRF, 272 Old Short Hills Road,
Short Hills, New Jersey 07078, and may be earmarked for the "Marika Tkachyk
Fund." www.childrenofchornobyl.org
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EDITOR'S NOTE: Mariyka Tkachyk's story, with a photograph of her,
was featured Thursday in the New York Daily News.
LINK: www.nydailynews.com/news/story/179356p-155889c.html.
Your assistance is needed now, please donate to the Marika Tkachyk Fund.
========================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 52: ARTICLE NUMBER TWO
Politics and Governance, Building a Strong, Democratic Ukraine
http://www.artukraine.com/buildukraine/index.htm
=========================================================
2. PUTIN PUSHES FOR SINGLE ECONOMIC SPACE SAYING
WOULD BE VERY BENEFICIAL FOR BOTH RUSSIA AND UKRAINE
Putin Meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych

RIA news agency, Moscow, in Russian, 1 Apr 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Apr 01, 2004

MOSCOW - [Russian President] Vladimir Putin has said the setting up of a
single economic space would be beneficial to both Russia and Ukraine.

"The setting up of a single economic space - these plans will be beneficial
to the economies of both Russia and Ukraine," the Russian president said at
the meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.

According to him, this will create conditions for the free movement of
capital, goods and labour. "The civilized movement of labour - this of
interest to both the peoples of Russia and Ukraine," Putin added.

He also said that the setting up of a single economic space would create
favourable conditions for the economies of the two countries and help Russia
and Ukraine in markets abroad.

For his part, Yanukovych said Russian and Ukraine prime ministers should
make a real contribution to the strategy outlined by the Russian, Ukrainian,
Kazakh and Belarusian presidents on the formation of a single economic
space.

He said the setting up of a single economic space will start with the
creation of free trade zones. He said manufacturers from the two countries
should feel that customs barriers will not impede them, Yanukovych said.

"State policy should create conditions which will not on the one hand impede
manufacturers and on the other hand guarantees the collection of taxes to
tackle social issues," the Ukrainian prime minister said.

He said there were plans to invite representatives of business circles and
investors to the forthcoming session of the Russian-Ukrainian
intergovernmental commission. It is necessary for the meeting to "take
concrete and specific steps for the development of the economies of the two
countries", Yanukovych said. (END) (ARTUIS)
=========================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 52: ARTICLE NUMBER THREE
Check Out the News Media for the Latest News From and About Ukraine
Daily News Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/newsgallery.htm
=========================================================
3. UKRAINE PUSHES TRADE RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA

Inside Ukraine Newsletter, Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, April 2, 2004

KYIV - Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych on Thursday visited Moscow for
his first official meeting with Mikhail Fradkov, the Russian Federation's
new prime minister. Accompanied by Fradkov, Yanukovych also met with
President Vladimir Putin late Thursday evening.

The talks concentrated on two main points. Although in formal terms, the two
points related to the establishment of the Common Economic Space, an idea
vigorously pushed by Russia, the idea most dear to Ukraine's immediate
interests - which Yanukovych focused upon - is the prospect for
establishment of a free-trade zone that would facilitate commercial
exchanges between the two countries.

During the last year, Russia-Ukraine commercial turnover increased by about
30 percent, amounting in total to about $15 billion. Yanukovych claimed that
lifting customs barriers between Russia and Ukraine would make it possible
to increase the turnover to $20 billion this year.

The other point of immediate interest for Ukraine relates to movements of
manpower between the two states. Currently about 1.5 million Ukrainian
nationals work in the Russian Federation that results in a very large flow
of remittances to families in Ukraine. Therefore, facilitation of the
freedom of movement of Ukrainian workers in Russia is a high priority matter
for Ukraine.

For his part, President Putin focused on the establishment of the Common
Economic Space, claiming that, "these plans will be good for the economies
of both Russia and Ukraine."

Although the Thursday meetings resulted in no immediate results between the
two countries, an agreement was reached for the 10th meeting of the
Ukraine-Russia Intergovernmental Commission at the beginning of the summer.
=========================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 52: ARTICLE NUMBER FOUR
Major Articles About What is Going on in Ukraine
Current Events Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/events/index.htm
===========================================================
4. MANEUVERING AROUND UKRAINE'S CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM

Inside Ukraine Newsletter, Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, April 2, 2004

KYIV - Developments on Thursday and some scheduled for Friday appear
to be part of a plan to assure that unhappy majority district parliamentary
deputies may be kept in line to vote for the constitutional reform package
while not alienating the Communist and Socialists factions.

Defection of any of these three groups could put a qualified constitutional
majority of 300 votes out of reach, thus, endangering the continued hold of
the Kuchma clan on power beyond his term in office.

The first and most obvious maneuver came when MP Oleksandr Zadorozhniy,
the head of a prominent legal firm and the president's official
representative in the Verkhovna Rada, told reporters Thursday that there had
been numerous attempts to bribe deputies so they would abstain from voting
on the major proportional parliamentary elections bill and also a companion
bill dealing with the rules for regional, municipal and local elections. "We
know the names and the amounts [of the bribes], Zadorozhniy said, without
being more specific.

As reported earlier, when the Rada completed action on the proportional
parliamentary election bill late in the evening of March 25, the vote was
conclusive but left quite a few majority district deputies unhappy to the
point that seven of them left the factions to which they had belonged. The
bill as passed gave rise to strong criticism from Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn
who said several times that, because of the weakness of parties, Ukraine is
not ready for the introduction of the proportional system.

The vote approving the proportional election bill was considered essential
by the presidential forces since both the Communists and Socialists had
strongly indicated that, without approval of the all-proportional system,
they would oppose the constitutional reforms so badly wanted by the
president. With the Communists and Socialist demands satisfied, at least for
the time being, the presidential forces must figure out a way to keep the
majority members, so opposed to the proportional election law, in the
Kuchma camp.

The final form of the proportional elections bill, signed by Lytvyn and
forwarded to the president on Thursday, carried as an attachment a list of
sections of the bill that are supposedly in disagreement with the
constitution, in the judgment of the Rada's legal staff.

Some Rada members strongly suspect that this is part of a maneuver scheme
that would allow the president to keep returning the proportional election
bill to the Rada with suggestions for changes until he is able to force the
bill into a form that is acceptable to all of the various contending groups,
thereby assuring their votes for the constitutional reforms.

Not only must the president properly handle the proportional election bill
hot potato, but a way must be found to pass a companion bill that is
arguably as complex as the Rada election bill. As currently structured this
bill would extend proportional voting to regional, municipal and district
councils, but would keep settlement and village councils on a majority vote
system. This bill is also considered an essential prerequisite to assuring
Communist and Socialist support for constitutional reforms.

Many expect Kuchma's Friday address to the so-called All-Ukrainian Civil
Forum to give at least some hints as to how he plans to manage controlling
the progress of his constitutional reform train. His speech may also provide
some clues as to the level of control he is still able to exercise over
parliament members that have become increasingly more interested in their
own political futures than that of a supposedly lame-duck president.
=========================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 52: ARTICLE NUMBER FIVE
Exciting Opportunities in Ukraine for Travel and Tourism
Travel and Tourism Gallery: http://www.ArtUkraine.com/tourgallery.htm
=========================================================
5. PARLIMENTRY DEMOCRACY, ABOLITION OF DIRECT ELECTION
OF UKRAINE'S PRESIDENT AND CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM

FEEDBACK: Letter to the Editor
By Anthony van der Craats, Australia
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT (AUR)
Washington, D.C., Friday, April 2, 2004

With the Russian Presidential election out of the way and the future of
Ukraine's constitutional democracy under review I wish to express my support
for the proposed abolition of direct election of Ukraine's President in
favour of a strengthened Parliamentary democracy with an associated
reduction of power and authority of the President.

"Where there is no counsel the people fall but in the multitude of
councillors there is safety"

There are many examples of successful Western democracies where the Head
of State is not directly elected and the power and responsibility of
Government lies with the peoples elected representative Parliament. Britain,
Holland; Sweden, Norway, Australia, Canada (just to name a few).

The issues currently facing Ukraine are similar to those recently debated in
Australia when it was considering its constitution and the proposed
establishment of an Australian Republic. Yes, there was divided opinion and
unfortunately the issue was clouded by politics, rhetoric and emotion.

Although the question was never put in its entity there was an equal, if not
majority, view that Australia should not have a directly elected President
or Head of State, preferring the current model of appointment by Parliament.

A directly elected Head of State does not necessarily provide good
governance. Power and the future aspirations of the people should not reside
in the hands of any one individual, but rather be the responsibility and
governance of the majority of the people's representatives.

The costs associated with direct election can not be justified. Given
Ukraine's economic situation the costs required for a Presidential election
could be better deployed elsewhere.

We only need to look at the United States where the costs involved in
running a Presidential election campaign is runs into Billions of dollars.
(Even then the United States does not directly elect its Head of State). It
is open to debate as to wether the results of the US Presidential election
has provided good governance or strengthened democracy. The 2000 US
Presidential election (as rightly pointed out recently by Russia's President
Putin) was not democratic - the current US President was elected with a
minority of voter support with less the 50% of its citizens voting.

Ukraine should look to Europe for its constitutional models as opposed to
the United States.

Whilst in the case of the United States and Russia there may be extenuating
circumstances that warrant a direct elected model the same does not apply to
Ukraine.

Ukraine is not a super power but a struggling country with serious
environmental, economic and political problems. Problems that should be
resolved by their elected Parliamentary representatives.

My support for the abolition of direct election is depended on the extent of
additional proposed parliamentary reforms and subject to the removal of
Presidential powers.

If the President is to retain substantial power, then "yes", the position
should be subject to election and the choice of the people, but if the
President's power is removed, and the position becomes more of a statesman
and administrative role, then the appointment of the Head of State by the
elected Parliament would be acceptable.

Whilst it is up to Ukraine to determine its constitution and future, I would
advocate serious consideration and support for the abolition of the
"first-past-the-post" electoral system and the scraping of the divided
mandate, where one selection of representatives is elected by a different
electoral system to the others.

The "first-past-the-post" electoral system used by the United States and
Great Britain is out of date - having been designed at a time when most of
the electorate could not read or write. It fails to provide democratic
representation and creates a situation were a party with less then 50% of
support elects 100% of the representative positions. A system of
preferential proportional representation is preferred. This can be further
strengthened by establishing appropriate regional electoral boundaries.

Any assessment of proposed amendments to Ukraine's Constitution should not
be based on personalities or the perceived interest of any one individual or
group but rather in the best interest of Ukraine as a whole. In the end it
is Ukraine that should make its decision within the terms of its existing
constitution and hopefully other Countries will stand by and support its
efforts to strengthen its Parliamentary democracy. (END)(ARTUIS)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anthony van der Craats (anthony.vandercraats@bigpond.com), Australia
===========================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 52: ARTICLE NUMBER SIX
The Story of Ukraine's Long and Rich Culture
Ukrainian Culture Gallery: http://www.ArtUkraine.com/cultgallery.htm
===========================================================
6. BOB SCHAFFER CANDIDATE FOR U.S. SENATOR FROM COLORADO

Letter from Bob Schaffer, Candidate for the U.S. Senate From Colorado
Bob Schaffer for U.S. Senate Committee, www.schafferforsenate.com
Greeley, Colorado, Friday, April 2, 2004

GREELEY - Friends: Exciting things are happening in Colorado. In March
Colorado's US Senator Ben "Nighthorse" Campbell announced he will
not seek re-election. A little over two weeks ago, I announced my intention
to run for the seat he is vacating.

Colorado is crucial in determining the balance of power in the US Senate and
both parties will be concentrating efforts here in November. As you know,
my service in the US House spanned three terms and allowed me to participate
in many successes including balancing the nation's budget, providing
American families with overdue tax relief, improving education policy,
restoring America's national defense and promoting a pro-democracy foreign
policy. I will draw upon these experiences in mounting a winning campaign
for the US Senate.

I need your immediate help. Please do two things for me:

1) Please visit the Schaffer for Senate website at
www.schafferforsenate.com right now and contribute to the campaign online.
The cost of an important campaign like this one is in the millions. I need
to
raise a lot of money and I need to do it right away.

2) Secondly, please compose and send emails to anyone you know who can
join and contribute. Other important information about the Colorado race
can be found at the web site, too, www.schafferforsenate.com.

Your personal support for our efforts is essential. I intend to run a
smart, vigorous and winning campaign. With your help, we can mount a
thrilling victory of which we can all be proud.

Very truly yours, Bob Schaffer
Candidate for U.S. Senator, Colorado
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: Bob Schaffer served as co-chairman of the Ukrainian Congressional
Caucus Committee when he served as a Congressman from Colorado.
Schaffer has Ukrainian heritage through his grandparents.
=======================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 52: ARTICLE NUMBER SEVEN
Politics and Governance, Building a Strong, Democratic Ukraine
http://www.artukraine.com/buildukraine/index.htm
=======================================================
7. KIEV OLIGARCH KEEPS IT IN FAMILY
Viktor Pinchuk, one of Eastern Europe's richest men

By Elizabeth Piper, Reuters, Kiev, Ukraine, Thursday, April 1, 2004

KIEV-- It feels like living in Ukraine's very own royal family.

But Viktor Pinchuk, one of Eastern Europe's richest men, says he gets
few perks from being married to President Leonid Kuchma's daughter --
only a press eager to see a man of his wealth and influence slip up.

Above all, he dismisses the widespread belief that he heads the
regional Dnipropetrovsk Clan -- one of Ukraine's most powerful and
murkiest business networks -- and represents its interests as a
member of parliament.

"I don't represent any clan," he said from his sprawling mahogany
office in the Ukrainian capital Kiev.

"Yes, I am the husband of the Ukrainian president's daughter, but
that is my personal life. I have a wife whom I love ... How does that
help me? All the time I think what I should do not to show him up."

It doesn't stop him being the constant focus of attention.

"The son of Prince Charles -- everyone knows when he has done
something wrong ... of course my family members do not get quite the
same attention ... but in some cases it is the same."

But he plays down his high-powered connection, perhaps keeping in
mind that Ukraine, a former Soviet state of 48 million people, could
be on the verge of huge change.

A presidential election in October is set to end Kuchma's reign, and
so far there is no front-runner to succeed him.

>From May, Ukraine will border an expanded European Union when its
neighbors Poland, Hungary and Slovakia join.

The West wants to see a stable democracy, a revived reform program
and an end to sporadic crackdowns on media freedom. It also wants
action to stamp out the widespread corruption that has put big
business under the microscope.

For Pinchuk, it could be a chance to establish himself as a credible
businessman and distance himself from the dubious title of "oligarch,"
a term for those who grew rich and powerful in the chaotic sell-offs
that followed the end of the Soviet Union.

Born to Jewish parents who moved to the industrial town of
Dnipropetrovsk after being denied the right to study in Kiev, Pinchuk
started out as a metallurgical engineer specializing in the production of
pipes. He says he "quickly became a relatively rich man for Soviet
times."

After independence, Pinchuk created Interpipe, one of Ukraine's main
industrial enterprises, whose interests range from ferroalloy to
tractor production.

He is also a big force in Ukraine's media, having helped to found its
most popular tabloid, Fakty, and then invested in three successful
television channels.

"Media is interesting for me only as a business and not as politics now,"
said Pinchuk, who shuns the limelight himself and is rarely seen on the
social circuit with his blonde wife Olena. "When I started, I naively
thought it would be an instrument for influence ... I quickly got off that
road."

Poland's weekly Wprost ranked him Central and Eastern Europe's 12th
richest man, with a fortune of $1.5 billion.

He is now looking to agriculture -- a possible boom industry. Under
communism, Ukraine was the breadbasket of the Soviet Union, and some
say its soil is the best in Europe.

Pinchuk boasts that his new acquisitions are made on the "open market,"
but does admit it was not always that way.

"Thirteen years ago property belonged to the state. Now almost all
property is in private hands. Hundreds of thousands of people became
capitalists almost overnight ... How do you think that this process
could happen without mistakes?"

Pinchuk talks readily about "mistakes," but also about how much more
Ukraine needs to achieve to produce a stable economy, democracy and
political system.

He wants foreign investment to bring greater wealth to the overall
economy and purchasing power to the population, a quarter of which
lives in poverty, and says he can use his position as a member of
parliament for the pro-Kuchma Labor Ukraine party to work for those
ends.

"As a successful businessman, I understand what reforms need to be
done for the economy," he said. (END) (ARTUIS)
===========================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 52: ARTICLE NUMBER EIGHT
The Genocidal Famine in Ukraine 1932-1933, HOLODOMOR
Genocide Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/famineart/index.htm
===========================================================
8. GEORGE SOROS, VIKTOR PINCHUK TO CREATE LEGAL
AID FOUNDATION IN UKRAINE

Interfax-Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine, April 1, 2004

KYIV - Prominent American businessman George Soros and MP of Ukraine's
Verkhovna Rada Viktor Pinchuk are planning to set up a joint fund rendering
legal aid to citizens in Ukraine, Soros said at a solemn reception in Kyiv
on Wednesday evening.

He said that this is practical and constructive result of his visit and
thanked Pinchuk for agreement to become his partner in such fund creation.
==========================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 52: ARTICLE NUMBER NINE
Ukraine's History and the Long Struggle for Independence
Historical Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/histgallery.htm
===========================================================
9. FIFTH BABY BORN TO VIKTOR YUSHCHENKO
Taras Yushchenko born March 25, 2004

UNIAN, Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, March 26, 2004

KYIV- Son Taras has born to Viktor and Kateryna Yushchenko on the
night of March 25.

As the press-service of "Our Ukraine" has reported to UNIAN, the boy,
weighting 4kg 250g, and K.Yushchenko-Chumachenko feels good.

Taras is the fifth child of V.Yushchenko [former prime minister and now
leader of the "Our Ukraine" coalition and member of the Ukrainian
Parliament].

He also has daughter Lina (23-year-old), son Andriy (18-year-old), daughters
Sofiyka (5-year-old) and Khrystynka (3-year-old).

During pregnancy Kateryna Yushchenko-Chumachenko was observed by the
Ukrainian doctors, however the childbirth took place in Vienna [Austria].
Such decision was made, taking into account the state of health and age of
Yushchenko's wife - after 40-years the risk for the mother and baby grows.

The press-secretary of Viktor Yushchenko, Iryna Herashchenko, reported
that one of the reasons for choosing of a place for childbirth was also the
question of safety. According to the words of the press-secretary, the
family of V.Yushchenko lives in the atmosphere of threats and information
persecution, which negatively influences the emotional state of a pregnant
woman.

I.Herashchenko also stated that Kateryna Yushchenko's previous child -
daughter Khrystyna - was born in Ukraine. Although the childbirth took place
normally, in several days the Yushchenkos could have lost the baby as a
result of an infection. Ukrainian and foreign doctors struggled to regain
the health of the baby girl. (END) (ARTUIS)
=========================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 52: ARTICLE NUMBER TEN
The Rich History of Ukrainian Art, Music, Pysanka, Folk-Art
Arts Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/artgallery.htm
=========================================================
10. FINDING OUT THE FATE OF UKRAINE'S BEST
Book on Ukraine's Executed Elite, 1937-1938, "The Last Address"

The Day Weekly Digest in English
Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 30, 2004

The Day hosted a round table with the participation of historian Yury
Shapoval, deputy head of the Ukraine Security Service's SBU State Archive
Serhiy Kokyn, journalist Col. Serhiy Shevchenko, and The Day's staff
journalists.

In fact, this was the presentation of the two volumes of "Ostannia adresa"
[The Last Address], which, along with documentary evidence and historical
documents, includes numerous lists of writers, physicians, church figures,
teachers, and middle peasants, who were shot in 1937-1938 in the Solovki
Island (Karelia, Russia), which became a huge common grave for Ukraine's
elite.

Last year marked the 65th anniversary of this tragedy. Unfortunately, this
sad event went unnoticed on the state level.

"Ostannia adresa" has a certain background. A few years ago, a three-volume
work was already published on the executions of the Solovki convicts. Among
them there were many prominent figures: Mykola Kulish, Les Kurbas, Mykola
Zerov, et. al. The book's compilers, scholars and researchers, processed
thousands of documents to find out about people's life in those unbearable
conditions, their estimation of the events in Ukraine, and their
communication with each other.

The SBU State Archive sent an expedition to Solovki, discovering many
materials, which essentially formed the three-volumes. But three volumes
appeared not enough. Thus, "Ostannia adresa" came into existence. Read in
The Day's coming issues about the road to Solovki, which was different for
everyone, the reasons why our society does not want to learn truth about
itself in spite of the opening opportunities, the specifics of the secret
services' archives' operation, and other issues discussed at the round
table. (END) (ARTUIS)
=========================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 52: ARTICLE NUMBER ELEVEN
The Rich History of Ukrainian Art, Music, Pysanka, Folk-Art
Arts Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/artgallery.htm
=========================================================
11. NEBRASKA WOMAN DESIGNING INTRICATE UKRAINIAN
EASTER EGGS KNOWN AS PYSANKY
Lisa Klinzing of North Bend, Nebraska

By Beverly J. Lydick/Tribune Staff
The Tribune, Nebraska's Community Newspaper
Fremont, Nebraska, Thursday, March 31, 2004

NORTH BEND - Lisa Klinzing has lots of patience and a steady hand.

That's good, because that's what she needs to create those beautiful,
intricately designed eggs known in the Ukraine as pysanky.

Using the wax-and-dye method, Klinzing began decorating eggs five years ago
and hasn't stopped since. She prefers drawing her pysanky patterns on duck
eggs - when they're made available by the ducks at her home near North Bend.

"I have two dogs," she said, "and it's really hard to get to the duck eggs
before they do."

If need be, Klinzing uses ordinary hen's eggs - preferably those with brown
shells - because "they make (the pysanky) look antique," she says.

Following any one of hundreds of examples available in craft books, Klinzing
first draws the design on a raw egg using a kistka. This writing tool has a
pencil-like stem with a receptacle at one end to hold melted beeswax which
is used like ink.

After the pattern is drawn, the egg is alternately waxed in specific areas,
then dipped into a special dye known as aniline. Repeating this process with
different colors of dye - beginning with the lightest and ending with the
darkest - results in a multi-colored pattern after all the wax is removed.

At this point, the pysanky is a fascinating work of art, but it isn't
finished.

Klinzing waits until she's done with the egg's outside before she considers
its inside - which now has to come outside. Rather than poke large holes in
both ends to blow out the white and the yolk, she drills an opening in one
end, then inserts the hose of a small pump which forces air into, and the
contents out of, the egg, through just one opening.

It's not a complicated extraction, but it does have its moments. Klinzing
has completed eggs only to have them crack during the final process. But to
assure a permanent place in the home decor, the eggs cannot be left in their
natural state.

"You have to look at the egg," Klinzing says. "Is it a nice-looking egg? If
it has flaws in it, you might want to be careful. I've had some rotten eggs,
and if they have minor flaws that you don't notice, when you blow them out,
they explode."

After successful years of decorating, Klinzing had so many eggs, she
recently decided to sell a few. In January, she delivered some to the Blue
Bottle Coffeehouse on Fremont's [Nebraska] Main Street. Prices range from $9
to $15 for the one-of-a-kind works of art.

"They make great gifts," says Klinzing. Some people use pysanky as Christmas
tree decorations while others fill baskets with the multicolored eggs at
Easter time.

Still others leave them out year-round, using a variety of items as bases
for display.

"When I go shopping now," Klinzing says, "I see things as egg holders. I
say, 'Oh, look...,' and my kids just roll their eyes."

Creating pysanky is not an expensive hobby. A kit containing six dyes, a
kistka, beeswax and 21 designs is available for around $7. Kits are
available at the Red Square in Omaha's [Nebraska] Old Market or through the
Internet. Klinzing recommends artists use a good-quality kistka to avoid
leaving frustrating blobs of wax when creating designs.

"Don't be in too much of a hurry," she advises. "Use fresh eggs. Check them
for cracks." And whatever you do, don't drop them. (END) (ARTUIS)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
LINK: http://www.fremontneb.com/articles/2004/03/31/news/news2.txt
=========================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 52: ARTICLE NUMBER TWELVE
Send Us Names to Add to the Distribution List for UKRAINE REPORT
=========================================================
12. BIG TIMES UPCOMING FOR THE BIGGEST BROTHERS IN
BOXING, UKRAINIANS VITALI AND WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO

By Tim Dahlberg, Associated Press, Las Vegas, NV, Wed, Mar 31, 2004

LAS VEGAS (AP) - The next few weeks will be big for the biggest
brothers in boxing, Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko.

Wladimir takes on Lamon Brewster on April 10 in a fight that will
show how far he's recovered from his shocking knockout loss a year
ago to Corrie Sanders. Vitali follows on April 24, fighting Sanders
for both the WBC heavyweight title and some family pride.

There's a lot at stake, one reason the brothers hired trainer Emanuel
Steward to help guide them.

"They are very serious, they are not taking any chances," Steward
said Wednesday. "They realize what can happen after what happened
last year with Corrie Sanders."

Technically, the Klitschkos can accomplish their goal of being world
champions at the same time by both winning, though Wladimir's fight
with Brewster is for a fringe title not generally recognized among
those in boxing.

But beating Brewster, whose main claim to getting the fight seems to
be that he's taken the last year off, would be huge for both
Wladimir's confidence and his stature among heavyweight contenders.

"There's a very good American saying, which is, 'Take it step by
step,"' Wladimir said. "First we have to get the titles."

Wladimir's fight almost seems the warm-up act to his brother's fight
with Sanders in Los Angeles. Vitali will fight in the same arena
where he made a name for himself last June by going six bloody rounds
with Lennox Lewis before being stopped because of cuts.

The same title will also be at stake next month. It was vacated when
Lewis retired without giving Klitschko the rematch he wanted so
badly.

"I was very disappointed with the decision by Lennox Lewis for
retirement," Vitali said. "Millions of boxing fans wanted to see that
second fight. Now I want to give the best to be world champion
against Corrie Sanders."

Steward, who was the longtime trainer for Lewis and was in the
champion's corner when he fought Klitschko, is working on adding some
movement and different looks to the stiff Eastern European style the
two grew up with as amateurs in the Ukraine.

Steward said Klitschko surprised Lewis with his mental toughness as
much as his physical skills. The two fought a slugfest for six
rounds, and Klitschko was leading on all three ringside scorecards
when it ended.

"I was amazed with his intensity," Steward said. "When he came into
the ring he was a man totally obsessed with winning. He was just so
much more determined, and we underestimated that."

Steward said he sees Sanders as a dangerous opponent for Vitali
Klitschko, and not just because he knocked out Wladimir in February
2003 in a shocking upset. The left-handed Sanders is a big puncher,
though his stamina is questionable.

"He doesn't pace himself, he comes out looking to win by knockout,"
Steward said. "I think the first four rounds are going to be
extremely explosive. It's going to be very dangerous in the
beginning."

The winner of the Klitschko-Sanders bout will likely be recognized by
most in boxing as the legitimate heavyweight champion. The other two
major belts are held by IBF champion Chris Byrd and WBA champion John
Ruiz.

Steward said the Klitschkos, who both hold advanced degrees and speak
several languages, will be good ambassadors for the sport.

"They have a great sense of humour and they're very warm with people,"
he said. "They're the most accommodating of heavyweight champions I
have known possibly since Muhammad Ali." (END) (ARTUIS)
=========================================================
ARTICLES ARE FOR PERSONAL AND ACADEMIC USE ONLY
==========================================================
NEWS AND INFORMATION WEBSITE ABOUT UKRAINE
LINK: http://www.ArtUkraine.com
=========================================================
New Issue Just Published...Year 2003, Issue 3-4
FOLK ART MAGAZINE: NARODNE MYSTETSTVO
LINK: http://www.artukraine.com/primitive/artmagazine.htm
=========================================================
NEW BOOK: Three Hundred Eleven Personal Interviews, Famine 32-33.
"UKRAINIANS ABOUT FAMINE 1932-1933," Prof. Sokil, Lviv, Ukraine
http://www.artukraine.com/famineart/sokil.htm
=========================================================
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