"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 200
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, WEDNESDAY, October 27, 2004
-----INDEX OF ARTICLES-----
"Major International News Headlines and Articles"
1. "RUSSIA'S INTERFERENCE IN UKRAINE IS IN VAIN"
OP-ED By Borys Tarasyuk, Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Moscow Times, Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, October 27, 2004
2. RUSSIAN PRESIDENT PUTIN VISITS UKRAINE TO INFLUENCE
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION SAYS RUSSIAN MP
Ekho Moskvy news agency, Moscow, in Russian, 26 Oct 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Tue, Oct 26, 2004
3. RUSSIAN PRESIDENT PUTIN RECEIVED A LETTER FROM
VIKTOR YUSHCHENKO ON ARRIVING IN UKRAINE
Our Ukraine Website, www.razom.org.ua
Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, October 26, 2004
4. PUTIN TRAVELS TO UKRAINE TO PRAISE PM/
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE VIKTOR YANUKOVYCH
Jim Heintz, AP Online, Kiev, Ukraine, Tuesday, Oct 26, 2004
5. RUSSIAN PRESIDENT PUTIN'S KIEV VISIT 'TIMED TO
INFLUENCE UKRAINE ELECTION': PRESIDENT'S REMARKS
HELPFUL TO PRO-MOSCOW CANDIDATE
Nick Paton Walsh in Moscow
The Guardian, London, UK, Wednesday, Oct 27, 2004
6. "EX-SOVIET STATES STILL IN RUSSIA'S SHADOW"
WORLD BRIEFING: by Simon Tisdall
The Guardian, London, United Kingdom, Wed, Oct 27, 2004
7. UKRAINE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CALLED 'BATTLE
BETWEEN DEMOCRACY AND AUTHORITARIANISM'
Authorities never intended to hold a free and fair election
Voice of America (VOA), Washington, D.C., Tue, October 26, 2004
8. PUTIN TO KYIV SUPPORTING GOVERNMENT CANDIDATE
Wants Ukraine faithfully sticking to Moscow
Gazeta Wyborcza, www.gazeta.pl, Warsaw, Poland, Tue, Oct 26, 2004
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Tue, Oct 26, 2004
9. RUSSIANS NEED TO RID THEMSELVES OF COLD WAR
MENTALITY SAYS GORBACHEV
ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow, in Russian, 26 Oct 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Tue, Oct 26, 2004
10. RUSSIA "ETERNAL STRATEGIC PARTNER" SAYS UKRAINIAN
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE VIKTOR YUSHCHENKO
ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow, in English, 24 Oct 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, October 24, 2004
11. PROSECUTOR-GENERAL'S OFFICE SAYS YUSHCHENKO'S
ILLNESS CAUSED BY A HERPETIC INFECTION
TV 5 Kanal, Kiev, in Ukrainian, 22 Oct 04
Provider: BBC Monitoring, UK, in English, October 22, 2004
12. VIKTOR YUSHCHENKO REJECTS PROSECUTOR-GENERAL'S
OFFICE VIRUS REPORT ON HIS ILLNESS
Interfax-Ukraine news agency, Kiev, in Russian, 22 Oct 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Friday, Oct 22, 2004
13. UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE YANUKOVYCH
CAUTIOUS ON EUROPEAN ENTRY PLANS
ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow, in English, 23 Oct 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Sunday, Oct 24, 2004
14. UKRAINE DECIDES AT THE LAST MOMENT TO OPEN 41
ADDITIONAL VOTING STATIONS IN RUSSIA
UNIAN news agency, Kiev, in Ukrainian, 24 Oct 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Sun, Oct 24, 2004
15. HIGHLIGHTS OF PUTIN'S LIVE UKRAINIAN TV PHONE-IN
UT1 State TV, Kiev, Ukraine, in Russian, 26 Oct 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Tue, Oct 26, 2004
16. YANUKOVYCH CAMPAIGN HEADQUARTERS OPPOSES MASS
PUBLIC EVENTS AT CENTRAL ELECTION COMMISSION OFFICE
Ukrainian News Agency, Kyiv, Ukraine, Tue, October 26, 2004
17. EU'S PRODI SPEAKS UP FOR UKRAINIAN INDEPENDENT TV 5
Source: TV 5 Kanal, Kiev, in Ukrainian, 26 Oct 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Tue, Oct 26, 2004
18. YANUKOVYCH'S PRESS-SERVICE DOES NOT ALLOW UNIAN
JOURNALISTS TO ATTEND YANUKOVYCH MEETINGS
UNIAN was first to report about PM being hit by an egg
UNIAN, Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, October 26, 2004
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.200: ARTICLE NUMBER ONE
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1. "RUSSIA'S INTERFERENCE IN UKRAINE IS IN VAIN"
OP-ED By Borys Tarasyuk, Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Moscow Times, Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, October 27, 2004
President Vladimir Putin's visit to Kiev for the commemoration of Ukraine's
liberation from the Nazis during World War II is an attempt to save the
failing presidential campaign of incumbent Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.
For months Kremlin spin doctors aiding the Yanukovych campaign have
used a strategy of splitting Ukraine's multicultural society along
linguistic, ethnic and religious fault lines. They've taken great pride in
authoring temnyki -- special instructions from the presidential
administration to the mass media on what events and issues should be
covered -- creating an information vacuum on objective news coverage in
our country. In the week before the election, they've given more airtime
on Ukraine's national networks to Putin, Russian Duma Deputies and
Russian pop stars than to the presidential candidates who will decide
Ukraine's future.
Yanukovych's billboards have mushroomed all over Moscow. Russian
officials supporting Ukraine's prime minister wooed our diaspora recently
in the Kremlin's column hall. And an unprecedented number of polling
stations have been opened in Russia to serve hundreds of thousands of
newly found Ukrainians, many with Russian passports. All the while,
we are told that Russia is not interfering in Ukraine's presidential
election.
Nothing can be further from the truth. However, I believe the strategy
to influence Ukraine's election by Russian spin doctors will fail and
here's why.
The choice facing Ukrainian voters in the election is clear. It is not
between politicians from the left or right, different vectors in
international relations, or between differing tongues and nationalities --
it is a choice between two competing value systems.
One, represented by Ukraine's dynamic opposition leader, Viktor
Yushchenko, is based on democratic values, respecting individual liberties,
and promotes economic opportunities and competitiveness. The other,
represented by Yanukovych, proposes keeping in office a ruling clan
that values autocracy and crony capitalism more than freedom and the
rule of law.
There is no doubt that Ukrainians want this election to bring about change.
Overwhelmingly, they think the country is heading in the wrong direction.
They are tired of a corrupt government that does not respect human rights,
ignores democratic principles, abuses law enforcement officials and works to
enrich a handful of oligarchs at the expense of all citizens. They want
opportunities to build a better life for their families and want leaders
they can trust.
To derail voters from their yearnings for change, a dirty campaign has been
launched. With advice from Russian PR specialists, the regime of outgoing
President Leonid Kuchma has mobilized government resources to create a
pre-election environment of fear, intimidation and uncertainty. Independent
media have been systematically silenced, businesses that support the
democratic opposition are harassed by tax and police authorities,
presidential candidates are illegally shadowed, public rallies are
ruthlessly suppressed and civil unrest is being provoked by state-controlled
mass media days before the election.
The election campaign has been unfair from the start because it openly
ignored two basic OSCE criteria for free and fair elections: the absence of
government interference in the electoral process and equal access of
candidates to mass media. Thousands of pre-election violations by the
incumbent regime have gone unpunished by law enforcement bodies. Under
pressure from top government officials, bureaucrats at all levels have been
forced to campaign openly for the incumbent prime minister. Even the
chairman of Ukraine's Central Bank has put the country's currency stability
in jeopardy by leaving its stewardship to an unaccountable deputy, while
taking a leave of absence to steer the prime minister's election campaign.
What can save Ukraine's autumn presidential poll? Ballot security -- and
that will only be guaranteed on election day by the impartial actions of
individual election commissioners brave enough to withstand the pressure
brought to bear on them by local authorities and rogue police officers
instructed by Kuchma's machine to deliver the vote it wants. Domestic and
international election observers are needed to help ensure the final act in
this election campaign is not stolen by the incumbent regime, as has been
done before.
I am convinced all these government efforts are in vain because Ukrainian
society has long ago made its choice in favor of democratic values and the
rule of law. However, it is the incumbent government that has not delivered
on earlier promises of moving Ukraine closer to Europe.
With Yushchenko at the helm, a democratic Ukraine will live up to its
international commitments before the Council of Europe, OSCE and the EU.
A democratic Ukraine will encourage the inflow of investment capital,
including Russian.
Our foreign policy will become consistent and predictable because it will be
based on our national interests rather than the individual interests of
Ukraine's ruling clans.
Sixty percent of Ukrainians support closer European ties and want to
maintain good neighborly relations with Russia. This is Ukraine's national
interest. Unfortunately, the incumbent Kiev government remains wedded to
policies that divide not only our own society, but also our international
relations. A democratic Ukraine will build relations with Russia based on a
mutual respect of national interests, leaving behind old stereotypes. We
will sustain historic economic relations with Moscow and forge new
initiatives, both bilateral and multilateral, benefiting the people of both
countries. This should not be accomplished at the expense of our national
interest and democratic values.
Ukrainians sense there is a rising threat of a new bipolar Europe, with
centers in Brussels and Moscow, and with competing sets of values. Ukraine
will guarantee our nation's stability through democratic values and will
support European security by promoting these values among our eastern
neighbors. If Ukraine veers off the democratic path, an alarming message
will be sent to the elites and proponents of democracy in Russia, Belarus
and other former Soviet states. The prospect of having an entire bloc of
authoritarian, corrupt regimes on the border with Europe should awaken all
those who hold dear democratic values and individual liberty. The wall that
separated us ideologically during the Cold War should not be erected anew
based on these competing sets of values.
Ukraine's democratic forces are committed to bringing about change in our
country peacefully and legally. The Oct. 31 election is our chance for new
opportunities and a better life for all Ukrainians. Millions of my fellow
citizens will not allow the government to rob us of this chance. -30-
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Borys Tarasyuk, an elected people's deputy, is chairman of the Verkhovna
Rada Committee on European Integration and was Ukraine's foreign minister
from 1998 to 2000. He contributed this comment to The Moscow Times.
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.200: ARTICLE NUMBER TWO
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2. RUSSIAN PRESIDENT PUTIN VISITS UKRAINE TO INFLUENCE
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION SAYS RUSSIAN MP
Ekho Moskvy news agency, Moscow, in Russian, 26 Oct 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Tue, Oct 26, 2004
MOSCOW --- "The main applied meaning" of Russian President
Vladimir Putin's visit to Ukraine "is to urge Ukrainian President Leonid
Kuchma to give [presidential candidate Viktor] Yanukovych all-out support,"
Konstantin Zatulin, the director of the Institute of CIS Countries and a
deputy of the Russian State Duma, told Ekho Moskvy radio.
"Even though Kuchma is outwardly supporting Yanukovych, it is not so clear,
because Kuchma's people are at the same time conducting not-so-public talks
with [presidential candidate Viktor] Yushchenko's circle and with Yushchenko
himself, so as, unlike Russia, to avoid placing all eggs in one basket," he
said.
In Zatulin's view, Putin's visit to Ukraine in the pre-election week will
definitely influence the results of the Ukrainian presidential election and
this influence will be controversial. "On one hand, this will mobilize
Yanukovych's electorate and confirm that he indeed enjoys Russia's favour.
On the other hand, this will definitely give food for Yanukovych's critics
and for supporters of the opposition who will see in it a violation of the
Ukrainian election campaign spirit, if not the letter of the law," Zatulin
said.
Putin's visit to Ukraine "is a fact of the electoral campaign, irrespective
of what he will say or do in the course of his visit," Zatulin said.
Formally Putin's visit does not mean interfering in the affairs of a
sovereign state, although, in fact, Putin and Russia will go all out to
ensure the support of the candidate who suits Russia in the Ukrainian
election," Zatulin said. -30- [The Action Ukraine Monitoring Service]
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.200: ARTICLE NUMBER THREE
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3. RUSSIAN PRESIDENT PUTIN RECEIVED A LETTER FROM VIKTOR
YUSHCHENKO ON ARRIVING IN UKRAINE
Our Ukraine Website, www.razom.org.ua
Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, October 26, 2004
An open address to the President of the Russian Federation Volodymyr Putin
Dear Volodymyr Volodymyrovych!
During Your visit to Ukraine I would like to note one more time that the
"Power of the People" coalition, headed by me, is promoting mutually
beneficial, friendly, and stable relations with Russia.
We welcome communication on the highest level between our countries for
solving citizens' problems and raising the economic potential of the two
strategic partners.
At the same time, Your visit to Kyiv, despite being an official one, will be
certainly viewed in the context of the presidential campaign in Ukraine
irregardless of whether You are seeing it this way or not.
I am convinced You understand well that attempts will be made to use You to
influence the outcome of the election in Ukraine. It is important that
Ukrainian electoral legislation is not breached.
Several days prior to Your arrival mass media reported on provocations that
had been planned against You in Ukraine. Based on the available information,
it is the government that wants to turn Your visit into a dishonest and
dangerous show and to pass the blame and the responsibility for its own
provocations on to the opposition. We would like to warn that whatever
provocations will have nothing to do with the "Power of the People"
coalition and that everyone connected to them must be held accountable.
The ruling regime wants to stay in power at any cost, attempting to draw
Russia into solving its private problems. The government's candidate lacks
authority to win the elections honestly; therefore, the current government
is trying to compensate for the lack of public support with Your support,
speculating on the good feelings Ukrainians traditionally have towards
Russia and the Russians.
Hope that Your visit to Ukraine will be an opportunity to get an unbiased
perception of the positions of all participants of the election process and
that You, Volodymyr Volodymyrovych, will stress the importance of ensuring
honest and just elections.
Ukrainian and Russian citizens maintain brotherly relations that have
developed between the two states. This I see as a guarantee of raising
international relations to the significantly higher level after the
conclusion of the election campaign and the victory of democratic forces.
People's deputy of Ukraine,
candidate for the presidency of Ukraine
Victor Yushchenko
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.200: ARTICLE NUMBER FOUR
Your comments about the Report are always welcome
========================================================
4. PUTIN TRAVELS TO UKRAINE TO PRAISE PM/PRESIDENTIAL
CANDIDATE VIKTOR YANUKOVYCH
Jim Heintz, AP Online, Kiev, Ukraine, Tuesday, Oct 26, 2004
KIEV _ Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to Ukraine Tuesday
for a live television appearance praising the Russian-backed candidate
despite criticism that he was seeking to pressure voters ahead of weekend
presidential elections in the former Soviet republic.
Russia in recent weeks has made clear its preference for Prime Minister
Viktor Yanukovych, who is running a close race against Western-leaning
reformer Viktor Yushchenko. Yanukovych is from eastern Ukraine, where
ties to Russia are strong.
Putin's live broadcast included telephoned questions from viewers and came
at the start of a three-day official visit _ unusual for Putin, who rarely
makes such appearances even for Russians. The broadcast showed how
closely Russia is watching the campaign leading up to Sunday's vote.
Moscow's stakes in the election are high. Ukraine's Black Sea port of
Sevastopol is home to the Russian navy's southern fleet and the country is
a buffer between Russia and eastward-expanding NATO.
Noting Ukraine's recent strong economic resurgence, Putin said "the
government of Viktor Yanukovych has done more: it was able to achieve
growth of high quality."
Putin, however, declined to make a straightforward endorsement, saying
that "to initiate or support a political force within Ukraine from abroad,
especially from the Russian side, is dangerous, counterproductive."
But many saw the hour-long broadcast as a clear effort to influence
Ukrainians.
The broadcast and Putin's visit "have a distinct pre-election subtext," said
Alexander Rzhavskiy, one of the 21 other minor candidates, according to
the Unian news agency.
"I understand that some of the establishment wants to use Putin as a
showman for Yanukovych," Yushchenko campaign manager Alexander
Zinchenko said before the broadcast, according to Unian. Ukrainian
Foreign Ministry spokesman Markiyan Lubkivskiy dismissed
the concerns Tuesday.
"Even as the president of such powerful government as the Russian
Federation, Vladimir Putin cannot have an influence on the election
process," Lubkivskiy said, according to the Interfax news agency.
Putin has praised Yanukovych as a reliable partner, invited him to his
recent birthday celebration and sent senior Kremlin officials to a meeting
between Yanukovych and ethnic Ukrainians living in Russia. Billboards
with Yanukovych's portrait can be seen around Moscow, saying he
enjoys support from the Ukrainian diaspora in Russia.
Many minor candidates' campaign ads claim that a Yushchenko presidency
would result in Ukrainians needing visas to travel to Russia _ an
inconvenience for businessmen and people visiting relatives. Putin said
Tuesday that Ukrainians should be able to travel to Russia without
passports.
One advertisement even alleges that under Yushchenko, Ukraine would
come under "complete control" of the United States.
"A Yushchenko victory undoubtedly would be a defeat for Russia. However
much pre-election courtesy he has shown to the Russian side, the fact
remains that he has a poor attitude toward Russian authorities," Alexander
Rahr, director of Russian studies at the German Council on Foreign
Relations, wrote in the Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta this week.
Although Russia and Ukraine have quarreled intensely, most recently over
Russia's alleged plan to build a causeway leading to a Ukrainian island that
controls a key Azov Sea strait, work is under way to join Russia, Ukraine,
Kazakhstan and Belarus in a joint economic space.
This summer, Ukraine decided to allow a pipeline to be used for shipping
Russian oil, reversing a decision to have the pipeline carry Caspian Sea oil
to Western markets. Using the pipeline for Russian oil was opposed by the
United States on the grounds that it would increase Ukraine's dependence on
energy from Moscow. -30-
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.200: ARTICLE NUMBER FIVE
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5. RUSSIAN PRESIDENT PUTIN'S KIEV VISIT 'TIMED TO
INFLUENCE UKRAINE ELECTION': PRESIDENT'S REMARKS
HELPFUL TO PRO-MOSCOW CANDIDATE
Nick Paton Walsh in Moscow
The Guardian, London, UK, Wednesday, Oct 27, 2004
MOSCOW - Kremlin officials say Mr Putin is attending a celebration
of the liberation of Kiev from the Nazis, but the trip will add to the
tension surrounding the poll.
In last night's interview, Mr Putin told Ukrainian television that visa
restrictions between Russia and Ukraine would be eased. He also floated
the possibility of dual citizenship between Ukrainian and Russian citizens,
a popular move among the electorate.
The opposition claimed the visit was timed to allow Mr Putin to support
the prime minister, Viktor Yanukovich, at a time of unrest in the country.
A pro-opposition lawmaker said he escaped unhurt when his car was
firebombed on Monday, and a student group claimed its offices were
raided by the country's secret service.
The opposition candidate, Viktor Yushchenko, has claimed he was
poisoned and opposition journalists have gone on hunger strike to protest
at a government clampdown. The government has dismissed the incidents
as PR stunts.
The incumbent president, Leonid Kuchma, has said campaigning so far
"exceeded the framework of human decency". He cancelled a trip to
neighbouring Poland after thousands took to the streets at the weekend.
Mr Putin has met Mr Yanukovich several times in Moscow to express his
support, and pro-Yanukovich posters have been put up all over the Russian
capital. Mr Putin will answer live questions from voters in an interview
broadcast at 8pm on all three nationwide channels.
Mr Yushchenko said in comments carried on his website that Mr Putin's visit
was "untimely". He added he was not among those who "overestimate Russia's
influence on Ukraine's election results". But, he said: "Yanukovich lacks
his own authority to win these elections." Mr Yushchenko has also complained
at not being allowed on nationwide television during primetime.
Dmitri Pskov, a Kremlin spokesman, said Mr Putin was in Kiev at the
invitation of the incumbent president, as were the presidents of Azerbaijan,
Belarus and Kazakhstan. He said Mr Putin was giving an interview in the
evening, as "he often does when travelling".
He rejected accusations that the visit was timed to influence Sunday's vote.
"There are norms of political ethics and Mr Putin is a wise enough president
not to use such trips to make public his preferences," he said.
The opposition has also protested at Russia's decision to set up 41 polling
booths for ethnic Ukrainians living in Russia, who are more likely to
support Mr Yanukovich.
The Yushchenko campaign has said the stations are for an alleged 150,000
voters living abroad yet, they added, Ukraine does not recognise dual
citizenship and most of those targeted were ineligible to vote.
An MP and leading ally of Mr Yushchenko, Volodymyr Bondarenko, said
yesterday his car was firebombed as it was driven through a village near
Kiev. No one was injured.
The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe said the lead-up to
the vote was marred by biased use of the media in favour of Mr Yanukovich.
guardian.co.uk/russia -30- [The Action Ukraine Monitoring Service]
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.200: ARTICLE NUMBER SIX
Additional names for the distribution list are always welcome
========================================================
6. "EX-SOVIET STATES STILL IN RUSSIA'S SHADOW"
WORLD BRIEFING: by Simon Tisdall
The Guardian, London, United Kingdom, Wed, Oct 27, 2004
LONDON - Vladimir Putin is not averse to voicing his opinions on
other countries' elections.
He recently endorsed George Bush's re-election bid. And when it comes to
Ukraine, there is little doubt where he stands. He favours Ukraine's prime
minister, Viktor Yanukovich, a man in the authoritarian mould of the
outgoing president, Leonid Kuchma. Protests of interference from supporters
of the pro-western candidate, Viktor Yushchenko, have gone unheeded.
Russia's reasons for wanting a biddable, like-minded government in Kiev are
numerous. It is a strategic part of what Moscow calls its "near abroad" -
countries once part of the Soviet Union. It is of particular importance in
defence. The Black Sea fleet is still based at Sevastopol in Crimea, now
part of Ukraine.
Mr Putin's revived interest has led to heightened tensions with Georgia.
Moscow's tolerance enabled the dictator of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko,
to tighten his grip on power this month. The prevalence of "controlled
democracy" in the former Soviet central Asia republics matches Russia,
where political pluralism is becoming a thing of the past.
Trade and oil are other reasons why Mr Putin's embrace of Ukraine is
tightening. Russia would also be dismayed were Ukraine to join Nato - it
has associate status under the partnership for peace programme. Much
the same goes for the EU.
Full membership of both organisations, and closer ties to the US, are
advocated by Mr Yushchenko - but he fears trends may be dragging Ukraine
backwards. "There are ominous signs of a neo-Soviet revival here," he wrote
recently. Ukrainians "always considered ourselves part of Europe, not just
neighbours". But following EU enlargement in May, the danger was a bipolar
Europe with opposing centres in Brussels and Moscow.
"The dividing line established during the cold war has not totally
vanished - it has only shifted a few hundred kilometres to the east," Mr
Yushchenko said. The EU faced the prospect of "an entire bloc of
authoritarian, corrupt regimes on its borders".
Mr Yanukovich has a different view. "The question of EU membership must
take into consideration Ukraine's economic cooperation with Russia," he
said. "Our neighbour is our friend as well as our largest trading partner."
Ukraine would further integrate with Europe "when the time is right".
Like Mr Kuchma and Mr Putin, Mr Yanukovich backs media controls and a
state-oriented, oligarchic business structure. Stern measures are planned
should the opposition contest on the streets next Sunday's result or the
expected run-off.
The EU is watching Ukraine's polls closely, as are the Council of Europe and
the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Each is concerned
at possible intimidation or fraud.
Influenced by Mr Kuchma's contribution of troops to Iraq, the US's criticism
is muted. But the US embassy in Kiev said it was launching a $13m (pounds
7m) programme "to support free and fair elections".
According to Richard Holbrooke, the former US ambassador to the UN,
tipped as secretary of state should John Kerry win: "Good relations with Mr
Putin need not be purchased at the price of democratic regression in Russia
or Moscow's intimidation of Ukraine, Georgia and other former Soviet
republics." -30- [The Action Ukraine Report Monitoring Service]
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.200: ARTICLE NUMBER SEVEN
Suggested articles for publication in the Report are always welcome
========================================================
7. UKRAINE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CALLED 'BATTLE BETWEEN
DEMOCRACY AND AUTHORITARIANISM'
Authorities never intended to hold a free and fair election
Voice of America (VOA), Washington, D.C., Tue, October 26, 2004
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Taras Kuzio, a professor at the Elliott School
of International Affairs at George Washington University, joined several
political analysts today in expressing concerns about the upcoming
presidential election in Ukraine and what it means for Ukraine's future.
"The authorities in Ukraine never intended and I stress, never intended to
hold a free and fair election," he declared. If they did, he added,
opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko would win in the first round.
Kuzio participated in a panel discussion at the Voice of America (VOA) on
"Defining Ukraine's Future: the 2004 Presidential Vote." Ukraine's
presidential election on Sunday is being contested by Prime Minister Viktor
Yanukovych, who is supported by current President Leonid Kuchma, and
opposition leader and former Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko. The panelists
said both candidates had dramatically different plans for the country.
"We have seen backsliding in Ukraine's strategic goal of integration into
NATO and the European Union," said panelist Orest Deychakiwsky, staff
advisor at the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
(Helsinki Commission). He contended that a Yushchenko victory would
reverse this trend. Deychakiwsky also described the upcoming election as
"a battle between democracy and increasing authoritarianism."
Nadia Diuk, Program Director for Central Europe and Eurasia at the National
Endowment for Democracy, said that harassment of the few independent media
outlets still available in Ukraine had had a negative impact on outside
sources of information such as VOA, Radio Liberty, BBC, and Deutsche Welle,
by limiting their ability to rebroadcast within the country.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
VOA's Ukrainian Service broadcasts two hours of radio every day, as well as
the weekly television program Window on America and a daily, five-minute
television news program that launched on October 18, 2004. Programs can
also be accessed on the Internet at www.VOANews.com/Ukrainian.
For more information, please call the Office of Public Affairs at (202)
401-7000, or e-mail to publicaffairs@voa.gov. -30-
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No. 200: ARTICLE NUMBER EIGHT
Letters to the editor are always welcome
========================================================
8. PUTIN COMES TO KYIV TO SUPPORT GOVERNMENT CANDIDATE
Wants Ukraine faithfully sticking to Moscow
Gazeta Wyborcza, www.gazeta.pl, Warsaw, Poland, Tue, Oct 26, 2004
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Tue, Oct 26, 2004
WARSAW - "Putin has come to believe that also in Ukraine - like every-
where in the post-Soviet space - power goes to the group which is in power,"
Waclaw Radziwinowicz says in a commentary viewing Russian President
Vladimir Putin's visit to Ukraine on the eve of elections there.
"He comes to Kiev to support its candidate and in return to get solemn
promises that Ukraine is going to renounce European or NATO day-
dreams and remain faithfully sticking to Moscow." -30-
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.200: ARTICLE NUMBER NINE
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9. RUSSIANS NEED TO RID THEMSELVES OF COLD WAR
MENTALITY SAYS GORBACHEV
ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow, in Russian, 26 Oct 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Tue, Oct 26, 2004
MOSCOW - Former USSR president Mikhail Gorbachev believes that
what has been done by President Putin represents a "positive outcome".
Addressing a session of the "free speech" club, dedicated to the 20th
anniversary of perestroyka, the former USSR president said: "We have
emerged from chaos and reached stability. We began to grow strong
and established a tendency for economic growth".
Gorbachev stressed that "we have to avoid traps, put up by those who
want Russia to get bogged down in the Chechen morass".
Speaking about relations with the USA, Gorbachev said that "we have to
get out of the Cold War trenches. Russia needs to stop thinking that it is
again threatened and rid itself of this complex", he said.
The former president, who returned from the USA yesterday said that "we
should not be looking back at the Americans all the time, but neither should
we be ignoring them".
Touching upon European issues, Gorbachev mentioned that Europe needs
unification and "the fate of the world" depends on this. However, this unity
"should not be based either on anti-Russian or on anti-American positions".
He supported "close partnership between the EU and the Eurasian community".
Gorbachev welcomed the creation of the common economic space of Russia,
Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan. "We live in a global world, we are very
much dependent on each other and we have to reach new levels of stability,"
he said. -30- [The Action Ukraine Report Monitoring Service]
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10. RUSSIA "ETERNAL STRATEGIC PARTNER" SAYS UKRAINIAN
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE VIKTOR YUSHCHENKO
ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow, in English, 24 Oct 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Sun, October 24, 2004
SIMFEROPOL - Russia, a northern neighbour, "will be an eternal strategic
partner of Ukraine under any circumstances," presidential candidate and
Our Ukraine [opposition] bloc leader Viktor Yushchenko said at
a rally in the Crimean capital on Sunday [24 October].
Yushchenko said he is not "a pro-American, pro-Russian or pro-Polish
politician, but a genuinely Ukrainian politician who stands for the honour
of his fatherland".
Yushchenko said that if elected president he would provide "for Russian
people's comfort in Ukraine so that they could watch Russian-language
programmes on the Ukrainian television, read Ukrainian newspapers in
Russian and have their children learning the Russian language and the
Russian culture". "You will see quite a different country when we win the
election," Yushchenko said.
He described last night [23 October] attack of Our Ukraine supporters on
the Central Electoral Commission building in Kiev as "a provocation of the
Interior Ministry". -30- [The Action Ukraine Report Monitoring Service]
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.200: ARTICLE NUMBER ELEVEN
Additional names for the distribution list are always welcome
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11. PROSECUTOR-GENERAL'S OFFICE SAYS YUSHCHENKO'S
ILLNESS CAUSED BY A HERPETIC INFECTION
TV 5 Kanal, Kiev, in Ukrainian, 22 Oct 04
Provider: BBC Monitoring, UK, in English, October 22, 2004
KIEV - The Ukrainian Prosecutor-General's Office has said opposition
presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko's mystery illness was caused by a
herpetic infection. Ukrainian experts who carried out an examination of
medical records released by a Kiev hospital, and also by a Vienna hospital
where Yushchenko was treated after he had fallen ill in early September,
said there were no signs that biological weapons were used against
Yushchenko, as his campaign manager had earlier alleged. The following is
the text of the report by the Ukrainian television TV 5 Kanal on 22 October:
We start the news bulletin with hot news from the Ukrainian
Prosecutor-General's Office, which has made public the results of the
examination of the causes of presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko's
illness.
The conclusion of the Ukrainian experts is as follows. The cause of Mr
Yushchenko's illness was a concealed viral infection. Kateryna Filipenko,
who is at the Prosecutor-General's Office at the moment, has the details.
Katya, what is the experts' conclusion about the possibility of Yushchenko's
deliberate poisoning?
[Correspondent, by phone] Mykola, following the results of the examination
which was carried out on the basis of the documents at Kiev's No 2 hospital
and the documents released from the Austrian hospital, the
Prosecutor-General's Office believes that the worsening of Yushchenko's
state of health was the result of a viral herpetic infection, and that there
are no grounds to believe that this was the sign of [the use of] biological
weapons.
The spokesman of the Prosecutor-General's Office, Serhiy Rudenko, also
said the experts have come to the conclusion that there are no poisoning
substances in Yushchenko's body. But he added that it is too early to close
this case. Mykola?
[Presenter] Katya, these have exclusively been the Ukrainian experts who
examined [Yushchenko's] state of health, as I understand. If so, confirm
this.
[Correspondent] Yes, these have exclusively been the Ukrainian experts,
but they are specialists in different areas. That is, there were
bacteriologists, neurologists and toxicologists there.
[Presenter] Thank you. This has been Kateryna Filipenko from the
Prosecutor-General's Office, which told journalists today how it had carried
out the examination and what conclusions it had drawn from Yushchenko's
[alleged] poisoning. -30- [The Action Ukraine Report Monitoring Service]
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12. VIKTOR YUSHCHENKO REJECTS PROSECUTOR-GENERAL'S
OFFICE VIRUS REPORT ON HIS ILLNESS
Interfax-Ukraine news agency, Kiev, in Russian, 22 Oct 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Friday, Oct 22, 2004
Ukrainian opposition presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko has dismissed
an official report by the Prosecutor-General's Office that his mystery
illness was caused by herpes and that no proof of his poisoning was found.
He said the topic is being used to fuel passions ahead of the presidential
election. Yushchenko pledged to make his full medical records available
after the election. Yushchenko fell ill in early September and was taken to
a Vienna hospital for treatment. He later said the authorities had tried to
murder him. The following is the text of the report by the Interfax-Ukraine
news agency:
Kiev, 22 October: Presidential candidate [from the opposition] Viktor
Yushchenko has said that his poisoning was "political persecution" and that
he is not interested in Ukrainian officials' comments on the causes of his
illness.
Yushchenko said this in an interview with journalists in Dnipropetrovsk on
Friday [22 October]. He was commenting on a statement by the
Prosecutor-General's Office that the cause of Yushchenko's illness was a
viral herpetic infection.
"I am not interested at the moment in what way I was poisoned: either it was
a viral or chemical or foodstuff method. I am interested in the reasons for
what I describe in the two words: political persecution," Yushchenko said.
Yushchenko said that he wanted to take the topic of his illness "out of the
equation", since the presidential election campaign is under way in Ukraine
and "emotions are being stirred up", which is why all the issues relating to
the diagnosis of his illness "should not be added to the political garnish".
"Let's [wait until] the election is completed, we will have a new prosecutor
and a more honest court, and I give you my word that you will have a single
precedent when my full medical records with the history of my illness will
be put on your table," Yushchenko said. -30-
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.200: ARTICLE NUMBER THIRTEEN
Checks to support The Action Ukraine Report are always welcome
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13. UKRAINIAN PM/PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE YANUKOVYCH
CAUTIOUS ON EUROPEAN ENTRY PLANS
ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow, in English, 23 Oct 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Sunday, Oct 24, 2004
KIEV --- Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych has said
it would be premature for his country to join the European Union now.
He said low wages and low competitiveness were among the reasons.
Ukraine "is a big family, and its interest is to be where it is more
beneficial and better, and where we can earn more," he said while touring
the Khmelnytskyy region on Saturday [22 October]. "I will always seek
to benefit the state," he added.
In his words, Ukraine "will move into the EU slowly" because if it joins
immediately, as some politicians advise, "we will become uncompetitive with
our wages right away".
At the same time, Yanukovych stressed that Ukraine had no obligations to
other countries that are building a Single Economic Space - Belarus, Russia
and Kazakhstan. "But the economy encourages us to work together and pool
our efforts for the sake of bigger benefits," he said.
According to the prime minister, "Work is under way to remove barriers on
the way of Ukrainian commodities, support domestic manufacturers, and
simplify border crossing procedures for cargoes and people." "This will
allow us to create a free trade zone with Russia," he said. -30-
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.200: ARTICLE NUMBER FOURTEEN
Checks to support The Action Ukraine Report are always welcome
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14. UKRAINE DECIDES AT THE LAST MOMENT TO OPEN 41
ADDITIONAL VOTING STATIONS IN RUSSIA
UNIAN news agency, Kiev, in Ukrainian, 24 Oct 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Sun, Oct 24, 2004
KIEV --- A meeting began at the Central Electoral Commission at
0330 [0030 gmt] today to discuss the opening of additional polling
stations in Russia for the 31 October Ukrainian presidential elections.
Two of the commission members abstained from voting, while the rest
voted in favour of setting up 41 polling stations in Russia for about
150,000 voters, the press service of [opposition presidential candidate]
Viktor Yushchenko reported. Most of the polling stations are to be set up in
Kostroma Region (four), Kursk Region (three), Voronezh Region (three)
and Vologda Region (three). Initially the opening of 420 polling stations
had been proposed.
The meeting was attended by 13 members of the commission and more than
20 people's deputies, including Oleksandr Zinchenko, Petro Poroshenko,
Oleksandr Turchynov, Davyd Zhvaniya, Mykola Martynenko, Volodymyr
Stretovych, Volodymyr Bondarenko, Mykola Katerynchuk and Yuriy
Klyuchkovskyy [all representing Yushchenko's coalition].
As is known, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry requested the CEC to set up
additional polling stations in Russia and, accordingly, additional electoral
commissions. Yuriy Danylevskyy, a member of the CEC, said that "the
majority of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's documents have not been in line
with legal requirements". A proxy of Yushchenko, MP Mykola Katerynchuk,
specified that most of the documents did not contain dates and other
necessary data, while data taken from Russian passports were supplied.
Yushchenko's permanent representative at the CEC, Yuriy Klyuchkovskyy,
said it would not be possible to take a decision later than seven days
before the elections, as the law would qualify this as untimely.
Katerynchuk said that Ukrainian citizens have a constitutional right to make
their choice on 31 October, but "we are against setting up a base for
falsifications". He recalled that there were only four polling stations for
Ukrainian citizens in Russia at the previous elections. -30-
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.200: ARTICLE NUMBER FIFTEEN
Checks to support The Action Ukraine Report are always welcome
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15. HIGHLIGHTS OF PRES. PUTIN'S LIVE UKRAINIAN TV PHONE-IN
UT1 State TV, Kiev, Ukraine, in Russian, 26 Oct 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Tue, Oct 26, 2004
KIEV - Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised Ukraine's government,
promised to ease recently-announced restrictions on Ukrainians visiting
Russia, called on citizens to vote in Ukraine's presidential elections,
opposed the idea of Russian political involvement in Ukraine and ruled out
a third presidential term for himself in a live phone-in on Ukrainian
television on 26 October.
Putin arrived in Kiev the same day for a three-day working visit - just six
days before the 31 October Ukrainian presidential election - officially for
the sixtieth anniversary of the liberation of Ukraine from Nazi occupation.
Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko has described the visit as
untimely. He warned that Russia still had a powerful influence over
Ukrainian politics and could sway the outcome of the vote. Yushchenko is
the main rival of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, who is also running
for the presidency and has the backing of outgoing President Leonid
Kuchma.
In the hour-long Q&A session, Putin said the Ukrainian government has
made great economic achievements over the past year under Yanukovych,
highlighting GDP growth.
"Over the past few years, especially over the last year, Ukraine has
achieved very serious economic growth figures, 13.4 per cent, I believe...
This is not just quick growth. The government of Yanukovych has achieved
even more - they have managed to make this growth be felt... The government
has focused financial resources on solving the main social problems, such as
raising pensions. This is good progress, and an example to be followed," he
said.
Putin attributed the breakthrough in economic indicators in much of the CIS
in 2004 to Russia's realization that former Soviet republics are truly
independent states and the development of economic and political cooperation
on that basis. He said there are no significant issues outstanding with
Ukraine in either sphere, and that the proposed Single Economic Zone common
market consisting of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan would satisfy
demands for further economic union.
Putin said Ukraine and Russia would reverse an earlier decision to tighten
travel requirements between the two countries.
He said Ukrainians would be able to continue travelling to Russia using
their internal passport identity documents. The two countries were
previously planning to require foreign passports from 2005. Easing travel
between Ukraine and Russia was one of Yanukovych's election promises.
"Citizens of Ukraine must be able to enter the Russian Federation without
any restrictions on their internal passports... I will issue an order to
this effect to the Interior Ministry, the Foreign Ministry and the
presidential administration as soon as I return to Moscow," he said.
Putin said dual Ukrainian-Russian citizenship, another idea aired by
Yanukovych, would be more complicated but not impossible.
"Ukraine, Russia and Belarus are a special case. We must think about it, not
just Russia but Ukraine as well. We cannot make a decision on this on our
own... But I believe if we see that people in Ukraine want this, we will not
only consider it, we will actually implement this."
Answering a question on voter cynicism about the presidential election, he
called on Ukrainians to vote. "You say that people don't think they can
influence events through democratic means. But what other means are there?
There are only democratic means. Therefore I am simply absolutely certain
that one must take part in the elections, and a well-known theory has it
that if you don't choose then someone else will choose for you. It is not a
matter of my having no doubts, I am fully, one-hundred-per-cent certain that
you must support the candidate with whom you sympathize," he said.
He said he would like to see Ukrainian political forces working for the
closest possible ties with Russia, but ruled out direct Russian support as
dangerous and counterproductive.
"I would be happy to see such forces in Ukraine grow stronger, develop and
achieve their goals. But to initiate and support political forces within
Ukraine from abroad - especially from Russia - is a very dangerous matter,
it is counterproductive and could lead to the opposite result. This process
ought to come from within Ukrainian society," he said.
As for economic relations, Putin said cooperation would benefit Ukraine, and
even the largely agriculture west of the country would find markets for its
goods in Russia.
"I think it is more or less clear what Ukraine stands to gain from
cooperation with Russia. We have well-developed cooperation ties since the
Soviet era. Some of our companies, both Russian and Ukrainian, cannot exist
without each other. Some companies will die without Ukrainian-Russian
cooperation. That was first. Second, by pooling efforts in science and
technology, in particular, in high technology, we can confidently win
third-country markets, which would be difficult to do separately. As regards
the regions of Ukraine where agriculture prevails, Russia is a good market
for their goods," he said.
On foreign policy, Putin has said Russia was an ally of the United States in
the fight against terrorism, a close partner in many other areas and had
important trading links with the European Union.
"We are building relations of partnership with the key countries such as the
US. In some areas, I would even say we are allies [with the US], such as in
the fight against terrorism... Our positions are also very close on the
non-proliferation of WMD. And they are a big trading partner, as well as the
EU. Almost half of our foreign trade is with the EU. This is extremely
important to us," he said.
He said Russia and Ukraine had a role to play in a multi-polar world as
large developed economies.
"Russia, as well as Ukraine, are first of all European countries, even
though Russia's territory spreads as far as the Pacific. Put culturally, in
terms of people's mentality and their way of life, we are first of all a
European country. So we must be a part of the world humanitarian and
economic space.
"Speaking about a multi-polar or unipolar world, I believe the world can be
only multi-polar. There are no unipolar things at all. If the world reaches
a unipolar state, it will cease to exist, because there will be no inner
energy or stimulus to develop. The world is very diverse, many new poles are
appearing now - look at what's happening in Asia, in China, India, Japan,
South Africa, Latin America, Brazil and other countries - they are
developing rapidly. The world will definitely be multi-polar. As to the role
of Russia and Ukraine in this world, we are big countries, we are high-tech
countries, with highly developed culture," he said.
Putin ruled out a third presidential term for himself, saying "As for me, I
think that in many countries, in Russia anyway, the main thing is stability.
And you can only provide stability through the law. And if there's one law
that underpins all others, it is the constitution, the basic law of the
country. The basic law of Russia provides for two consecutive presidential
terms. And that will be my guide."
He also said that outgoing Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma had never
mentioned standing for a third term himself, despite a Constitutional Court
ruling permitting him to do so.
Putin said he would deal with delays to the payment of Russian pensions to
citizens living in Ukraine, had no plans to change the treaty on the status
of the Black Sea Fleet, and would not stand for the Ukrainian presidency
himself. On the vexed issue of football, Putin said he likes Pele, some
German players and Ukraine's own Andriy Shevchenko.
The live Q&A session was broadcast by the state-owned UT1 channel, as
well as the leading private channels Inter and One Plus One, both of which
are linked to the presidential administration, and was hosted by three of
their leading presenters. They said they had received 80,000 questions.
Some questions had been emailed in earlier and were read out by the
presenters. Others were phoned in and broadcast live, while others still
were phoned in and read out by Putin himself. The question of travel
restrictions on Ukrainians visiting Russia came up frequently. -30-
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.200: ARTICLE NUMBER SIXTEEN
Checks to support The Action Ukraine Report are always welcome
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16. YANUKOVYCH CAMPAIGN HEADQUARTERS OPPOSES MASS
PUBLIC EVENTS AT CENTRAL ELECTION COMMISSION OFFICE
Ukrainian News Agency, Kyiv, Ukraine, Tue, October 26, 2004
KYIV - The central election headquarters of presidential candidate, Prime
Minister Viktor Yanukovych is against the holding of any kind of mass public
events close to the building of the Central Election Commission (CEC).
Yanukovych's HQ disclosed this in a statement, the text of which Ukrainian
News has obtained.
Yanukovych's headquarters is also urging the CEC to hold an open meeting
with the participation of the heads of the Ministry of Internal Affairs,
Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Justice Ministry devoted to the
issue of safeguarding law and order, as well as supporting the full-fledged
activity of the commission.
Besides, the campaign headquarters of Yanukovych is calling on the security
agencies to hold accountable the heads of services that are in charge of
providing protection for Our Ukraine bloc's leader and presidential
candidate Viktor Yuschenko and the head of Yuschenko's campaign team,
Oleksandr Zinchenko, whose employees were implicated in the conduct of
unlawful actions.
Yanukovych's campaign headquarters also calls on election observers from
other states and international organizations to be present at the CEC on
October 31 and it is asking the executive branch agencies to ensure their
unhindered activity.
"We are convinced that only absolute execution of the law - from a people's
deputy to a voter - will maintain stability and civil tranquility in the
country, [and] it will afford each [person] the opportunity to make a
well-considered and conscientious choice on October 31," it is mentioned in
the statement of the campaign headquarters.
As Ukrainian News earlier reported, the election campaign headquarters of
Yanukovych stated on October 25 that it regards the events of October 23-24
at the building of the CEC as a provocation of Yuschenko's campaign
headquarters.
Nearly 120,000 supporters of Yuschenko held a rally in his support in front
of the CEC's building in Kyiv on October 23. Several hundred supporters
remained at the square on which the CEC is located up until 22:00 on October
23. At about 23:00, nearly 100 young men approached the people that were
on the square.
As a result of a dispute that arose between these young people that had come
onto the square and those that were already there close to the CEC, scuffle
broke out and 8 people received bodily injuries. The head of the CEC, Serhii
Kivalov, summoned Berkut onto the scene of the events.
Yuschenko campaign headquarters said that 11 participants of the rally were
hospitalized due to the attack that was carried out by these unknown
persons. -30- [The Action Ukraine Report Monitoring Service]
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.200: ARTICLE NUMBER SEVENTEEN
Checks to support The Action Ukraine Report are always welcome
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17. EU'S PRODI SPEAKS UP FOR UKRAINIAN INDEPENDENT TV 5
Source: TV 5 Kanal, Kiev, in Ukrainian, 26 Oct 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Tue, Oct 26, 2004
KIEV - Europe, in the person of European Commission President Romano
Prodi, has spoken out in support of 5 Kanal [opposition-leaning TV channel].
Our position is clear, he said. This concerns not just Ukraine, but our
other partners as well. It is not possible to hope for constructive dialogue
with the European Union unless there is full media freedom. For us, a free
media is one of the basic rights. There is no democracy without a free
press. End of quote.
[A group of 5 Kanal employees began a hunger strike on 25 October in
protest at what they described as pressure from the authorities. A court has
ruled to strip the channel of its licence for broadcasting in Kiev, and its
main bank account was frozen in connection with another law suit.] -30-
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.200: ARTICLE NUMBER EIGHTEEN
Checks to support The Action Ukraine Report are always welcome
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18. YANUKOVYCH'S PRESS-SERVICE DOES NOT ALLOW UNIAN
JOURNALISTS TO ATTEND YANUKOVYCH MEETINGS
UNIAN was first to report about PM being hit by an egg
UNIAN, Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, October 26, 2004
KYIV - UNIAN a major news agency of Ukraine, in particular, its political
journalist Serhiy Voropayev, is not accredited any more at meetings and
actions in which Prime-Minister of Ukraine Victor Yanukovych takes part. Oct
22, Friday, the Premier's press-service refused to accredit S.Voropayev at
the meeting of Victor Yanukovych with former US Secretary of State Henry
Kissinger.
The UNIAN news agency considers that the press-service has been refusing
to take UNIAN journalists in trips of the Premier namely after the Ivano-
Frankivsk developments, when the Premier was slapped with an egg, and
UNIAN was the first media which openly disseminated this information. Since
that time, for two weeks already, Yanukovych's Press Secretary Anna Herman
has been refusing to accredit UNIAN in any trips of the Premier, saying that
there is no place for UNIAN journalists in the governmental transport.
When called by phone, she refuses to speak, saying that she is very busy.
At present UNIAN cannot promptly inform its subscribers on Premier's
activities, as the press-service even stopped informing UNIAN about it, as
it used to be before the Ivano-Frankivsk developments. UNIAN had to
apologize to its subscribers.
Yesterday the Kyiv Independent Media Trade Union sent a letter to the
press-service of the Cabinet of Ministers demanding to accredit UNIAN
journalists at all events in which the Premier takes part.
"Based on art.19 of Law of Ukraine "On Trade Unions, Their Rights and
Guarantees of Their Activities", we demand to give accreditation to
UNIAN employees for covering the activities of the Cabinet of Ministers,
in particular, the Premier", the letter reads.
"If this demand is not taken into consideration, we will turn to court",
KIMTU stressed, noting that the press-service violates the Ukrainian
legislation, as, in line with Law of Ukraine "On Covering Activities of
Executive Power Agencies and Local Governments in Ukraine by Media
Outlets", state power agencies must provide journalists with a free access
to information about their activities. This law does not envisage any
grounds, basing on which journalists may be refused of accreditation,
which means that any state power agency cannot refuse a journalist to
be present at its action. -30- [The Action Ukraine Monitoring Service]
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