"THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT"
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" Year 2004, Number 62
Action Ukraine Coalition (AUC), Washington, D.C.
morganw@patriot.net, ArtUkraine.com@starpower.net
Washington, D.C.; Kyiv, Ukraine, MONDAY, April 19, 2004

INDEX OF ARTICLES

1.MEDVEDCHUK TELLS RUSSIAN PRESIDENT PUTIN HE SUPPORTS
PRIME MINISTER YANUKOVYCH FOR PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE
Kuchma Sends Medvedchuk to Moscow to see Putin
TV 5 Kanal, Kiev, Ukraine, in Ukrainian, 16 Apr 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Apr 17, 2004

2. UKRAINE SUPPORTS RUSSIA: VOTES NO ON UN MOTION TO
CONDEMN RUSSIA OVER ITS WAR IN CHECHNYA
Kommersant, Moscow, Russia, in Russian 16 Apr 04
BBC Monitoring Service. UK, in English, Apr 18, 2004

3. RUSSIAN LANGUAGE STRUCK OFF STATE AIRWAVES IN UKRAINE
ITAR-TASS, Moscow, Russia, Monday, 19.04.2004

4. RUSSIAN LEADER OPPOSES BAN ON RUSSIAN LANGUAGE
BROADCASTS ON STATE TV CHANNELS IN UKRAINE
Ekho Moskvy radio, Moscow, in Russian, 19 Apr 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Monday, Apr 19, 2004

5. UKRAINE COMMUNISTS PROTEST BAN ON RUSSIAN
LANGUAGE TV AND RADIO BROADCASTS
ITAR-TASS, Moscow, Russia, Monday, April 19, 2004

6. RUSSIAN DUMA WILL RATIFY ACCORDS WITH UKRAINE
ON APRIL 20 SAYS SPEAKER BORIS GRYZLOV
ITAR-TASS, Moscow, Russia, Monday, 19.04.2004

7. UKRAINIAN PRIME MINISTER YANUKOVYCH'S CANDIDACY
FOR PRESIDENT AND CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM AMENDMENTS
Inside Ukraine Newsletter, Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, April 19, 2004

8. POLLING DATA IN UKRAINE SUGGESTS YUSHCHENKO AND
YANUKOVYCH ARE ONLY VIABLE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES
Inside Ukraine Newsletter, Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, April 19, 2004

9. UKRAINIAN OPPOSITION LEADER VIKTOR YUSHCHENKO
CONFIRMS INTENTION TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT
TV 5 Kanal, Kiev, in Ukrainian, 16 Apr 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Apr 17, 2004

10. PROPRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE WINS MAYORAL ELECTION
IN WESTERN UKRAINE CITY OF MUKACHEVE
UT1, Kiev, Ukraine, in Ukrainian, 19 Apr 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Monday, Apr 19, 2004

11. NATO CHIEF SAYS WESTERN ALLIANCE WANTS "STRATEGIC
PARTNERSHIP" WITH UKRAINE
AP Online, Kiev, Ukraine, Monday,, Apr 19, 2004

12. UKRAINE HANDS OVER ART COLLECTION TO NETHERLANDS
UNIAN news agency, Kiev, Ukraine, in Ukrainian, 19 Apr 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Monday, Apr 19, 2004

13. DUTCH PRIME MINISTER: UKRAINE HELPS GUARANTEE
EUROPE'S STABILITY AND PROSPERITY, SUPPORTS CLOSER TIES
AP Online, Kiev, Ukraine, Monday, Apr 19, 2004

14. UKRAINIAN MILITARY EQUIPMENT INVENTORY SITUATION
MAY NEVER BE CLARIFIED
Inside Ukraine Newsletter, Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, April 19, 2004

15. U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF COMMERCE OPENS IRAQ
RECONSTRUCTION CONFERENCE IN KYIV, UKRAINE
U.S. Embassy, Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, April 19, 2004
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THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 62 ARTICLE NUMBER ONE
Politics and Governance, Building a Strong, Democratic Ukraine
http://www.artukraine.com/buildukraine/index.htm
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1. MEDVEDCHUK TELLS RUSSIAN PRESIDENT PUTIN HE SUPPORTS
PRIME MINISTER YANUKOVYCH FOR PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE
Kuchma Sends Medvedchuk to Moscow to see Putin

TV 5 Kanal, Kiev, Ukraine, in Ukrainian, 16 Apr 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Apr 17, 2004

KIEV - Ukrainian presidential administration chief Viktor Medvedchuk has
come out in support of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych as the authorities'
joint candidate in the October 2004 presidential election.

Speaking at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Medvedchuk said
the decision was mature, adding that hoped the plan succeeds. Medvedchuk and
Yanukovych are widely seen as arch rivals on the Ukrainian political scene.

The following is an excerpt from a report by Ukrainian state-owned
television UT1 on 16 April:

[Presenter] Russia will work with whoever Ukraine elects as its president,
Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with [Ukrainian
presidential administration chief] Viktor Medvedchuk today. He arrived in
Moscow following instructions from President Leonid Kuchma. The head of the
Russian presidential administration, Dmitriy Medvedev, was also taking part.
Pavlo Tyrskyy has the details.

[Correspondent] The topics of today's meetings were easy to predict -
political reform and the upcoming presidential election in Ukraine. Viktor
Medvedchuk said that the situation surrounding the [Kuchma-backed]
amendments to the constitution remained tense. The 4105 bill [proposing the
amendments] fell only six voted short of being approved in parliament [on 8
April]. MPs decided not to give up and agreed to continue implementing
political reform. Representatives of the [propresidential] majority in
parliament agreed on this two days ago.

[Medvedchuk, in Russian] Everybody unanimously supported the idea that the
political reform must take place in Ukraine, and it has to be completed by
the presidential election in October 2004.

[Correspondent] Viktor Medvedchuk said that another significant decision by
the Ukrainian polity was the fielding by parliamentary majority groups and
factions of [Prime Minister] Viktor Yanukovych as the [authorities'] joint
candidate in the presidential election.

[Medvedchuk, in Russian] This is a mature position taken by the majority, a
position of principle. I think it will be implemented successfully. At
least, we would very much like this to happen. [Passage omitted: Putin
hopes for "consistency of succession" in Ukraine.] [Audio and video
available. Please send queries to kiev.bbcm@mon.bbc.co.uk] (END)
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THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 62 ARTICLE NUMBER TWO
Politics and Governance, Building a Strong, Democratic Ukraine
http://www.artukraine.com/buildukraine/index.htm
Become a sponsor of The Action Ukraine Program Fund
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2. UKRAINE SUPPORTS RUSSIA: VOTES NO ON UN MOTION TO
CONDEMN RUSSIA OVER ITS WAR IN CHECHNY

Kommersant, Moscow, Russia, in Russian 16 Apr 04
BBC Monitoring Service. UK, in English, Apr 18, 2004

MOSCOW - A Russian human rights campaigner has blamed the "excessive
politicization" of the issue for the failure of a US-backed UN motion to
condemn Russia over its war in Chechnya. He thought that if instead it had
focused "on the abduction of thousands of people and the demand to call the
culprits to account", it would have had a far better chance of success.

The following is excerpted from Igor Sedykh's article in the Russian
newspaper Kommersant on 16 April.

Geneva - The UN Commission on Human Rights yesterday rejected the draft
resolution "On the situation in the sphere of human rights in the Chechen
Republic" submitted by the EU. Of the 53 commission members, 12 voted for
the draft resolution, 23 against and 18 abstained. In addition to the
countries of the EU, the resolution was supported by Australia, the United
States, Hungary and Croatia. The majority of Islamic countries abstained.
[Passage omitted: the tone of this draft resolution was milder than previous
attempts.]

The representative of Ireland (the country holding the EU presidency) was
far harsher in her speech, accusing Russia of concealing crimes. The United
States, which declined to author the resolution this time, supported it, but
the US representative stated that it is necessary to appeal to the
separatist forces to recognize that Chechnya is an inalienable part of
Russia and to distance themselves from the terrorists.

The Russian representative responded scathingly to the authors of the draft
resolution, effectively accusing them of conniving with terrorists and of
producing a resolution whose content runs counter to their own interests.

Leonid Skotnikov, Russia's permanent representative at the UN office in
Geneva, noted at this point that there is no need for the EU to force an
open door - Russia is open to cooperation and is prepared to receive all
sensible ideas and arguments. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who
visited Dublin at the Irish side's request specially to discuss the draft
resolution, also expressed a negative attitude towards the draft resolution
the day before.

Consequently, 12 countries including the United States, Britain, Germany,
France and Ireland voted for the resolution, 18 states abstained and 23
countries, including China, India and Ukraine, voted against.

When the vote was over, Ella Pamfilova, chairperson of the Russian
Federation president's human rights commission, told your Kommersant
correspondent that the pattern of the votes "simply reflects reality". In
her opinion, such a resolution is "not simply senseless, but also harmful
because it is a diversion from real problems".

To a certain extent, this statement is in tune with the words of the leader
of one human rights organization who, on the one hand, expressed
disappointment with the defeat of the resolution but, on the other,
criticized the European initiative. On conditions of anonymity, he stated to
your Kommersant correspondent that the resolution had failed because of
excessive politicization.

"If everything had been focused on the topic of the protection of the
population's rights in conditions of the military conflict, and in
particular on the abduction of thousands of people and the demand to call
the culprits to account, it would have had a far better chance," this human
rights campaigner noted. (END)
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THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 62: 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
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3. RUSSIAN LANGUAGE STRUCK OFF STATE AIRWAVES IN UKRAINE

ITAR-TASS, Moscow, Russia, Monday, 19.04.2004

KIEV - News bulletins of all television channels of Ukraine sound only in
the Ukrainian language since Monday morning. The National Television and
Radio Council has ordered the transition to the Ukrainian language, except
for "high-quality television products" bought from Russia.

Thus nobody will translate the popular show Field of Miracles of Leonid
Yakubovich. The Russian language also remains legal for concerts of Russian
masters of art, Soviet-era films and Quick Wits' and Merry Club shows.

Ukrainization of Russian-language television programmes is to be completed
by the middle of May. Fines will be imposed and licenses terminated for
violations.

The deputy chairman of the National Television and Radio Council, Vitaly
Shevchenko said the innovation would not affect the programming of
television channels.

As for 14 million Russian-speakers in Ukraine, he said they could subscribe
to television channels. The council's chairman Boris Kholod said in comment:
"If we want to retain the Ukrainian nation, we must say clearly and
distinctly that the language must be Ukrainian." He added that
inter-regional and local televisions and radios were allowed to broadcast
not only in the Ukrainian language. (END)
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THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 62: ARTICLE NUMBER FOUR
Major Articles About What is Going on in Ukraine
Current Events Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/events/index.htm
You can become a sponsor of The Action Ukraine Program Fund
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4. RUSSIAN LEADER OPPOSES BAN ON RUSSIAN LANGUAGE
BROADCASTS ON STATE TV CHANNELS IN UKRAINE

Ekho Moskvy radio, Moscow, in Russian, 19 Apr 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Monday, Apr 19, 2004

MOSCOW - Vladimir Zharikhin, deputy director of the Institute of CIS
Countries and member of the Council for National Strategy, was interviewed
on Ekho Moskvy radio on 19 April about Ukraine's decision to make it
compulsory for state TV channels to broadcast in the Ukrainian language.

Zharikhin said he was opposed to the ban and added that Russia had the right
to promote its language as an international language, despite fears in
Ukraine that the country was losing its national language.

He also said that the decision was to a certain extent an electoral ploy as
it meant that President Leonid Kuchma would have more control over the
Ukrainian media if Russian-language channels could no longer broadcast
there. (END)
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THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 62: ARTICLE NUMBER FIVE
Exciting Opportunities in Ukraine: Travel and Tourism Gallery
http://www.ArtUkraine.com/tourgallery.htm
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5. UKRAINE COMMUNISTS PROTEST BAN ON RUSSIAN
LANGUAGE TV AND RADIO BROADCASTS

ITAR-TASS, Moscow, Russia, Monday, April 19, 2004

KIEV, April 16 (Itar-Tass) -- The Ukrainian National Council for
television and radio broadcasting ruled that all TV and radio
programs in the country must come out only in the Ukrainian language
from Monday, causing protests of the Communist party which recalled
that a quarter of the population were Russian-speakers.

The Communist party qualified the decision as a violation of the
Constitution and the of language law and warned it will "instigate
hostility between peoples living in our state".

It said in a statement Thursday that 12 million out of the 48-million
population of Ukraine are Russian-speakers, while over 70 percent of
the citizens speak Russian in everyday life.

"They are deprived of the possibility to listen to information or see
a movie in their native language", the party said blaming the
government for "promoting the sale of information space to shadow
capital", for low-quality films and programs on TV and in radio
broadcasts. (END)
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THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 62: ARTICLE NUMBER SIX
The Story of Ukraine's Long and Rich Culture
Ukrainian Culture Gallery: http://www.ArtUkraine.com/cultgallery.htm
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6. RUSSIAN DUMA WILL RATIFY ACCORDS WITH UKRAINE
ON APRIL 20 SAYS SPEAKER BORIS GRYZLOV

ITAR-TASS, Moscow, Russia, Monday, 19.04.2004

MOSCOW - Russian State Duma speaker Boris Gryzlov on Monday
expressed confidence that the deputies would ratify on Tuesday, April 20 the
package of Russian-Ukrainian documents, comprising the treaties between the
Russian Federation and Ukraine on the Russian-Ukrainian state border and on
cooperation in the use of the Sea of Azov and the Strait of Kerch, as well
as an agreement on the formation of the Single economic space.

Gryzlov, who was speaking to reporters after the Duma Council meeting at
which ratification was put on the agenda of the Duma plenary session on
Tuesday, stressed that in keeping with agreement between the leaders of the
two parliaments, ratification must take place simultaneously in the State
Duma and in the Supreme Rada of Ukraine.

He recalled that the pertinent committees of the State Duma and the Supreme
Rada had issued positive conclusions regarding the three documents. In this
light, Gryzlov disagreed with the apprehensions voiced by some deputies that
ratification of the documents could do harm to the Russian interests.

"The three documents will boost the development of relations between Russia
and Ukraine," said he.

As regards the agreement on the creation of the Single economic space, its
ratification will provide an impetus to the development of the national
economies of the countries situated in this space, Gryzlov noted. According
to him, the revival of the market will facilitate the industrial development
and lower the barriers on the way of movement of goods and capital.

Also on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the government
and the president's administration to complete in conjunction with the State
Duma the forthcoming ratification of the Russian-Ukrainian accords on the
Sea of Azov. "I ask the administration and the government to bring to
completion the accords that were reached with the Ukrainian partners this
past week on ratification of these documents," the head of state said at a
conference with government members at the Kremlin on Monday.

Last week, Boris Gryzlov assured President Putin during their meeting that
the lower house intended to prioritize ratification of the recent agreement
with Ukraine on the border. He said the Russian parliament members had been
interacting closely with Ukrainian partners "regarding this important
question". (END)
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THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 62: ARTICLE NUMBER SEVEN
The Genocidal Famine in Ukraine 1932-1933, HOLODOMOR
Genocide Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/famineart/index.htm
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7. UKRAINIAN PRIME MINISTER YANUKOVYCH'S CANDIDACY
FOR PRESIDENT AND CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM AMENDMENTS

Inside Ukraine Newsletter, Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, April 19, 2004

KYIV - There appears to be a growing consensus that the consolidated
candidacy of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych has a reasonable
chance of surviving its rocky start, particularly in view of the lack of an
electable alternative, but the constitutional reform amendments so highly
desired by the president may be headed for the scrap heap, at least for the
foreseeable future.

The April 14 choice of Yanukovych as the consolidated candidate of the
pro-presidential majority was presented at the time of its announcement by
majority coordinator Stepan Havrysh as a well-planned decision that involved
all parties and factions of the majority. Subsequent interviews of leaders
of some factions have revealed that rather than being a decision in which
all factions participated, some faction leaders were only told of the
decision about one-half hour before it was announced.

The choice of Yanukovych and a re-vote of the reform amendments to the
constitution were presented as inextricably by several speakers during the
announcement session.

A somewhat confused situation has been made more so by questions arising as
to President Leonid Kuchma's true opinion on the matter.

For example, on Friday in Dnipropetrovsk Kuchma said publicly that the main
goal now is to win the election and that the reforms may be considered of
secondary importance. However, immediately after that statement, the
president launched into a spirited defense of the necessity of the reforms
but with less stress on timing of their approval.

Rada members and news analysts now believe that the announcement of
Yanukovych as a consolidated candidate was a very hastily arranged affair,
designed to regain momentum for presidential administration efforts after
the failure of the vote on constitutional reforms. Many observers believe
that the negative vote on reform caught the presidential administration
totally by surprise. These same observers are less sure the president was
surprised since he had held many private conversations on the matter that
may have made him aware of the problems with the vote.

Some analysts believe that the unhappiness of faction members with the
handling of the Yanukovych choice makes it possible these Rada members
and their supporters may sit on their hands when the Rada re-votes the
constitutional reform package.

Also, the problem remains that the defeated amendment package may not be
re-voted as originally presented, and the amendments officially approved by
the Constitutional Court, the only ones that can be voted legally, would
have even greater difficulty getting the required 300 vote qualified
constitutional majority. The effective date of the amendments is the
sticking point that may doom them to a second defeat.

Recent public interviews of major players in the constitutional reform
battle suggest that negotiations are so intense and so far from agreement
that the next vote could come as late as September. (END)
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THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 62: ARTICLE NUMBER EIGHT
Ukraine's History and the Long Struggle for Independence
Historical Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/histgallery.htm
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8. POLLING DATA IN UKRAINE SUGGESTS YUSHCHENKO AND
YANUKOVYCH ARE ONLY VIABLE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

Inside Ukraine Newsletter, Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, April 19, 2004

KYIV - Further analysis of data from a public opinion poll recently
completed by the Razumkov Center for Political Studies suggests that former
Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko and current Prime Minister Viktor
Yanukovych may be the only candidates with adequate public support to
contest the upcoming presidential race.

In a January poll, frontrunner Yushchenko's popularity rating stood at 22.2
percent, with a slight increase to 22.3 percent in a March poll, and 22.6
percent in the latest poll in April. The figures fall within Razumkov's
normal 2.3 percent margin for error and thus, may be said to be unchanged so
far this year.

For Yanukovych, who had a popularity rating of only four percent when he
took office in November 2002, this year has seen consistent marked upswings
in his ratings.

In Razumkov's first major poll of the year in January, Yanukovych's rating
had already jumped to double digits at 10.1 percent. By the March poll,
Yanukovych had advanced to 13.2 percent and the April poll showed that he
had surged to a new high of 15.3 percent.

Yanukovych's ratings upswing is credited, at least in part, to his frequent
exposure on national television, usually under positive circumstances.
Yushchenko has been handicapped by obvious bias against him in the privately
owned but strongly government-influenced electronic media within the
country.

With other potential contenders such as National Bank head Serhy Tyhypko and
former Prime Minister Anatoly Kinakh announcing that they had abandoned any
campaign plans in favor of Yanukovych, the only other serious candidate who
still may enter the lists is

Communist Party leader Petro Symonenko, whose April rating stood at 10.8
percent.

However, Symonenko may be dissuaded from running, in part because of his
relatively poor showing in the run-off of the last presidential race, and
the fact that his party's stalwarts are mostly elderly with very little new
blood coming into the party.

With Socialist Party leader Oleksandr Moroz's rating of only 4.6 percent,
and all other candidates getting ratings of less than 4 percent, the
long-predicted Yushchenko-Yanukovych race seems set to become this year's
presidential election reality. (END)
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THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 62: ARTICLE NUMBER NINE
The Rich History of Ukrainian Art, Music, Pysanka, Folk-Art
Arts Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/artgallery.htm
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9. UKRAINIAN OPPOSITION LEADER VIKTOR YUSHCHENKO
CONFIRMS INTENTION TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT

TV 5 Kanal, Kiev, Ukraine, in Ukrainian, 16 Apr 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Apr 17, 2004

KIEV - [Presenter] The leader of the [opposition] Our Ukraine bloc, [Viktor]
Yushchenko is going to stand in the presidential election [scheduled for 31
October]. This is the first direct statement he made in an interview with 5
Kanal [this TV channel] and with [the local TV channel] M-Studio in [the
town of] Mukacheve [western Ukraine].

Two days ago, the [propresidential] parliamentary majority nominated
incumbent Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych as their single presidential
candidate.

[Yushchenko] Having completed the appropriate formalities, the vote by my
party colleagues, I will stand as presidential candidate. [Audio and video
available. Please send queries to kiev.bbcm@mon.bbc.co.uk] (END)
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THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 62: ARTICLE NUMBER TEN
Politics and Governance, Building a Strong, Democratic Ukraine
http://www.artukraine.com/buildukraine/index.htm
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10. PROPRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE WINS MAYORAL ELECTION
IN WESTERN UKRAINE CITY OF MUKACHEVE

UT1, Kiev, Ukraine, in Ukrainian, 19 Apr 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Monday, Apr 19, 2004

KIEV - According to the Mukacheve city council, Ernest Nuser [backed by the
propresidential United Social Democratic Party] has won the mayoral election
which took place on 18 April. Some 17,414 votes were cast in his favour,
12,282 - in favour of Viktor Baloha [fielded by opposition bloc Our
Ukraine].

The election was marked by tension. Over 50 Members of Parliament
represented the Our Ukraine bloc at polling stations. The Mukacheve city
council said the MPs' behaviour hampered the work of election commissions.

[The opposition has accused the authorities of rigging the election, as
several MPs were reportedly beaten up and polling stations were attacked -
see Interfax-Ukraine news agency, Kiev, in Russian 0623 gmt 19 Apr 04.

On 20 July 2003, the Mukacheve mayoral election was won by Our Ukraine
candidate Vasyl Petyovka. However, Ernest Nuser demanded that the election
be cancelled. On 29 December, President Leonid Kuchma appointed Myroslav
Opachko, a member of the United Social Democratic Party, as acting mayor of
Mukacheve.] (END)
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THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 62 ARTICLE NUMBER ELEVEN
Politics and Governance, Building a Strong, Democratic Ukraine
http://www.artukraine.com/buildukraine/index.htm
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11. NATO CHIEF SAYS WESTERN ALLIANCE WANTS "STRATEGIC
PARTNERSHIP" WITH UKRAINE

AP Online, Kiev, Ukraine, Monday, Apr 19, 2004

KIEV - NATO's new chief told Ukraine's foreign minister on Monday that the
Western alliance is committed to a "strategic partnership" with Ukraine but
indicated the country must make progress on democracy and human rights if it
wants to integrate with the West.

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said at the beginning of a
meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kostyantyn Gryshchenko that he
wanted to discuss "developments in Ukraine concerning the rule of law,
democracy, human rights and freedom of the media."

He also called for closer ties between NATO and Ukraine and thanked the
former Soviet republic for its contribution to peacekeeping forces in Kosovo
and Iraq.

Ukraine aspires to integrate with NATO and the European Union while
maintaining close ties with Russia, its huge neighbor to the north.

Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma has come under a wide range of Western
criticism, including allegations that he ordered the killing of a journalist
and that he sold sophisticated military equipment to Iraq in violation of
United Nations sanctions. (sbg/ji) (END)
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THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 62: ARTICLE NUMBER TWELVE
Check Out the News Media for the Latest News From and About Ukraine
Daily News Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/newsgallery.htm
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12. UKRAINE HANDS OVER ART COLLECTION TO NETHERLANDS

UNIAN news agency, Kiev, Ukraine, in Ukrainian, 19 Apr 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Monday, Apr 19, 2004

KIEV - Ukraine's handover to the Netherlands of 15th-17th century drawings
from the Franz Koenigs collection should not be seen as a political act,
Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma believes. He was speaking at a joint news
conference with Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende after talks today.

The handover of the collection should be viewed "as the Ukrainian people's
present to the Dutch people, as an example to be followed by all other
countries", Kuchma said. "These drawings are priceless for the Netherlands,"
the president noted. He also believes that "Ukrainians derived no
satisfaction from the fact that the drawings were kept in a museum
basement".

"We are glad that the drawings, which spent 64 years along World War II
paths, will return to the Netherlands," Kuchma said.

Asked by journalists, the president also said that while making the decision
to hand the drawings over to the Netherlands Ukraine did not think of what
it was going to receive in return. However, Kuchma noted he would be glad if
the Dutch government offered technical assistance to Ukrainian museums.

Balkenende said the handover of the drawings would further strengthen
Ukrainian-Dutch relations.

Kuchma also said that thousands of Ukrainian connoisseurs of this art would
be able to see the drawings before they are handed over to a Rotterdam
museum.

Kuchma and Balkenende are to attend a ceremony of opening an exhibition of
the drawings at the Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko museum in Kiev today.
[During World War II, the Franz Koenigs collection was sold to Germany, and
eventually was brought by Soviet troops to the USSR.] (END)
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 62: ARTICLE NUMBER THIRTEEN
Check Out the News Media for the Latest News From and About Ukraine
Daily News Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/newsgallery.htm
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13. DUTCH PRIME MINISTER: UKRAINE HELPS GUARANTEE
EUROPE'S STABILITY AND PROSPERITY, SUPPORTS CLOSER TIES

AP Online, Kiev, Ukraine, Monday, Apr 19, 2004

KIEV - Visiting Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende on Monday
reiterated his country's support for Ukraine's efforts to forge closer ties
with the European Union.

"In two weeks, Ukraine and the European Union will become neighbors, and our
cooperation with Ukraine is the best guarantor for Europe's stability and
prosperity," Balkenende told reporters after meeting with Ukrainian
President Leonid Kuchma.

Ten countries, including Ukraine's neighbors Hungary, Poland and Slovakia,
are to join the EU on May 1.

Last year, Kuchma got signals from EU leaders that his ex-Soviet republic
would eventually be offered EU membership, but was given no timetable.

Balkenende and his Ukrainian counterpart Viktor Yanukovych signed a joint
action plan intended to boost political, economic, humanitarian, military
ties between their nations.

Kuchma called the Netherlands "one of Ukraine's largest trade partners".

Last year, Ukraine's trade with the Netherlands stood at US$827 million,
while accumulated Dutch investments in Ukraine since the 1991 Soviet
collapse have reached US$464.

Prior to his departure later Monday, Balkenende was to open an exhibition of
recently discovered 15th-17th centuries paintings from the Koenigs
Collection, which Ukraine has promised to return to the Netherlands.

Soviet troops brought part of the collection from Germany in 1945 after the
end of the World War II, and the paintings were hidden in a Kiev museum
until after the 1991 Soviet collapse. (am/vi/ji) (END)
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 62: ARTICLE NUMBER FOURTEEN
Become a financial sponsor of The Action Ukraine Program today!
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14. UKRAINIAN MILITARY EQUIPMENT INVENTORY SITUATION
MAY NEVER BE CLARIFIED

Inside Ukraine Newsletter, Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, April 19, 2004

KYIV - In a lengthy March 25 article in the Kyiv daily newspaper, Den,
Defense Minister Yevhen Marchuk was quoted as pointing out huge
discrepancies in the inventories of military stockpiles. This situation
has now been clarified somewhat, according to revelations in the latest
issue of another Kyiv newspaper, Mirror of the Week, and discussions with
parliament members who are expert in defense matters.

The available evidence suggests that in the confusion of the collapse of the
Soviet Union, extremely large stockpiles of munitions wound up in Ukraine in
storages that were totally inadequate, chaotic and badly administered.

For example, recent investigations found that one storage area near Zhytomyr
was the recipient in 1990-91 of 1,942 S-85 rockets, delivered from other
military bases in the Soviet Union. These rockets arrived at the Zhytomyr
base in partially dismantled condition, without combat munitions, starting
accelerators, or wings. However, their control and monitoring systems,
booster rockets and other valuable equipment were delivered in good working
order. Records on the condition of the rockets at delivery are intact and
available.

However, according to current documentation, only 488 of the 1,942 rockets
can be accounted for. The location of over 1450 other rockets is unknown and
there are no records of their disposition.

Although the missing rockets may never be accounted for, military experts
have presented additional information that may lead to some assumptions as
to what may have happened in the years after USSR dissolution when military
budget appropriations plummeted to a mere shadow of those funds available
during Soviet times.

These experts point out that in additional to the scrap metal value of the
rockets, those not accounted for contained a minimum of more than five kilos
of gold, five kilos of platinum and more than four kilos of other platinum
group metals such as palladium, plus 210 kilos of pure silver.

In another case, there has been an ongoing investigation since 1996 of the
disappearance of at least 600 railway cars that were carrying artillery,
missiles and other military combat equipment. So far the investigation has
met with no results.

With the records of the immediate post-Soviet period in such disarray, there
may never be any adequate accounting for military equipment that was
originally acquired at costs running to the ruble equivalent of hundreds of
billions of dollars. Most simply disappeared under circumstances that grow
more obscure with each passing year. (END)
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 62: ARTICLE NUMBER FIFTEEN
Exciting Opportunities in Ukraine: Travel and Tourism Gallery
http://www.ArtUkraine.com/tourgallery.htm
===========================================================
15. U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF COMMERCE OPENS IRAQ
RECONSTRUCTION CONFERENCE IN KYIV, UKRAINE

U.S. Embassy, Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, April 19, 2004

KYIV - U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Market Access and
Compliance, William Lash III, opened the Iraq Reconstruction Conference in
Kyiv today organized by the Foreign Commercial Service of the U.S. Embassy
in cooperation with the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Ukraine's Ministry
of Economy. More than 70 Ukrainian companies attended the conference.

In his opening remarks, Assistant Secretary Lash thanked Ukraine for its
support to Operation Iraqi Freedom. He said U.S. President George Bush is
"absolutely dedicated to make sure that the people of Ukraine and Ukrainian
firms are full partners in working toward the efforts of reconstruction in
Iraq."

Assistant Secretary Lash noted that $18.4 billion is available for
reconstruction in Iraq in numerous categories including security, law
enforcement, electricity and water, transportation, health care and
telecommunications. He urged the conference participants to work with and
be in touch with the prime contractors. "It's important to have that
face-to-face relationship," Lash said.

Lash concluded, "I cannot stress enough how much we want you to participate,
how much we need you to participate." He said Iraqis also welcome Ukraine's
participation in reconstruction. "The Iraqis remember the countries like
Ukraine that are there everyday, sacrificing and fighting for their
freedom." [info@usembassy.kiev.ua] [http://www.usembassy.kiev.ua} (END)
===========================================================
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INFORMATION ABOUT "THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT" 2004
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Washington, D.C., Brussels, Belgium

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