"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" Year 04, Number 150
The Action Ukraine Coalition (AUC), Washington, D.C.
Ukrainian Federation of America (UFA), Huntingdon Valley, PA
morganw@patriot.net, ArtUkraine.com@starpower.net (ARTUIS)
Washington, D.C.; Kyiv, Ukraine, FRIDAY, August 27, 2004
-----INDEX OF ARTICLES-----
"Major International News Headlines and Articles"
1.U.S. SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN
SENATOR DICK LUGAR TO VISIT UKRAINE NEXT WEEK
Will encourage Ukraine to sign bio-threat reduction agreement with U.S.
By E. Morgan Williams, Editor, The Action Ukraine Report
Washington, D.C., Friday, August 27, 2004
2. PARLIAMENT SPEAKER LYTVYN AND U.S. AMBASSADOR
HERBST DISCUSS UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Dmytro Horshkov, Ukrainian News, Kyiv, Wed, Aug 25, 2004
3. UKRAINE'S OLYMPIC MEDALS TOTAL EIGHTEEN!
Olympic Committee, Athens, Greece, Thursday, August 26, 2004
4. UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT KUCHMA PRAISES NEW DANUBE-
BLACK SEA CANAL, REJECTS ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS
Interfax-Ukraine news agency, Kiev, Ukraine, in Russian, 26 Aug 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Thursday, Aug 26, 2004
5. RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH WANTS "MORE SIGNIFICANT"
MOVES FROM VATICAN, ICON RETURN NOT ENOUGH
Give up its missionary/proselytizing activities in Ukraine's western regions
RIA news agency, Moscow, Russia, in Russian, 26 Aug 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Thursday, Aug 26, 2004
6. PRIME MINISTER: EU TODAY HAS NO TIME FOR UKRAINE
They plunder our border regions and carry our goods back to Europe
UNIAN news agency, Kiev, Ukraine, in Ukrainian, 21 Aug 04
BC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Saturday, Aug 21, 2004
7. UKRAINE'S LEADING PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES' POLL
RATINGS REMAIN UNCHANGED
Viktor Yushchenko 30%, Viktor Yanukovych 25%
TV 5 Kanal, Kiev, Ukraine, in Ukrainian, 25 Aug 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Wed, Aug 25, 2004
8. TOP UKRAINIAN MEDIA HEAP PRAISE ON YANUKOVYCH
AND HEAP ONLY CONCERTED ATTACKS ON YUSHCHENKO
(Three national TV channels totally biased in campaign)
BBC Monitoring research in English, 22 Aug 04
BBC Monitoring Service, United Kingdom; Monday, Aug 23, 2004
9. UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN
DIGEST OF DEVELOPMENTS FOR 16-23, AUGUST 2003
BBC Monitoring research in English 23 Aug 04
BBC Monitoring Service, United Kingdom, Mon, Aug 23, 2004
10. UKRAINE: "KUCHMA LEAVES HIS POLITICAL BEQUEST"
By Jan Maksymiuk, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)
RFE/RL Belarus and Ukraine Report, Vol. 6, No. 30
Prague Czech Republic, Thursday, August 26, 2004
11. "REVOLUTION HAUNTS POST-SOVIET STATES"
COMMENTARY by Andrei Kolesnikov
Mosnews.com/Gazeta.ru, Moscow, Russia, Wed, August 25, 2004
12. "VIKTORS AND VECTORS. WHOSE VICTORY IN UKRAINIAN
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IS MORE ADVANTAGEOUS FOR RUSSIA"
Report by Yekaterina Grigoryeva, Georgiy Ilyichev, and Olga Tropkina
Izvestia, Moscow, Russia, Wed, August 25, 2004
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.150 ARTICLE NUMBER ONE
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1. U.S. SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN
SENATOR DICK LUGAR TO VISIT UKRAINE NEXT WEEK
Will encourage Ukraine to sign bio-threat reduction agreement with U.S.
E. Morgan Williams, Editor, The Action Ukraine Report
Washington, D.C., Friday, August 27, 2004
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Chairman Dick Lugar will visit Ukraine on Tuesday, August 31, and
Wednesday, September 1. Senator Lugar is on an international trip to
advance and expand the U.S. government's Nunn-Lugar Cooperative
Threat Reduction Program to keep Weapons of Mass Destruction
(WMD) out of the hands of terrorists.
Senator Lugar will visit Tirana, Albania on August 27, Eagle Base,
Bosnia on August 28 and 29, Tbilisi, Georgia on August 30th, and
then Kyiv, Ukraine on the 31st and September 1st. He then travels to
Reykjavik, Iceland to attend the meeting of the Chairman of the
Foreign Affairs Committees of the Baltic and Nordic Parliaments to
lead a discussion on "Nunn-Lugar Expansion: Addressing the WMD
Threat Worldwide."
While in Kyiv the U.S. Senator will visit two Ukrainian facilities that
store and work with dangerous pathogens such as anthrax, tularemia,
brucellosis, polio, listeriosis, diptheria, cholera, typhoid and others.
The Science and Technology Center is the vehicle through which the
Nunn-Lugar program engages former Soviet biological and chemical
weapons scientists in peaceful and private sector research and production.
At the Central Sanitary and Epidemiological Station (press availability at
3:30 p.m., Tuesday), Lugar will encourage the Ukrainian government to
sign a bio-threat reduction agreement with the United States that will
permit direct Nunn-Lugar assistance to Ukraine for biological weapons
security and remediation work and permit the exchange of pathogen
samples between the two countries.
Lugar will meet with the Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych,
Foreign Minister Kostyantin Hryshchenko, former Prime Minister and
Presidential Candidate Viktor Yushchenko, and other national security
leaders. Earlier reports indicated Chairman Lugar would also meet with
President Kuchma but this has not been confirmed.
Senator Lugar gave a major foreign policy speech related to stopping the
spread of WMD at the National Press Club in Washington, on August 11,
2004. Lugar said, "Since the fall of the Soviet Union, vulnerability to the
use of weapons of mass destruction has been the number one national
security dilemma confronting the United States. After many years, the
events of September 11, 2001, and the subsequent public discovery of
al-Qaeda's methods, capabilities, and intentions finally brought our
vulnerability to the forefront.
"The War on Terrorism proceeds in a world awash with nuclear, chemical,
and biological weapons and materials. Most of these weapons and materials
are stored in the United States and Russia, but they also exist in India,
Pakistan, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Sudan, Israel, Great Britain,
France, China, and perhaps other nations.
"We must anticipate that terrorists will use weapons of mass destruction if
allowed the opportunity. The minimum standard for victory in this war is
the prevention of any terrorist cell from obtaining weapons or materials
of mass destruction. We must make certain that all sources of WMD
are identified and systematically guarded or destroyed." The entire speech
can be found at: http://www.lugar.senate.gov/nunnlugar.html..
Kenneth A. Myers III, Senior Professional Staff Member, Committee on
Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate, is accompanying Senator Lugar on the trip.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morgan Williams is a former professional staff member of the U.S. Senate
Agricultural Committee. Senator Bob Dole (R-Kan) was the ranking
Republican on the Committee. Senator Dick Lugar (R-IN) also served
as a key member of the Agricultural Committee.
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.150: ARTICLE NUMBER TWO
The Action Ukraine Coalition, "Working to Secure Ukraine's Future"
=======================================================
2. PARLIAMENT SPEAKER LYTVYN AND U.S. AMBASSADOR
HERBST DISCUSS UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Dmytro Horshkov, Ukrainian News, Kyiv, Wed, Aug 25, 2004
KYIV - Parliament Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn and the United States'
Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst have discussed this year's presi-
dential elections in Ukraine. The parliamentary press service disclosed
this to Ukrainian News, citing a meeting between Lytvyn and Herbst
on Wednesday.
During the meeting, Lytvyn said that he has already signed and sent
invitations to all 26 presidential candidates to attend the opening of the
latest session of the parliament. Lytvyn called for amendment of the law
on presidential elections to allow Ukrainian public organizations to
monitor elections.
Lytvyn and Herbst also discussed the implementation of political reform
in the Ukraine and the possibility of parliamentary consideration of the
participation of Ukrainian troops in operations in Iraq. According to
Lytvyn, the reconstruction of the parliament's session hall will be
completed on September 2.
As Ukrainian News earlier reported, the next session of the parliament
will open on September 7. The presidential elections will be held on
October 31. (END) (ARTUIS)
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.150: ARTICLE NUMBER THREE
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3. UKRAINE'S OLYMPIC MEDALS TOTAL EIGHTEEN!
Olympic Committee, Athens, Greece, Thursday, August 26, 2004
GOLD ---Valeri Goncharov Gymnastics Parallel Bars
GOLD ---Yuri Nikitin Gymnastics Trampoline
GOLD ---Yuriy Bilonog Track & Field Shot Put
GOLD ---Olena Kostevych Shooting 10m Air Pistol
GOLD ---Yana Klochkova Swimming 200m Medley
GOLD ---Yana Klochkova Swimming 400m Medley
GOLD ---Nataliya Skakun Weightlifting 58-63kg
GOLD --- Irini Merleni Wrestling Under 48kg
SILVER-- Luka/Leonchuk Sailing 49er Class
SILVER-- Olena Krasovska Track & Field 100Meter Hurdles
SILVER-- Roman Gontyuk Judo 73-81kg
SILVER-- Taran/Katinina/
Matevusleva Sailing Yngling
BRONZE-Tetiana Tereschuk-
Antipova Track & Field Hurdles
BRONZE-Igor Razoronov Wrestling 125kg
BRONZE-Hrachov/Serdyuk/
Ruban Archery Team
BRONZE-Vladislav Tretiak Fencing Individual Saber
BRONZE-Grin/Bilushchenko/
Lykov/Shaposhnikov Rowing Quadruple Sculls
BRONZE-Andriy Serdinov Swimming 100m Butterfly
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.150: ARTICLE NUMBER FOUR
A leading news source for thousands around the world
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4. UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT KUCHMA PRAISES NEW DANUBE-
BLACK SEA CANAL, REJECTS ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS
Interfax-Ukraine news agency, Kiev, Ukraine, in Russian, 26 Aug 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Thursday, Aug 26, 2004
VYLKOVO, Odessa Region - Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma
believes that the criticism of Ukraine coming from international environment
organizations and representatives of other states, in particular from German
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who said that Ukraine ignored recommend-
ations of environmental experts during the construction of the Danube-Black
Sea canal, has both a political and economic background.
"They [statements] are not of an environmental nature but only political and
economic," Kuchma told journalists after the opening of the deep-water
canal in the mouth of the Bystre river today.
Kuchma stressed that the construction of the canal did not damage the
region's environment. "We have conducted many expert studies in Ukraine.
If someone is not familiar with them we can give him a chance," Kuchma said.
Kuchma said that the difference in water level between the Danube at the
Bystre mouth and the Black Sea is 40 centimetres, while in Romania it is 30
metres [as received] because of locks.
He also said that a German company that is known throughout the world took
part in the construction. "Do you think they would undertake this if there
was a real environmental danger to the region?" Kuchma said. "We have been
absolutely right [to have the canal constructed] and come on!" Kuchma said.
=======================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.150: ARTICLE NUMBER FIVE
A leading news source for thousands around the world
=======================================================
5. RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH WANTS "MORE SIGNIFICANT"
MOVES FROM VATICAN, ICON RETURN NOT ENOUGH
Give up its missionary/proselytizing activities in Ukraine's western regions
RIA news agency, Moscow, Russia, in Russian, 26 Aug 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Thursday, Aug 26, 2004
MOSCOW - The Moscow Patriarchate thanks the Vatican for the return to
Russia of "one of the later copies of the icon of Our Lady of Kazan" and
expects "more significant" moves aimed at improving relations between the
two churches.
"We would like to hope that this symbolic act will be followed by others of
greater significance to our believers and aimed at improving Orthodox-Roman
Catholic relations," Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, deputy head of the Moscow
Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations, said in an interview
for RIA today.
He explained that the Moscow Patriarchate expected the Roman Catholic
Church "to give up its missionary and proselytizing activities among people
who are Orthodox by through their faith, baptism or spiritual roots and to
improve the current position of believers of the canonical Orthodox Church
in Ukraine's western regions".
"Many icons and other relics that were taken out of the country during the
period of troubles and the persecution of the Church are now coming back
to Russia. This image, one of the later versions of the icon of Our Lady of
Kazan, will soon join them," Chaplin said. He said that both Russian and
Vatican experts unanimously agreed it was an 18th-century icon.
"Every relic that is returned to Russia is gratefully received by believers
because our ancestors prayed before them," Chaplin said. "However," he
added, "the return of this icon to Russia is not just an act of good will
but an act of justice too."
As for the provenance of the icon, according to Chaplin, it is not quite
clear and research will continue. At present it is only known that for many
years after the war the icon was in private hands in the USA. Orthodox
Christians wanted to buy it but the money they collected was not enough so
it was bought by a secular Catholic organization, the Blue Army. After that
the icon turned up in Fatima (Portugal) and for the past 11 years has been
in the Pope's private rooms. (END) (ARTUIS)
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FOOTNOTE: The Russian Orthodox Church still lives in the past and
believes the Russian Empire, ruled by a Czar, is still in existence.Instead
of a church they act like a political state, a political empire, headed by
a Czar who lays exclusive claim to a certain geographic territory and
a certain group of people who live within those geographic boundaries.
The Russian Orthodox Church continues their strong battle against the
internationally recognized, democratic human values of freedom of religion
and the separation of church and state. (Editor)
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.150: ARTICLE NUMBER SIX
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6. PRIME MINISTER: EU TODAY HAS NO TIME FOR UKRAINE
They plunder our border regions and carry our goods back to Europe
UNIAN news agency, Kiev, Ukraine, in Ukrainian, 21 Aug 04
BC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Saturday, Aug 21, 2004
KIEV - Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych said at a ceremonial meeting
of former employees of the Cabinet of Ministers in Kiev today that the
European Union does not wish to deepen its cooperation with Ukraine at
present.
"The EU today has no time for us. Today the EU has a lot of internal
problems, and they do not know how to solve them, and they are saying
so openly," he said.
"A very bureaucratic mechanism has been created to control this monster
and there are a lot of contradictions there," he said. He said that EU
countries do not even wish to conclude short-term agreements with Ukraine.
Yanukovych said that EU membership should not be an end in itself for
Ukraine. He pointed to the example of Poland, where prices rose sharply
after it joined the EU on 1 May. "Now they have begun to plunder our
border regions and carry our goods back to Europe, because they are a
lot cheaper over here," he said. (END) (ARTUIS)
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No. 150: ARTICLE NUMBER SEVEN
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7. UKRAINE'S LEADING PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES' POLL
RATINGS REMAIN UNCHANGED
Viktor Yushchenko 30%, Viktor Yanukovych 25%
TV 5 Kanal, Kiev, Ukraine, in Ukrainian, 25 Aug 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Wed, Aug 25, 2004
KIEV - An opinion poll held by the Kiev Sociology Institute before showed
that as of 15 August 30 per cent of Ukrainians were ready to vote for
[opposition leader] Viktor Yushchenko and 25 per cent for [Prime Minister]
Viktor Yanukovych. These figures are the same as they had last month.
Communist leader Petro Symonenko and Socialist leader Oleksandr Moroz
would get 8 per cent of voters each. The opinion poll was held by the
institution that cooperates with the presidential administration chief's
adviser, Mykhaylo Pohrebynskyy.
[A total of 2,002 people were polled. The sample error was under 2.4 per
cent, according to Interfax-Ukraine, Kiev, in Russian 1004 gmt 25 Aug 04.]
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.150: ARTICLE NUMBER EIGHT
Ukrainian Information Website: http://www.ArtUkraine.com
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8. TOP UKRAINIAN MEDIA HEAP PRAISE ON YANUKOVYCH
AND HEAP ONLY CONCERTED ATTACKS ON YUSHCHENKO
Three national TV channels totally biased in campaign
BBC Monitoring research in English 22 Aug 04
BBC Monitoring Service, United Kingdom; Monday, Aug 23, 2004
KIEV - Coverage of the sixth week of the presidential election campaign
(15-21 August) on the three national TV channels - state-run UT1 and
privately-owned Inter and One Plus One, whose news coverage is widely
believed to be strongly influenced by individuals close to the presidential
administration - was marked by praise for Prime Minister and presidential
candidate Viktor Yanukovych and concerted attacks on opposition
challenger Viktor Yushchenko and his entourage.
Two second tier channels linked to MP and businessman Viktor Pinchuk -
ICTV and Novyy Kanal - continued to take a relatively detached view of
the election, generally preferring to focus on international and "hardship
and courage" human interest stories.
Meanwhile, the opposition received plenty of sympathetic coverage from 5
Kanal, which is controlled by MP Petro Poroshenko, a close associate of
Yushchenko and a member of his Our Ukraine faction.
UT1, INTER, ONE PLUS ONE
UT1's coverage of Yanukovych's campaign, while still fulsome, appeared
to be somewhat lower key than in previous weeks. The reports of minor
parties and NGOs endorsing his candidacy and updates on the campaign
to collect signatures in his support that were a prominent feature of the
early weeks of the campaign have by now all but disappeared.
In addition to his status as prime minister, Yanukovych was also able to
capitalize on his post as head of the National Olympic Committee. On 15
August, Yanukovych was seen chatting with Ukraine's double Olympic
gold medal winning swimmer Yana Klochkova at a reception in Athens.
They were also seen together on Inter.
Over the week, the total amount of time devoted to favourable coverage
of Yanukovych's campaign on UT1 was about 9 minutes.
UT1, One Plus One and Inter continued to give overwhelmingly negative
coverage of Yushchenko, which was presented in such a similar way on
all three channels as to suggest it was part of a concerted campaign to
discredit him.
On its half-hour evening news bulletin, UT1 regularly carried several
minutes - sometimes up to 5 minutes - of negative reporting about Yushchenko
and members of his entourage. Over the week, the total amount of time
devoted to negative coverage of Yushchenko and his team was about 18
minutes.
On 16 August, for example, a short neutral item about Yushchenko's campaign
tour of central and southern regions (10 seconds) was followed by three
negative items: candidate Oleksandr Rzhavskyy says Yushchenko's entourage
is made up of "oligarchs" (20 seconds); a spokesman for the Prosecutor
General's Office (PGO) says there is no doubt Yushchenko's guards beat up
a lorry driver who was involved in a road incident with a vehicle driven by
Yushchenko the previous week (2 minutes 25 seconds); a PGO team continues
to search the office of Brinkford, a company linked to MP Davyd Zhvaniya, a
key member of Yushchenko's team, while Our Ukraine MPs are reported to
have impeded the prosecutors (2 minutes 25 seconds). The latter two stories
were also carried by One Plus One and Inter the same evening.
Over the week the channels ran a number of stories about alleged wrongdoing
involving firms linked to Yushchenko's entourage that appeared to suggest
that his campaign was being bankrolled with dirty money.
On 17 August, UT1, One Plus One and Inter all carried very similar stories
citing PGO sources as saying that Zhvaniya had illegally obtained 90m
hryvnya from a privatization scam. A PGO spokesperson had the previous
day refused to divulge the grounds for the search saying that it was a
"secret of the investigation". This information was accompanied by a clip
from a press conference in which Zhvaniya said that even if his business was
closed down completely, money would be found to finance Yushchenko's
campaign.
On 18 August, the three channels reported that the PGO was ready to send
to court an embezzlement case against the general director of the Leninska
Kuznya shipyard, part of Poroshenko's business group. Inter noted that Our
Ukraine MPs had sought to block the investigation.
The three channels also devoted considerable attention to a campaign
conducted by members of the Brotherhood radical youth organization, which
is led by presidential candidate Dmytro Korchynskyy, against the Our
Ukraine mayor of the Kiev Region town of Vyshhorod, who they accuse
of illegal land deals.
The channels also gave sparse, but generally neutral, coverage to the
campaign activities of other leading candidates like Communist leader Petro
Symonenko, Socialist leader Oleksandr Moroz and Progressive Socialist
leader Nataliya Vitrenko.
ICTV, NOVYY
Early evening news bulletins on the channels linked to Pinchuk carried
relatively few election-related stories, and often failed to contain any
election news whatsoever. While the channels' coverage of Yanukovych's
was generally positive, they also gave some neutral coverage of Yushchenko's
bid. The channels continued to ignore the anti-Yushchenko stories broadcast
by the administration-linked channels.
On 17 August, they both carried brief reports about the visiting US
congressional delegation, which warned that undemocratic elections would not
be tolerated. Also on 17 August, Novyy reported that 1.5m signatures had
been collected in support of Yushchenko, but pointed out that was much less
than the 5m collected in support of Yanukovych.
On 19 August, both channels reported the firebomb attack on the offices of
the Lviv-based independent newspaper Postup in their evening news bulletins,
a story that was also carried by One Plus One on 19 and 20 August, but
ignored by UT1 and Inter.
On 21 August, ICTV carried a report from a press conference by Our
Ukraine MP Mykola Tomenko, at which he criticized the PGO for carrying
out checks on media organizations in spite of a presidential decree
establishing a moratorium on such checks.
5 KANAL
Opposition-leaning 5 Kanal continued to give wide coverage to election
issues, sometimes devoting the greater part of its evening news and comment
show to the campaign.
Over the week, the channel frequently showed items critical of Yanukovych
and his campaign tactics, giving exhaustive coverage of the difficulties
encountered by the Yushchenko campaign. As well as attacking Yanukovych,
the channel also devoted much attention to rebutting the anti-Yushchenko
stories broadcast by the administration-linked channels.
On 16 August, Zhvaniya was in the studio criticizing the PGO's actions
against Brinkford as political retribution. On 18 August, Our Ukraine MP
Yuriy Karmazin criticized the PGO over the Leninska Kuznya case. (As the
presenter pointed out, 5 Kanal's offices are located in the Leninska Kuznya
building.) Meanwhile, the channel's ongoing problems with cable operators
across the country sometimes became a top story in themselves, as viewers
in different regions were deprived of the opportunity to view the channel
for various reasons. (END) (ARTUIS)
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9. UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN
DIGEST OF DEVELOPMENTS FOR 16-23, AUGUST 2003
BBC Monitoring research in English 23 Aug 04
BBC Monitoring Service, United Kingdom, Mon, Aug 23, 2004
The following is a digest of Ukrainian presidential election campaign
developments on 16-23 August ahead of the 31 October election:
(1) Yushchenko reveals 10-point action plan: Yushchenko has presented
his action plan, which pledges to create 5m new jobs in five years, revert
to the system of 10 years of schooling and reduce the income tax to 20 per
cent. He also promised political reform after parliamentary elections, the
abolition of the tax police, and a 10-fold increase in child benefit to
mothers. He would scrap military conscription within five years. Answering
criticisms that the manifesto is populist, Yushchenko spokesman Anatoliy
Hrytsenko said "If we take the root of this word, then yes, it is populist.
But this means that is a plan for the people from the people's president. We
recently conducted a national opinion poll and found that 85-90 per cent
of the population support all 10 points in Viktor Yushchenko's action plan."
(5 Kanal 18 Aug)
(2) Yushchenko pledges to respect fleet treaty with Russia: Yushchenko has
said he does not intend to reconsider the agreements on the stationing of
the Russian Black Sea Fleet on Ukrainian territory if he is elected
president. "The status of the Black Sea Fleet is settled in the Ukrainian-
Russian treaty on this issue and agreements. I do not intend to reconsider
them. Ukraine will continue to observe the spirit and letter of these
documents, as international law requires," Yushchenko said on 18 August
in answer to questions from voters in Crimea. (Interfax-Ukraine 18 Aug)
(3) Yushchenko faction wants to recall troops from Iraq: The Our Ukraine
faction led by Viktor Yushchenko is to vote to return the Ukrainian peace-
keeping contingent from Iraq. The head of the Parliamentary Committee for
Freedom of Speech and Information, Our Ukraine MP Mykola Tomenko,
said it would press for this when parliament reconvenes in September. "The
extensive coverage of this issue in many national media outlets shows that
attempts are being made to switch the attention of society from the domestic
political and socioeconomic problems of ordinary people to foreign political
issues," Tomenko said. (UNIAN 19 Aug)
(4) Yanukovych pledges bread price cuts: Yanukovych said the government
would work with the regions to cut retail bread prices. "We are going to
receive all region representatives and hold thorough talks," he told
reporters in Poltava Region on 19 August, while visiting the Sorochyntsi
fair. (Interfax-Ukraine 19 Aug)
CAMPAIGN
(5) Road incident villagers refuse to condemn Yushchenko: Fellow-villagers
of the driver of a lorry that was involved in a road incident with a car
carrying Viktor Yushchenko earlier this month have refused to support a
statement criticizing Yushchenko. Yushchenko's supporters have described
the incident, which occurred in Kherson Region on 12 August, as a possible
attempt to kill or intimidate the candidate. Police have said that
Yushchenko's entourage were themselves at fault and have opened a criminal
case into the alleged beating of the driver by Yushchenko's bodyguards. The
villagers were asked to support a statement on the incident issued by a
party formerly headed by the Kherson Region governor. (Lvivska Hazeta 19
Aug)
(6) Yushchenko camp demands law-enforcers quit over unrest allegations:
Yushchenko and his ally Yuliya Tymoshenko on 23 August issued a statement
denying allegations by the law-enforcement agencies that the opposition was
planning civil unrest. The Prosecutor-General's Office, the Security Service
and the Interior Ministry issued a statement via the presidential press
service ahead of Independence Day (24 August) saying they would not to
succumb to "acts of provocation or blackmail" by the opposition and would
take preventive measures. The Yushchenko-Tymoshenko People's Strength (Syla
Narodu) coalition demanded that President Kuchma should dismiss the heads of
the three agencies because "instead of fulfilling their duties they dragging
their subordinates into political conflicts by supporting the authorities'
candidate [Yanukovych] in the presidential campaign". (Radio Era 23 Aug)
They accused the authorities of "openly carrying out a confrontation
scenario for the forthcoming 2004 presidential election" and said that if
violence did occur on 24 August it would be the authorities' doing.
Tymoshenko said the law-enforcement agencies' statement showed the
authorities are weak and unsure of victory. Yushchenko said that if the
election were conducted in a fair manner the authorities would be the only
party to benefit from confrontation. (5 Kanal 23 Aug).
(7) Attempt to wreck Yushchenko 3,000-strong rally: Opposition 5 Kanal TV
said youths wearing the pink T-shirts of Yanuykovych's Party of Regions
tried to disrupt a Yushchenko rally in Dnipropetrovsk on 22 August. A
correspondent said they raised anti-Yushchenko banners and sounded sirens
during the speeches, and that the only police intervention was to try to
stop Yushchenko supporters from tearing down the Party of Regions
banners. (5 Kanal 22 Aug)
(8) Yushchenko aide pans prosecutors election probe: Yushchenko's campaign
manager has criticized the prosecutors' announcement on 16 August that they
have opened a criminal case over the falsification of documents from a
controversial mayoral election in western Ukraine in April. Deputy
parliament speaker Oleksandr Zinchenko said that electoral commission
members had been pressured into denying that their signatures were on copies
of election documents that opposition representatives presented as evidence
of their candidate's victory after the original documents were stolen along
with ballot papers shortly after the election. A representative of a
pro-presidential party was declared winner of the repeat Mukacheve mayoral
election on 18 April. Opposition representatives said that the result had
been falsified to deprive its candidate of victory (UNIAN 18 Aug)
(9) Yushchenko campaigner said to have set himself alight: Yushchenko's
Zhytomyr Region headquarters said a canvasser, Alik Aslanov from the village
of Zeremlya in Baranivka District, "doused himself with petrol and set
himself on fire in front of the district prosecutors' office building".
Headquarters
chief Pavlo Zhebrivskyy MP said Aslanov was driven to this when the district
administration head demanded that he stop canvassing for Yushchenko in
exchange for the use of a threshing machine. (Ukrayinska Pravda 21 Aug)
(10) Russian groups split with Yanukovych over language: The Russian Bloc
and the Russian Movement in Ukraine have left the electoral coalition of
presidential candidate and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych because he
refused to make state language status for Russian part of his manifesto,
according to the head of the Russian Bloc's Crimean branch, Oleh
Slyusarenko. The Crimean branch of the Russian Bloc had demanded state
language status for Russian, "comprehensive integration" with Russia and
clarification of the status of the Crimean-Tatar People's Majlis
organization. (Radio Era 20 Aug)
(11) Student rally urges Yanukovych to respect election law: Pro-opposition
student groups rallied at the Cabinet of Ministers building called on
Yanukovych to respect the election law, and threatened to reveal cases of
abuse of power. Youth - the Future of the Country, the Ukrainian Youth
Party, the Sobor Party and the People's Opposition Association attended. (5
Kanal 18 Aug)
(12) Communist leader says Socialists side with tycoons: Communist leader
Petro Symonenko has criticized another candidate, Socialist leader Oleksandr
Moroz, for accepting support from the Reformed Communist Party. "The
Renewed Communist Party was created by oligarchs [and MPs Ihor] Sharov
and [Viktor] Pinchuk to fight us... and now Moroz has accepted their
support...Comrades, then say openly - we are going to the polls with
oligarch Sharov and the president's son-in-law Pinchuk!" Symonenko told
a rally in Cherkasy. (Ukrayinska Pravda 20 Aug)
(13) Moroz campaign chief complains of mudslinging: The campaign manager
of Socialist presidential candidate Oleksandr Moroz, Yosyp Vinskyy, has
accused the Communists of slinging mud at Moroz behind their leader Petro
Symonenko's back. Vinskyy appealed to all opposition forces to abide by
nonaggression pacts signed earlier and to refrain from criticizing each
other in the run-up to the presidential election. He supported another
meeting of opposition representatives to clear the air. (Lvivska Hazeta on
19 Aug)
(14) Police said to attack Socialist campaigner: Police in Chernihiv Region
have beaten up a Moroz campaigner, according to Socialist MP Mykola
Rudkovskyy. They beat his aide, Oleksandr Demchuk, who was canvassing
for Moroz during Independence Day celebrations in Chernihiv Region on 22
August. (5 Kanal 23 Aug)
LAW
(15) Kuchma promises fair poll: President Leonid Kuchma dismissed Western
concerns that the election would not be free and fair. In a speech marking
Independence Day, Kuchma said there would be no repeat of the storming of
the Russian parliament by troops in 1993, or the disputed US presidential
election of 2000. "I assure our energetic mentors that we will never allow
tanks to fire at the parliament, as it happened recently very close to us,
and we will not allow votes to be counted for over a month as it also
happened recently, though not that close." (UT1 23 Aug)
(16) Crimea prosecutor brings case against Yushchenko supporter: The
Crimean first deputy prosecutor-general, Viktor Halyuk, has accused
supporters of Viktor Yushchenko of obstructing investigations into the
alleged surveillance incident of 10 August. Halyuk told reporters that a
criminal case has been opened into the alleged beating by Yushchenko's
supporters of a plainclothes policeman who was shadowing Yushchenko
in Crimea. (Crimea TV channel 19 Aug)
(17) Yanukovych campaign chief acknowledges pressure: Yanukovych's
electoral headquarters has issued a statement acknowledging that officials
are putting pressure on people to back the prime minister. Campaign chief
Serhiy Tyhypko said "zealous administrators who want to show Mr
Yanukovych their loyalty are getting in our way", and that their
interference makes people resentful and could be counterproductive.
Tyhypko also said that from time to time orders are issued to collect
signatures in support of Yanukovych, and that people are forced to
attend rallies in support of Yanukovych. (5 Kanal 18 Aug)
(18) Presidential aide says election rigging impossible: The bureaucracy is
not strong enough for rigging the forthcoming presidential elections, and
foreign reaction would be negative, the head of the presidential
administration's strategic initiatives directorate, Heorhiy Pocheptsov, has
said. Pocheptsov believes that one of the two leading candidates can win
the election in the first round. He said the emergence of a third force to a
leading position is unlikely. (Den 18 Aug)
MASS MEDIA ISSUES
(19) Election chief notes bias: The head of the Central Electoral
Commission, Serhiy Kivalov, has presented the results of a Ukrainian Press
Academy of the Institute of Sociology survey showing that television
stations have been giving more coverage to Yanukovych than to any other
candidate.
The survey said that in June-July Yanukovych's activities occupied 24.6 per
cent of TV news airtime, while candidates Yushchenko had 8 per cent,
Oleksandr Moroz 5.2 per cent, Oleksandr Bazylyuk 4.3 per cent, Oleksandr
Rzhavskyy 4.1 per cent, Communist leader Petro Symonenko 3.7 per cent,
Nataliya Vitrenko 3.1 per cent and Anatoliy Kinakh 2.3 per cent. Other minor
candidates received much less coverage and some none at all. Kivalov said
the Central Electoral Commission had received many complaints about media
coverage and urged media managers to ensure proportional coverage and to
allow candidates to speak for themselves. (UNIAN 20 Aug)
(20) Election watchdog says TV biased in Yanukovych's favour: The head of
the Equal Opportunities committee election monitoring civil organization,
Oleksandr Chekmyshev, has said coverage of Yanukovych dominates national
and regional TV channels as well as the local press and TV. A survey by the
Common Space association and the Equal Opportunities committee said that in
June, July and the first half of August national TV channels gave twice as
much airtime to Yanukovych as to all the other candidates. Yushchenko and
his entourage took the brunt of criticism, while Yanukovych was almost
always covered in a positive tone. Yanukovych even dominates in Yushchenko's
traditional stronghold of western Ukraine. The press, as opposed to TV, in
western Ukraine is more balanced in its coverage, the survey said.
Chekmyshev said the media campaign to portray Yanukovych as a "kind of
Olympic chocolate teddy bear" is not credible and backfiring on voters. The
survey also said opposition 5 Kanal's "Peak Hour" news devoted more than an
hour of reporting to Yushchenko and less than 15 minutes to Yanukovych, half
of which had a negative tone. The two organizations carried out daily
monitoring in 24 Ukrainian regions from a selection of 93 regional
programmes and 126 newspapers.(Radio Era 20 Aug)
(21) Opposition TV faces new problems: 5 Kanal said it has been taken off
cable packages in Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk cities, and the owners of the
Dniprodzerzhynsk company Avtor TV have acknowledged that they took 5
Kanal off air under pressure from the authorities. "This is the first such
admission from companies that have had problems broadcasting 5 Kanal," the
TV said, adding that it planned to appeal to the National Council for TV and
Radio Broadcasting to clarify the situation over Avtor TV's violation of its
contract. In Uzhhorod, the main city of the Transcarpathian Region, the
Teveyan cable network has switched off 5 Kanal. 5 Kanal was removed from
another Uzhhorod cable network, Kram, the previous week (5 Kanal 17 Aug)
(22) Campaign chiefs clash over media access: The head of Prime Minister
Viktor Yanukovych's election headquarters, Serhiy Tyhypko, and the head of
opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko's HQ, Oleksandr Zinchenko, held their
first live TV debate on opposition 5 Kanal. The opposition complained of
administrative pressure and unequal access to the media. Tyhypko argued that
Yanukovych does not need administrative pressure to win and his TV
appearances are linked to his work as prime minister, which is more
interesting for the media. (5 Kanal 22 Aug)
(23) Speech watchdog chief complains about TV coverage: The head of the
parliamentary committee for freedom of speech, Our Ukraine MP Mykola
Tomenko, has said the unequal coverage of the various candidates on
television is the most frequent election law violation. He also said the
committee is to hear reports from the law-enforcement and other government
agencies next month on the degree of compliance with the law. (ICTV 21 Aug)
(24) Watchdog says prosecutors still checking media despite ban: Tomenko
also accused the Prosecutor-General's Office of continuing checks on media
organizations in violation of a presidential order of 15 March 2004
establishing a moratorium during the election campaign. He showed reporters
documents indicating checks on the radio stations Novyy Dvir and Neoradiy
105 FM in Chervonohrad (Lviv Region).
He also complained about the treatment of Volia Cable director Serhiy Boyko
and chief accountant Lesya Kyselevska, who were taken into custody on 18
August after Kiev tax police charged them with tax evasion. Tomenko said he
was sure President Kuchma would bring the prosecutors into line before
parliament reconvenes in September, adding that tax checks on media in
Transcarpathian Region had were ended when brought to light. (UNIAN 21 Aug)
(25) Yushchenko says newspaper office arson part of campaign: Andriy Bilous,
the publisher of Postup newspaper in Lviv, is convinced that the arson
attack that destroyed the newspaper's office was due to its critical,
anti-government publications. US Senator John McCain, who had been leading
a delegation of US senators examining the conduct of the presidential
election campaign, described the fore as "deeply disturbing", and complained
of unequal and biased reporting of the election campaign in general.
Yushchenko said it was part of a campaign that saw the Mukacheve mayoral
election rigged and Yushchenko himself tailed by a police agent at Ay-Petri
in Crimea. (5 Kanal)
OBSERVERS
(26) Yushchenko complains of pressure to US senators: Yushchenko met the
delegation of US senators, led by John McCain, in Crimea on 20 August and
complained about government pressure on himself and other opposition
presidential candidates. "The Kuchma-Yanukovych regime is not going to hold
a fair election, nor is it able to. The manipulation which is currently
taking place with the law, with the campaign, with access to the media and
collecting signatures for the candidate from the authorities - all this is
being done in breach of the national and international law," he said. He
said he told them of cases of difficulties with booking venues for meetings,
road accidents shadowing and wiretapping. They also discussed the biased
coverage of political developments in the media, particularly on national TV
channels. He called for more than the 460 international election observers
registered so far to monitor the polls, insisting that the European Union
ought to send more and make sure that some of them know Ukrainian or
Russia. (UNIAN 20 Aug)
(27) US senators concerned at media pressure: US senators led by John
McCain said they would raise examples of pressure on the media at meeting
with Ukrainian leaders. McCain also expressed hope that Ukrainian voters
would be able to watch TV debates between presidential candidates and
receive information about all the candidates. The senators called on the
authorities to hold an honest and transparent election. "Our concern is that
the election should be an honest and transparent one and that all Ukrainian
citizens get equal voting rights," McCain said. (Radio Era 18 Aug)
(28) CIS observer accuses OSCE counterparts of bias: The head of the CIS
observers mission to the election campaign, Aleksey Kochetkov, said that
OSCE observers always behave inappropriately. He said "interference" by
foreign representatives might destabilize Ukraine. Kochetkov said
representatives of Tajikistan, Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus are monitoring
the election campaign. (5 Kanal 20 Aug)
FUNDING
(29) Yushchenko aide said to be suspected of privatization fraud: A key
figure in Yushchenko's election campaign is suspected of privatization
violations, according to a pro-presidential TV channel. One Plus One TV said
prosecutors who have for several days been searching a business formerly run
by MP Davyd Zhvaniya, a member of Yushchenko's Our Ukraine bloc and his
deputy chief of staff, are investigating alleged irregularities in the
privatization of the Zaporizhzhya abrasives plant. A Prosecutor-General's
Office spokesman on 16 August refused to divulge the reasons for the search
describing them as a "secret of the investigation". (One Plus One 17 Aug).
Zhvaniya himself said the Prosecutor-General's office "raids" on his
business interests were an attempt to present Yushchenko's entourage as a
gang of criminal oligarchs. (Glavred web site 17 Aug)
(30) Undeclared income said to play major funding role: The election
campaign will cost approximately 1bn dollars in total, and a candidate
counting on victory stands to spend at least 100m dollars, according to
the Freedom of Choice coalition of Ukrainian public organizations. Launching
their "Three steps towards transparent funding of election campaigns in
Ukraine" monitoring programme, they said that most of this year's campaign
spending comes from the shadow economy. (Radio Era 16 Aug)
(31) Privatization chief complains about decisions: The head of the State
Property Fund, Mykhaylo Chechetov, has told reporters that President Kuchma
decided to suspend privatization of Ukrtelekom and the Odessa port works "to
stop some no-hope politicians from tarnishing our state". Chechetov was
referring to a statement by Yushchenko that if elected president he would
not recognize the privatization of the aforementioned companies (Inter 20
Aug)
MINOR CANDIDATES
(32) Ex-premier Kinakh promises protectionism: Anatoliy Kinakh, prime
minister in 2001-02, emphasized economic issues in his presidential election
manifesto.
Chairman of the Ukrainian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, he said
"I am confident of the need to stop social experiments on people. There will
be no reforms for the sake of reforms". Instead, he suggested building a
system of "national protectionism or economic patriotism". Kinakh pledged
cheap credits and assistance to small and medium-sized businesses. He
promised to clamp down on official corruption and eradicate unfair
privatization methods. Kinakh named the aerospace industry, engineering,
biotechnology, metals and mining, agriculture and natural resorts among
priority industries. He pledged to abolish unemployment, create 500,000
jobs annually, increase the average wage by 150 per cent in two years,
double industrial output over five years and double GDP over six years.
(Holos Ukrayiny 17 Aug)
(33) Chernovetskyy canvasser attacked: A man in police captain's uniform
attacked a woman collecting signatures in support of presidential candidate
Leonid Chernovetskyy in the town of Brovary (Kiev Region) on 16 August.
Chernovetskyy's campaign headquarters said the man struck and kicked the
woman several times and seized her personal belongings and campaign
materials, and he was about to unholster his pistol when local residents
stopped him. The local police agreed to investigate only after the head
quarters called the Kiev Region police headquarters. Chernovetskyy has
asked Prosecutor-General Henadiy Vasylyev and Central Electoral
Commission Chairman Serhiy Kivalov to investigate further. Chernovetskyy's
staff said they had found out that the attacker had served in the police
until 16 August. (UNIAN 21 Aug) (END)(ARTUIS)
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10. UKRAINE: "KUCHMA LEAVES HIS POLITICAL BEQUEST"
By Jan Maksymiuk, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)
RFE/RL Belarus and Ukraine Report, Vol. 6, No. 30
Prague Czech Republic, Thursday, August 26, 2004
PRAGUE - Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma delivered an important
speech at a gala meeting in Kyiv on 23 August, the eve of the 13th
anniversary of Ukraine's independence.
Taking into account that Ukraine is expected to see a new president in
the next three months, this was probably the last major occasion for the
incumbent to sum up the decade of his rule. Kuchma took full advantage
of this opportunity to highlight what he considers to be the most important
achievements of his two-term presidency. Simultaneously, he made a sort
of political bequest, speculating on how "Ukraine without Kuchma" should
develop over the next 10 years.
Kuchma stressed at the beginning of his speech that after the breakup
of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine's historic challenge was the
"most unique" among all post-Soviet and Eastern European countries.
According to him, Ukraine's transformation in the early years of
independence resembled a "wandering in the wilderness." Consequently,
Kuchma credited himself with setting the determined course -- after his
first election in 1994 -- to build Ukrainian statehood, introduce a market
economy, form a democratic civil society, and make the Ukrainians a
"self-contained political nation."
Kuchma noted that Ukraine will need a "few decades more" to reach
these four ambitious goals. Therefore, he called on his successor to
continue the same political course. "The length of the process of
Ukraine's transformation objectively requires that we ensure continuity
in the political course," Kuchma said. "The next decade must be -- and
I am convinced that it will be -- a continuation and not a change, not
a rejection of the decade that is ending. I repeat, not a rejection and
not a change, but a continuation."
It is no secret that Kuchma sees such a continuation in a Viktor
Yanukovych presidency, rather than in that of opposition candidate
Viktor Yushchenko or any other hopeful challenging Prime Minister
Yanukovych's presidential bid. Indeed, Kuchma denigrated the
Ukrainian opposition in his speech as "political pygmies," jeering that
it is striving to come to power under the "Ukraine Without Kuchma"
slogan, which was adopted by the opposition for a string of anti-
Kuchma rallies in 2000-02. "They expose themselves to ridicule, as
a minimum because the incumbent president is not participating in the
elections," Kuchma said. "But I can assure all of my compatriots on
one point -- there will never be Kuchma without Ukraine."
As on many earlier occasions, Kuchma credited himself with laying
the basis for Ukraine's European integration.
"Europeization has already become a national idea [in Ukraine]," he
emphasized. He upbraided the EU for proposing the European
Neighborhood Policy rather than associate membership for Ukraine.
"The status of a geographical neighbor of unified Europe -- which is
persistently proposed to us by some Europeans -- contradicts our
interests," Kuchma said. "I am deeply convinced that the development
of our relations under the principles of association [with the EU]
will meet both Ukrainian and EU interests."
In this European context, Kuchma defended his policy of developing
a strategic partnership with Russia. "The stable relations with our
strategic partner Russia -- which are built on friendly, partner-like
principles -- are not a minus in our relations with Europe, as we are
reproached by our opposition from the right wing; but a big plus, and
its real meaning, I am convinced, will soon be realized by politicians
not only in Kyiv, but also in Brussels and Washington," Kuchma said.
Traditionally, Kuchma has praised his government for achieving and
maintaining impressive economic growth. Kuchma said the country's
GDP increased by 13.5 percent in the first seven months of 2004
compared with the same period in 2003, which entailed a 15
percent increase in the real incomes of the population. According to
Kuchma, the average monthly wage in Ukraine stands at 600 hryvnyas
($113) versus 181 hryvnyas in 2000, while the average monthly pension
is equal to 220 hryvnyas (66 hryvnyas in 2000).
Many, if not all, of Kuchma's self-gratulatory assertions in his 23 August
address have been or are being questioned by the Ukrainian opposition
and independent Ukrainian observers as well as ordinary Ukrainians.
As regards the country's economic boom, it is necessary to mention
the opinion of Yushchenko, former prime minister and head of the
National Bank. According to Yushchenko, the 13.5 percent growth in
2004 has not translated into rising living standards in Ukraine -- during
the first seven months budget revenues rose only by 1.8 percent.
Yushchenko admits that Ukrainians are experiencing some improvement
in their financial situation but adds that this has been achieved primarily
due to the 2003 budget's "hidden revenues" that are now being spent
by the government as a "bribe" to voters for their support for
Yanukovych's presidential bid.
Yushchenko also questions Kuchma's claim that Ukraine has already
laid a basis for a viable democratic system. "The choice facing voters
this fall is very clear," Yushchenko wrote in an international edition of
"The Wall Street Journal" on 24 August. "On the one hand, my vision
for Ukraine proposes a system founded on democratic European values,
which will enable each citizen to realize their socioeconomic potential
in a country governed by the rule of law. On the other hand, those
from the ruling regime propose preserving the current autocracy, which
rules over competing financial-industrial groups. Their corrupt government
bureaucrats implement unpopular policies with no respect for individual
liberties and basic human rights."
Moreover, a recent poll by the Kyiv-based Razumkov Center for
Economic and Political Studies found that nearly half of Ukrainians
-- 48.7 percent -- believe that their country is not independent, while
only 38.1 percent think it is. Further casting doubts on Kuchma's picture
of Ukraine under his rule, 50 percent of respondents said the country's
level of economic development has declined since 1991. An even larger
number of respondents, 61.5 percent, claimed that living standards in
Ukraine have worsened during the 13 years of independence.
In other words, a majority of Ukrainians may not desire the political
continuity Kuchma spoke of in his Independence Day speech. But it is
anybody's guess as to whether they will identify Yanukovych as an agent
of such continuity and Yushchenko as a new, better start for Ukraine on
31 October when they go to the polls.
QUOTES OF THE WEEK.
"In my original profession [as manager of a rocket-building plant], I
used to launch the most sophisticated products of human genius into
outer space. But it [also] has fallen to my lot to feel the greatest
happiness that can be bestowed upon a man -- to launch my native
country into a circumterrestrial orbit of modern civilization when,
following a call of history, the imperishable genes of great and
proud ancestors resounded suddenly in the Russified heart of the son
of a soldier from the Chernihiv region. Even today I am not
indifferent to how the decade of my presidency will be recorded in
history." -- Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma in a speech in Kyiv on
23 August to mark the 13th anniversary of Ukraine's independence;
quoted by Kuchma's official website (http://www.president.gov.ua/).
"We have raised our state from ruins, we have raised our
people from their knees. It was a back-breaking task, but it has
elevated us, the first Ukrainian state-builders." -- Kuchma, ibid.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
"RFE/RL Belarus and Ukraine Report" is prepared by Jan
Maksymiuk on the basis of a variety of sources including reporting
by "RFE/RL Newsline" and RFE/RL's broadcast services. It is
distributed every Tuesday. Direct comments to Jan Maksymiuk at
maksymiukj@rferl.org. Back issues are online at
http://www.rferl.org/reports/pbureport/
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11. "REVOLUTION HAUNTS POST-SOVIET STATES"
COMMENTARY by Andrei Kolesnikov
Mosnews.com/Gazeta.ru, Moscow, Russia, Wed, August 25, 2004
Regardless of all the differences between Ukraine and Belarus, political
developments in those countries have common, 'Georgian', roots, as the
population grows sick and tired of the ruling regimes. There are no longer
any deep ideological, political motives.
The split between the brotherly nations and the vestiges of Soviet power
that transformed into state capitalism or socialism has become too obvious.
And no lengthy reports in the state-controlled Russian media, no agreements
between high-placed Russian officials and their counterparts in Ukraine and
Belarus are capable of altering that general sentiment.
Yulia Timoshenko, the head of the Ukrainian political bloc named after
herself that recently reunited with Viktor Yushchenko's movement Nasha
Ukraina (Our Ukraine), has declared the following: "If, in defiance of law
and justice, of the people's choice and all our efforts. a representative
of the incumbent authorities is declared the victor in the [presidential]
elections, we . will lead a real rebellion. We have accrued sufficient
experience as to how to excite people to actions of disobedience and this
experience enables us to hope that this time the people will not lose."
Republican law enforcers responded to the statement on the following day,
without naming the source of their vexation and concern: "It should be
stated with all openness and straightforwardness that all those actions,
calls and threats are dangerous to society and are punishable under the
laws of Ukraine."
A specter is haunting Eastern Europe, a specter of the 'Revolution of
Roses'. 'Rebellion' sounds beautiful.
By calling for a rebellion Ukraine's opposition leaders have not concealed
their disgust at a regime that came into being after the disintegration of
the once-powerful Soviet empire, the regime under which the country was
plundered by various clans vying for spheres of influence, money and power.
When muses of rebellion speak, guns fall silent. But then, security forces,
prosecutors and the police do not.
Russia responded to the events in Kiev and Minsk with non-liberal
imperialism. Lukashenko met Putin immediately after US senator John
McCain cynically announced the emergence of an act on democracy in
Belarus.
For some reason the two presidents discussed the situation in the
Caucasus as if 'batka' (a colloquial term for 'father', as Lukashenko is
often dubbed in the Russian press) had no other problems to address.
The senator acted in the spirit of liberal imperialism.
If Russia were a liberal empire it would have settled the Turkmenistan
issue long ago. It would not take fright at Viktor Yushchenko, nominated
for the presidency by the Ukrainian opposition, as if he is spreading the
plague. In other words, Russia would have at least assumed a neutral
position towards the election in Ukraine, and would not be playing a subtle
geopolitical game with Lukashenko, while looking for a more reliable KGB
general to substitute him.
The world has changed, geopolitics has changed, the Soviet Union and
the Slavic brotherhood are no more, replaced by international henchmen.
However, Russia still views its neighbors as parts of the old Soviet empire
and when building its relations with them it is guided by old Soviet
principles. Russia may be deeply unhappy with Georgia, but sooner or
later the Revolution of Roses may well spread across the post-Soviet
space, ending in the destruction of the post-Soviet regimes in Belarus and
Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the situation in Russia itself raises similar concerns. By
trying to rein in Ukraine and Belarus, Russia is gradually transforming the
two countries into a live shield designed to protect itself from Western
expansion. And sooner or later Russians will grow sick and tired of the
attitude of the Russian authorities. (END) (ARTUIS)
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LINK: http://www.gazeta.ru/english
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12. "VIKTORS AND VECTORS. WHOSE VICTORY IN UKRAINIAN
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IS MORE ADVANTAGEOUS FOR RUSSIA"
Report by Yekaterina Grigoryeva, Georgiy Ilyichev, and Olga Tropkina
Izvestia, Moscow, Russia, Wed, August 25, 2004
On Tuesday (24 August), Ukraine celebrated its Independence Day. It
was one of the most difficult anniversaries over the entire independence
period with Ukrainian soldiers dying in Iraq, political polarization of
society, and vague prospects of the presidential election campaign.
Moreover, experts predict that the situation can worsen further after the
election scheduled for 31 October. They say that the difference between
the main candidates' ratings is so small that the opposition may try to
implement the "Georgian scenario" if it loses the election.
It was the last Independence Day celebrated during Leonid Kuchma's
presidency. Two months before the presidential election the question of
"where to go -- to Russia or to Europe" lost its sense. The following
answer has been given: Both to Russia and to Europe. Any other option would
damage Ukraine's economy and political position. Therefore, the division
line between the "pro-Russian" candidate Viktor Yanukovych and the
"pro-Western" candidate Viktor Yushchenko is very feeble: In the event of
his victory Yanukovych will not break up relations with the West, just as
Yushchenko will not turn his back on Russia if he becomes president.
If one takes a closer look at the two leading candidates' positions, their
political views are changing almost diametrically. Yushchenko, despite his
"Western bias," promises to withdraw Ukrainian servicemen from Iraq in the
event of his victory (every death in this foreign war is regarded in
Ukraine as a reproach to the incumbent authorities). Yanukovych, on the
contrary, is ready to do anything at this point to preserve the status quo
in Ukraine's relations with NATO, the United States, and the EU.
"COME TO UKRAINE AS A SAFARI PARK"
Russian spin doctors were the first who tried to take advantage of the
situation: The ambiguity of the Ukrainian election campaign where form
differs so greatly from content opens broader possibilities for work.
Particularly since the two main candidates' campaign expenses including
unofficial funds reach millions of dollars. Experts say that the Ukrainian
election campaign is one of the most expensive campaigns that have been
waged on post-Soviet territory in recent years.
National Strategy Institute President Stanislav Belkovskiy believes that
"the demand for Russian spin doctors is constantly decreasing in Ukraine."
"Their failure to fulfill the undertaken commitments is not the only
reason. As recently as a couple of years ago, confidence in the Russian
intellectual elite was quite high, but has been seriously undermined. Its
attempts to come to Ukraine as a safari park and teach 'barbarians' some
simple tricks (which Russian political technologists themselves have not
properly mastered) have played a negative role.
At present, there is a demand only for those persons who exert personal
influence on major customers; nonetheless, they are not given access to
the main campaign funds. Russian political technologists are not going to
play the decisive role in either Yanukovych's or Yushchenko's campaign."
It is true that few active Russian PR experts have remained in Ukraine.
First, some of them discredited themselves with unsuccessful campaigns
during the recent legislative election. Second, the fees the Russians
charge for their services are incomparable with those charged by their
Ukrainian counterparts: Izvestiya sources mention $30,000-50,000 just
for rendering some assistance during the campaign.
"THE EASIEST WAY TO CONCEAL DEFEAT IS TO
WRECK THE ELECTION"
A political crisis that may even result in the "Georgian scenario" -- such
is the gloomy forecast of the post-election situation in Ukraine. Both
Ukrainian security organs and Russian political analysts speak about it.
How well-grounded are such assumptions? According to all opinion polls
(specific figures differ, but the trend is the same), Yushchenko is still
ahead of Yanukovych by approximately 10 percent. However, the second
round seems inevitable at this point, and it is not clear how it will end.
The candidates will fight for around 10 percent of the voters who will cast
their votes for Communist candidate Petro Symonenko in the first round
(taking this factor into account, Yushchenko has already stated that the
social section of his program is close to the communists' platform) and for
the voters supporting the election campaign's underdogs whose aggregate
rating does not exceed 2 percent at the moment.
Judging by the cited figures, the gloomy scenario may come true: The small
final difference between the winner and the loser will give reason for
doubts about the legitimacy of the election results. If these doubts are
skillfully fanned, massive protests are, indeed, conceivable.
Naturally, the scenario of the opposition's protests is being considered
solely as a consequence of Yanukovych's victory. Kiev believes in his
victory as blindly as official Moscow.
Protest actions seem likely also in view of the fact that Ukraine, despite
celebrating its independence anniversary, has not gotten rid of the ailment
typical of the post-Soviet states: Its citizens do not believe that
elections are really a way to express the people's will, whereas the state
merely plays the role of the counter of ballots during elections. According
to the opinion poll conducted by the Ukrainian Democratic Circle
organization on 6-13 August, 42 percent of Ukrainians believe that if
elections involve breaches of legislation Yanukovych will be the winner.
If elections are held honestly and democratically then, according to 28
percent of the polled, Yushchenko will win.
"The status of a victim of an 'illegitimate election' is being hectically
prepared for Yushchenko who cannot become the triumphant winner,"
Effective Policy Fund President Gleb Pavlovskiy has already commented
on the hypothetical future events. In his opinion, the "Georgian scenario"
can be implemented in Ukraine and attempts can be made "to bring his
supporters into the streets with US and Europe's silent approval" because
"the easiest way to conceal defeat is to wreck the election."
Two months before the election speculations about provocations can be
regarded either as a PR ploy (rather suitable for Yanukovych who is being
presented as an opponent of destabilization) or as a tool: By stating that
provocations are conceivable the security organs receive additional
arguments in favor of control over the opposition's activities. Generally
speaking, the "Georgian scenario" in Ukraine is rather unlikely: It
requires a different structure of society, different economic indicators
and, after all, different leaders and a different history.
"BANKING ON ONE CANDIDATE IS A GIGANTIC MISTAKE"
The Russian authorities' plan is plain to see: Prime Minister Yanukovych
should, and more importantly, can become president.
"It is extremely important to us what will happen in Ukraine after the
presidential election," Mark Urnov, chairman of the Ekspertiza Analytical
Programs Fund, stated, but we should not run amok because of this
importance and make the kinds of fantastic conjectures that some of my
colleagues have recently made along the lines that 'one of candidates
personifies all the best things in Ukraine; he guarantees stability; he is
our man' whereas the other candidate, as we know 'personifies all the worst
things in the world and is a foreign agent altogether.'"
Many analysts believe that banking on either candidate is a "gigantic
mistake" in terms of Russia's foreign policy strategy. Even the most
precise calculations cannot rule out errors. In particular, how will Moscow
build its relations with Kiev if Yushchenko wins instead of Yanukovych?
The only safety net at this point is the mechanism of long-term agreements
which any future Ukrainian president will have to observe. Moscow is
resolutely following this path at present:
An oil and gas agreement was signed last week and the first package of
specific sector agreements in the context of the single economic area is
expected to be legally adopted in September. Will this provide sufficient
guarantees of stable relations after the election? There is no clarity at
this point. As we know, not all agreements can be rescinded, but virtually
any can be "brushed under the carpet."
Having said that, the main problem in the two countries' relations remains
the same: By and large Russian never recognized Ukraine's sovereignty. It
did not recognize it politically (the style of its behavior during the
current election campaign attests to this) and did not recognize it on the
public mentality level. Until the Russian elite has recognized it Moscow
will regard every Ukrainian election almost as its own election which it
can either win or lose. (END) (ARTUIS)
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"POWER TENDS TO CORRUPT,
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