"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 213
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, November 10, 2004
-----INDEX OF ARTICLES-----
"Major International News Headlines and Articles"
1 SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN STATEMENT ON ELECTORAL
FRAUD IN UKRAINE
Ukraine's friends must now conclude that the government has failed
Office of U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ)
United States Senate, Washington, D.C., Tue, Nov 2, 2004
2. AT 15, GROWING PAINS PERSIST FOR POST-SOVIET EUROPE
OP-ED By Willem Buiter, The Wall Street Journal Europe
Europe, Tuesday, November 9, 2004
3. UKRAINIAN PRIME MINISTER/PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
PLEDGES TO RAISE LIVING STANDARDS
Source: Inter TV, Kiev, in Russian, 9 Nov 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Tue, Nov 09, 2004
4. "UKRAINE UNDECIDED"
PM's Chief of Staff/Advisor Eduard Prutnik visits The Washington Times
Embassy Row Column: By James Morrison
The Washington Times, Washington, D.C., Tue, Nov 09, 2004
5. ELECTION COMMISSION CHAIRPERSON KIVALOV SAYS
ERRORS IN VOTER LIST WERE SHORTCOMINGS IN THE LAW
Ukrainian News Agency, Kyiv, Ukraine, Mon, November 8, 2004
6. POLISH PRESIDENT VIEWS UKRAINIAN ELECTIONS
PAP news agency, Warsaw, Poland, Mon, 8 Nov 04
7. POLAND TO SEND MORE ELECTION OBSERVERS TO UKRAINE
PAP news agency, Warsaw, Poland, Mon, 8 Nov 04
8. EXPERT: WEST INTERFERES WITH UKRAINE AFFAIRS
RIA Novosti, Moscow, Russia, Tue, Nov 9, 2004
9. UKRAINIAN STATE TV PRESENTER SACKED
AFTER CONFLICT OVER RESTRICTED NEWS COVERAGE
UNIAN news agency, Kiev, in Ukrainian, 9 Nov 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Tue, Nov 09, 2004
10. 71st OBSERVANCE OF UKRAINIAN GENOCIDE TO BE
HELD AT ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL IN NEW YORK NOV 13
Tamara Gallo, Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA)
New York, New York, Friday, October 15, 2004
11. UKRAINIAN CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY RECTOR FROM LVIV
UKRAINE COMING TO NEW YORK AND CHICAGO
Ukrainian Catholic Education Foundation
Chicago, Illinois, November, 2004
12. "BERDYANSK: THEY ARE NOT AFRAID OF THE GENI
IN THE CAPITAL OF DEMOCRACY"
By Tetiana Honcharova, The Ukrainian magazine
Issue 4/2004, Pickard & Co., Ltd, Kyiv, Ukraine, July/August, 2004
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No. 213: ARTICLE NUMBER ONE
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1. SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN STATEMENT ON ELECTORAL
FRAUD IN UKRAINE
Ukraine's friends must now conclude that the government has failed
Office of Senator John McCain (R-AZ)
United States Senate, Washington, D.C., Tue, Nov 2, 2004
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ)
issued the following statement on the recent election in Ukraine:
"On October 31, the government officials running Ukraine's presidential
election undertook a historic task: to show their people and the world
that Ukraine has joined forever the family of democracies. With sadness,
Ukraine's friends must now conclude that the government has failed.
"Reports indicate that the presidential election was marred by wide-
spread balloting irregularities, state media bias, government interference
against opposition candidates, disruption of campaign events by
government authorities, and other problems. Ukrainian government
officials abridged the inalienable right of the Ukrainian people to choose
their leaders, and they chose raw power over democracy.
"The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE),
which observed the Ukrainian election, called the process 'a step
backward from the 2002 elections,' and said that the campaign 'did
not permit fair conditions to all candidates to convey their message
to the electorate.'
"In addition, the International Republican Institute (IRI), which deployed
staff during the campaign and a team of monitors during the election,
reported that 'a systematic and coordinated use of government
resources on a national scale created an atmosphere of intimidation and
fear designed to pressure people into supporting the government-backed
candidate.' IRI found problems with voter lists, unfair practices in the
creation of election commissions, and credible reports of voter
intimidation.
"There is a remaining chance for democracy in Ukraine. On November
21, two candidates - Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich and opposition
candidate Viktor Yuschenko - will compete in the decisive run-off.
Ukrainian officials have a final opportunity to choose democracy, to do
what is right for themselves and their country. While everything that has
transpired thus far makes me very skeptical about the chances for a
democratic run-off, that option remains entirely available.
"Ukrainian officials know that the world is watching, waiting to see if this
process will embrace the cornerstones of democracy - free press, freedom
of assembly, the right to vote, fair and transparent balloting, and the
like. They should also know that choosing to deny the Ukrainian people
these most basic political rights will carry profound implications.
"Ultimately, it is up to the people of Ukraine to choose their leaders
and their country's direction. It is incumbent upon government
officials that they do not prevent the Ukrainian people from doing so."
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Contact: Crystal Benton, Office of U. S. Senator John McCain
Phone: 202/224-2182; Cell: 202/329-6965
Fax: 202/228-3995; email: press_office@mccain.senate.gov
=======================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.213: ARTICLE NUMBER TWO
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2. AT 15, GROWING PAINS PERSIST FOR POST-SOVIET EUROPE
OP-ED By Willem Buiter, The Wall Street Journal Europe
Europe, Tuesday, November 9, 2004
Today marks the fifteenth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall -- the
symbolic beginning-of-the-end of communism in central, eastern and
southern Europe, Russia and central Asia. Reaching the end-of-the-end
will take a commitment to continue reforming economies and political
systems. Despite some remarkable successes, that commitment appears
to be wavering in much of the region.
It is taking longer than predicted for the 27 countries in this region to
make the full transition from centrally planned to market economies and
from communist totalitarianism to open and democratic political systems.
The countries that acceded to the European Union this year have made
the most progress. This is partly due to the incentives to qualify for EU
membership and partly because they did not face the same task of nation-
building as did some former Soviet republics and parts of the Balkans.
Besides EU accession, the drivers for reform have included the lure of
membership in the World Trade Organization, the development of new
economic sectors, booming exports and the emergence of a vibrant
entrepreneurial class.
Since 1989 there has been marked progress in such key reform areas as
price, trade and exchange rate liberalization; privatization; banking sector
reform and improvements in the legal environment. For most of the region,
which suffered greatly in the chaotic and precipitous economic decline of
the first post-communist years, there has been steady economic growth
since the mid-1990s. For four years running, growth has exceeded the
world average.
But those achievements are not proving sufficiently motivating to keep all
these countries focused on the often painful next steps that will see them
complete their transition to a market economy.
According to the EBRD's "Transition Report 2004," published today,
enthusiasm for further reform has waned even in the countries that have
changed the most dramatically as a result of the EU accession process.
Market liberalization and other reforms cleared the way for the Czech
Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia and the
Slovak Republic to join the EU in May. Their growth for this year is
forecast at almost 5%, up from 3.3% in 2003.
But now that the EU prize is in hand, the drive for further reform in these
eight states risks losing steam. This year they account for just three
upgrades across nine reform indicators tracked in the Transition Report.
Especially in the four largest countries there is weariness with reform,
with fiscal prudence and with persistently high unemployment. But the
anticipated benefits of joining the EU will not be fully realized unless
there is continued reform of public administration, the judiciary and
competition policy, as well as increased investment in and better
regulation of utilities and other infrastructure.
Currently the most ardent reformers are those in the EU waiting room.
Romania and Bulgaria hope to accede in 2007, and Croatia soon after.
They account for 10 of the 30 "transition upgrades" the EBRD awarded
in this year's report. For example there has been a surge in large-scale
privatizations, including Bulgaria's national telecoms company and part of
Romania's Petrom oil and gas company. Croatia has improved its
bankruptcy legislation and company law and initiated judicial reform. The
more distant prospect of EU membership for Serbia and Montenegro,
Bosnia Herzegovina, Macedonia and Albania is helping to promote reform
there as well.
With oil around $50 per barrel and prices also soaring for metals and
agricultural products, the commodity-based economies among the former
Soviet republics -- Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and the five central Asian
states -- are booming.
Growth in all 12 former Soviet republics, not including the EU Baltic
states, is forecast at 7.4% for 2004. But since commodity booms are
inevitably followed by commodity busts, it is crucial to save much of these
temporary windfalls and to diversify resource-dependent economies.
Economic diversification depends on enhancing infrastructure and
strengthening the business environment. Yet among these countries, only
the Kyrgyz Republic made significant reform progress in 2004, earning
three transition upgrades this year.
Russia, on the other hand, has seen a slowdown in the pace of reform and
earns only a single transition upgrade, for infrastructure reform in the
railways sector. While Russia has been a transition leader in recent years,
high growth rates and buoyant government revenues, both driven by oil and
gas prices, have lowered the authorities' sense of urgency for reform. The
Yukos affair has raised concerns about private property rights and the
selective application of the rule of law. These concerns have not diminished
portfolio and direct investment inflows into Russia. However Russians
themselves continue to invest in foreign financial assets on a very large
scale due to concerns about their country's investment climate. In 2004
the net export of Russian savings is expected to equal about 7% of GDP.
The prize of EU membership has propelled reform in candidate countries.
But ultimately the incentive for reform is the same for all countries in the
region. Sustainable growth that delivers widely-shared benefits is the only
long-term means of reversing high unemployment and poverty and, in the
case of some CIS countries, the decline in life expectancy.
Fifteen years since the fall of the wall is just half a human generation --
not that long a time to achieve the sometimes wrenching changes required
to rein in corruption and build well-functioning market economies and
democratic political institutions. These goals can be pursued even where
democracy has not yet found a firm footing. Realizing them will require
further stores of patience, strong leadership, a willingness to take on
vested interests and the endurance and skills to survive periods of
political unpopularity. -30- [Action Ukraine Monitoring Service]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Buiter is chief economist of the European Bank for Reconstruction
and Development with responsibility for production of the annual
Transition Report.
========================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.213: ARTICLE NUMBER THREE
========================================================
3. UKRAINIAN PRIME MINISTER/PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
PLEDGES TO RAISE LIVING STANDARDS
Source: Inter TV, Kiev, in Russian, 9 Nov 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Tue, Nov 09, 2004
KIEV - [Presenter] The government has never engaged in populism and
will not do so. There is enough money in the budget to fund all the planned
social programmes. Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych has said
this in an interview with Podrobnosti [this programme]. Moreover, he said
these are not just individual steps by the government but a complex 10-year
strategy of Ukraine's development as a social state.
[Yanukovych] The programme which we proposed, and these are not just
empty statements, we are already implementing it. As I see it, and as my
team sees it, this programme allows us to look into the future
optimistically. We must create such conditions in Ukraine that people can
live here, that there is stability, social protection for those who need it,
primarily pensioners. As for the working people, we must create such
conditions that people can make a living and provide for their families.
Salaries have risen over the past two years. The number of profitable
companies is growing. Pensions have almost tripled. Stipends have increased
120 per cent. What we propose is a programme of social development of
our state. It envisages long-term development of various social programmes
in our state. This is what is going to unite our society, unite the people
with different political views and from different regions, as I said, from
the right and left bank of the Dnieper [western and eastern Ukraine].
When my opponents are saying that we will not pay these pensions after
the election, I can say that they are burying themselves and their political
future. We shall never take any steps backwards. We shall move forward
only. -30- [The Action Ukraine Report Monitoring Service]
========================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.213: ARTICLE NUMBER FOUR
Your comments about the Report are always welcome
========================================================
4. "UKRAINE UNDECIDED"
PM's Advisor Eduard Prutnik visits The Washington Times
Embassy Row Column: By James Morrison
The Washington Times, Washington, D.C., Tue, Nov 09, 2004
A chief adviser to the Ukrainian prime minister sees uncanny parallels
between his boss's campaign for president and last week's U.S.
presidential election.
The Nov. 21 runoff between Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and
Viktor Yushchenko, a former prime minister, is too close to call. Each
candidate received about 39 percent in the first round of voting on Oct.
31. Ukrainians appear divided between Mr. Yanukovych's rural supporters
and Mr. Yushchenko's urban ones.
Also, as in the American election, billionaire George Soros, who poured
millions of dollars into efforts to defeat President Bush, is also spending
millions on the campaign against Mr. Yanukovych, said Eduard Prutnik, the
prime minister's adviser, on a visit to The Washington Times yesterday.
"It's very much alike. We hope the outcome will also be the same," he
said, predicting a victory for Mr. Yanukovych by about five percentage
points.
Iraq is also an issue, with Mr. Yanukovych pledging to keep Ukraine's
1,600 troops within the U.S.-led coalition and Mr. Yushchenko promising
to withdraw them within weeks if he is elected.
One of Mr. Prutnik's goals on his visit to Washington this week is to
try to explain why Mr. Yanukovych would be a better U.S. ally than his
opponent, who is supported privately by some State Department officials
and publicly by many Ukrainians in the United States.
"Unfortunately, people in this town want to speak in terms of black and
white, making one 100 percent positive and the other 100 percent negative,"
Mr. Prutnik said.
Critics suspect Mr. Yanukovych of harboring authoritarian tendencies
like the current president, Leonid Kuchma, who is supporting the prime
minister. They also claim Mr. Yanukovych is too close to Russian President
Vladimir Putin and would bring Ukraine under Russian influence. Mr.
Prutnik dismisses the criticism, saying the prime minister is independent
of both Mr. Kuchma and Mr. Putin.
"He's going to defend the interests of Ukraine based on what makes
good business sense," Mr. Prutnik said, explaining that exports to Russia
are about equal to those to the United States and European Union
combined.
He noted that Mr. Yanukovych, prime minister since 2002, has instituted
a flat tax rate of 13 percent, down from an average of 40 percent under Mr.
Yushchenko, who served in 2000 through April 2001. Inflation also has
fallen to 8 percent from 25 percent under Mr. Yushchenko, Mr. Prutnik
said.
He pointed out one additional similarity to the U.S. election. While Mr.
Bush's extreme critics compared him to Adolf Hitler, Mr. Yanukovych's
opponents have compared him to Josef Stalin.
American culture also has inspired some campaign antics by the prime
minister's opponents, who doctored some of his campaign literature by
replacing his photograph with the big, green cartoon character Shrek.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact Embassy Row at 202/636-3297, fax 202/832-7278 or e-mail
jmorrison@washingtontimes.com.
LINK: http://www.washtimes.com/world/embassy.htm
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOOTNOTE: The Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych's
Policy Advisor Eduard Prutnik and the Prime Minister's U.S.
Strategy Counselor Alex Kiselev, are making the rounds in Washington
this week. In addition to their visit to The Washington Times, as
reported in the article above, they spoke at an Afternoon Newsmaker
News Conference the National Press Club in Washington on Monday
afternoon.
PM Policy Advisor Eduard Prutnik; Kempton Jenkins, President of the
U.S. Business Council; former U.S. Congressman Bob Carr (D-MI),
and Ron Asmus of the German Marshall Fund will hold a discussion
on the topic of the "U.S. Interest In Ukraine" at the Nixon Center in
Washington on Wednesday morning. The Nixon Center event is
by invitation only.
On August 27, 2004 the firm of Jefferson Waterman International.
Washington, D.C., registered under the Foreign Agents Registration
Act for Eduard Prutnik [a policy advisor to the Prime Minister
of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych]. The registration for Eduard
Prutnik (represented in the U.S. by Alex Kiselev), Kiev, Ukraine, was
regarding assisting the principal in developing relations with American
think tanks, journalists, academics and former U.S. officials interested
in Ukraine. The Jefferson Waterman International firm has been
reported to be assisting Eduard Prutnik and Alex Kiselev with their
series of meetings in Washington this week.
Mr. Prutnik and Mr. Kiselev have also been assisted in Washington,
according to reports, by the DBC Public Relations Experts (DBCPR)
firm. This firm is now publishing a new e-mail newsletter entitled,
"NEWS ALERT: Ukrainian Presidential Election 2004." Darren
Spinck, with the DBCPR firm, distributes the electronic newsletter.
There have been seven editions issued so far during the past two
weeks.
According to reports in Washington and Kyiv former Congressman
Bob Carr (D-MI), in cooperation with Alex Kiselev and possibly
others, according to reports, led a delegation of seven former Democrat
Congressmen and five U.S. political campaign experts to Ukraine
for the presidential election on Sunday, October 31. The seven
former US Congressmen and five experts were registered with
Ukraine's Central Election Commission and served as international
election observers.
The twelve U.S. election observers, in alphabetical order, according
to the detailed "Statement of the Alliance for Democracy and
Transparency Delegation to the October 31, 2004 Presidential Election
in Ukraine," of November 2, 2004, distributed by Darren Spinck of
the DBCPR firm in their "NEWS ALERT: Ukrainian Presidential
Election 2004" newsletter, number 5, on Monday, November 8, 2004,
were: Michael Arno; former Congressman Jay Johnson (D-WI); former
Congressman Peter Barca (D-WI) ; Mark Meissner; Bernie Campbell;
former Congressman Jim Moody (D-WI); former congressman Bob
Carr (D-MI); Richard Pollock; former Congressman Ron Coleman
(D-TX); former Congressman Mike Ward D-KY); former Congressman
Norm D'Amours (D-NH); and Bernard Whitman. -30-
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.213: ARTICLE NUMBER FIVE
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5. ELECTION COMMISSION CHAIRPERSON KIVALOV SAYS
ERRORS IN VOTER LIST WERE SHORTCOMINGS IN THE LAW
Ukrainian News Agency, Kyiv, Ukraine, Mon, November 8, 2004
KYIV - Chairperson of the Central Election Commission Serhii
Kivalov explains errors in lists of voters with shortcomings of the law
on elections of the president. Kivalov informed journalists about this.
"The law on election of the President has shortcomings," he said.
Kivalov said that the Law on election of the President does not specify
the state body responsible for formation of lists of voters. He told that
the formulation that the local bodies of self-government must form the
lists of voters is too abstract.
Kivalov said that the CEC is not the one to blame for these problems, as
the Verkhovna Rada, and not the CEC passed the law on election of
president. "I think this norm has been especially stipulated to have no
specific body responsible for compilation of lists," he said.
As Ukrainian News earlier reported, President Leonid Kuchma met
Kivalov and asked him to eliminate errors in the lists of voter ahead of
the expected second round of the presidential election.
The CEC instructed the territorial election commissions to compare
the lists with the information of the passport offices. The Committee
of Voters of Ukraine has accused the officials responsible for
compiling voter of deliberately overlooking the errors in them. -30-
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.213: ARTICLE NUMBER SIX
Additional names for the distribution list are always welcome
========================================================
6. POLISH PRESIDENT VIEWS UKRAINIAN ELECTIONS
PAP news agency, Warsaw, Poland, Mon, 8 Nov 04
WARSAW - I hope that Ukraine is aware of the fact that the presidential
elections can either strengthen its position in Europe as a mature democracy
or put question marks, President Aleksander Kwasniewski told a press
conference here [on] Monday [8 November].
"In my view the next Ukrainian president, whoever he is, will have to pursue
a balanced policy towards both the Russian Federation and Europe, the EU,
because such is the geographical location of the country and its options,"
Kwasniewski added.
"We should be interested in that the elections are truly fair and the
candidates have equal access to the media," he went on. The president
hopes that even more international observers will be sent to Ukraine to
watch the second round of elections than during the first round.
Kwasniewski stressed the importance of the Polish initiative at the recent
meeting of the European Council in Brussels. "It is undoubtedly a success
of the Polish diplomacy that the whole EU adopted such a stand," he said,
referring to the joint appeal and standpoint on Ukraine.
The president pointed out that Ukraine was the only former Soviet republic,
except for the Baltic states, where presidential elections were a true
contest. "This fact alone attests to the quality of its democracy,"
Kwasniewski opined.
"Poland is doing what it should, namely activates the international public
opinion in favour of free and democratic elections in Ukraine," the
president concluded. "We will cooperate with whoever wins the
elections," Kwasniewski added. -30- [Action Ukraine Monitoring]
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.213: ARTICLE NUMBER SEVEN
Suggested articles for publication in the Report are always welcome
========================================================
7. POLAND TO SEND MORE ELECTION OBSERVERS TO UKRAINE
PAP news agency, Warsaw, Poland, Mon, 8 Nov 04
CRACO, Poland ----- Poland will send a successive, more
numerous group of observers to Ukraine before the second round of
presidential elections in that country, Foreign Minister Wlodzimierz
Cimoszewicz said in Cracow on Monday [8 November].
The minister stressed that Poland had long been pursuing an active policy
towards Ukraine as the best possible cooperation with that country laid in
the interest of Poland and Europe. "We are deeply convinced that Ukraine's
European drive, declared in recent years will be favourable for Ukraine,"
Cimoszewicz said.
He recalled that Poland's efforts had led to the sending of Visegrad Group
observers to Ukraine and to the adoption by the Council of Europe of a
stand on Ukraine last Friday [5 November].
"We've sent observers for monitoring the first round and we will send a
more numerous group for the second round of elections. We are resorting
to the instruments available in a democratic Europe," Cimoszewicz said.
"We also hope that in the second round Ukrainians will be able to choose
a candidate they really want. Equal approach of public mass media to the
two candidates will be a chance for the free and independent election,"
he stressed.
Cimoszewicz also said that this Wednesday [10 November] Poland will
take over the leadership of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers.
"Ukraine is a member of the Council of Europe, therefore the Council of
Europe has the right to expect from Ukraine certain attitudes and
information," the minister said. The second round of presidential elections
in Ukraine is scheduled for 21 November. -30-
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No. 213: ARTICLE NUMBER EIGHT
Letters to the editor are always welcome
========================================================
8. EXPERT: WEST INTERFERES WITH UKRAINE AFFAIRS
RIA Novosti, Moscow, Russia, Tue, Nov 9, 2004
MOSCOW - The West is interfering with the processes unfolding
in Ukraine, believes Andrei Kokoshin, representative of the Duma
committee for the CIS and relations with compatriots.
"The scope of the Western interference with the processes taking
place in Ukraine, in particular, regarding the Russian-Ukrainian relations,
is astonishing. At least 15 different funds and institutions operate there,
and the funds spent on influencing the Ukrainian public opinion are
incomparable with Russia's efforts," the parliamentarian said live at the
Ekho Moskvy radio station.
When asked about Russian politicians' and political scientists' trips to
Ukraine, he said, "I would say that they make few trips, as compared
to the Westerners' - the US and some Western European nations, who
send emissaries to Ukrainians to teach them how to live."
"EU representatives say they will not admit Ukraine for another 10-15
years, but at the same time, they are trying to talk Ukraine out of joining
the single economic space [currently formed by Russia, Ukraine, Belarus
and Kazakhstan]," Kokoshin said.
"Recently, the participation of Russian politicians, political scientists
and cultural figures in public life oriented at Ukraine has noticeably been
stepped up. But this participation was far less conspicuous than that of
Western politicians," said the parliamentarian.
Having pointed out the close links between the two countries and their
peoples, he stressed: "We should have much more Ukrainian
representatives in Russia, and the efforts of Russian politicians, public
and cultural figures can be far more active." -30-
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.213: ARTICLE NUMBER NINE
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9. UKRAINIAN STATE TV PRESENTER SACKED
AFTER CONFLICT OVER RESTRICTED NEWS COVERAGE
UNIAN news agency, Kiev, in Ukrainian, 9 Nov 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Tue, Nov 09, 2004
KIEV - Volodymyr Holosnyak, a presenter of the "Visti" [evening news]
programme on the First National TV channel [UT1] who refused to follow
temnyks [coverage instructions reportedly sent by the presidential
administration], has been suspended from work.
The press service of the journalistic movement for professional rights said
that Holosnyak had been removed from this week's schedule, even though he
was supposed to present the news on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
The first vice-president of the National TV company, Mykola Kanishevskyy,
told Holosnyak today that he sacked him.
Holosnyak was one of over 200 journalists who protested against censorship
on TV two weeks ago and began to fight for fullness and impartiality of the
news.
Last Wednesday [3 November], Holosnyak refused to read the statement of
[Prime Minister] Viktor Yanukovych's election headquarters on TV debates,
saying it was necessary to also present [opposition presidential candidate]
Viktor Yushchenko's point of view, which had already been publicized by
then. The management of UT1 refused to present two points of view and
Holosnyak was taken off the air. -30- [Action Ukraine Monitoring]
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.213: ARTICLE NUMBER TEN
Your financial support is needed, please send a check.
========================================================
10. 71st OBSERVANCE OF UKRAINIAN GENOCIDE TO BE
HELD AT ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL IN NEW YORK NOV 13
Tamara Gallo, Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA)
New York, New York, Friday, October 15, 2004
New York, NY (UCCA) - The now-traditional annual commemorative
observance of the Ukrainian Genocide will take place on Saturday,
November 13, 2004 at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. Sponsored
by the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA), the observance
begins at 2 p.m. and will consist of an ecumenical memorial service
(panakhyda) co-celebrated by the hierarchy of the Ukrainian Catholic and
Orthodox Churches.
Metropolitan Stefan Soroka of the Ukrainian Catholic Church (confirmed)
along with Archbishop Anthony of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the
USA (invited) will be the main co-celebrants. The "Dumka" choir will sing
responses to the memorial service.
Following the religious service, representatives from the American and
Ukrainian governments will be afforded an opportunity to offer their
remarks. Invited guest speakers include the Honorable Koffi Annan,
General Secretary of the United Nations; the Honorable George Pataki,
Governor of the State of New York; the Honorable Hilary Rodham
Clinton, U.S. Senator from New York; the Honorable Charles Schumer,
U.S. Senator from New York; the Honorable Michael Bloomberg,
Mayor of New York City; and, His Excellency Mykhajlo Reznik,
Ukraine's Ambassador to the U.S.
The UCCA has appealed to President Bush to offer a statement regarding
the 71st anniversary of the Ukrainian Genocide that would be read at the
commemoration. Likewise, the states of New York, New Jersey, and
Connecticut have been requested to issue official proclamations from their
governors commemorating the day.
The entire Ukrainian American community of the greater New York
metropolitan area (New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut) is invited
to participate in this ecumenical observance of the 71st anniversary of the
Ukrainian Genocide. -30-
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FOOTNOTE: Nigel Colley, great nephew of Gareth Jones and a leading
Holodomor researcher in his own right is now added to the list of speakers
at the Ukrainian Holodomor Commemoration at St. Patrick's in Manhattan.
He and his mother Siriol Colley petitioned the Pulitzer and the New York
Times last year without reply and their new research on the recently
discovered Ukraine Diaries sheds new light on the "Secret War to Steal
the Breadbasket of Europe." Contact Russ Chelak - 908/672-2906
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.213: ARTICLE NUMBER ELEVEN
Your financial support is needed, please send a check.
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11. UKRAINIAN CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY RECTOR FROM LVIV
UKRAINE COMING TO NEW YORK AND CHICAGO
Ukrainian Catholic Education Foundation
Chicago, Illinois, November, 2004
NEW YORK - Saturday, November 6,
Fr. Borys Gudziak, Ph.D., rector of the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU)
in Lviv, will concelebrate Divine Liturgy with Ukrainian Catholic Bishop
Basil Losten of the Stamford Eparchy at 5 p.m. on Saturday November 6 at
St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church in New York City. A Rector's Dinner
will then be held at 6:30 p.m. in the school auditorium, 215 E. 6th Street.
The dinner is to benefit the university and admission is $100.00, though
additional gifts are encouraged. Tax deductible checks should be made out to
the Ukrainian Catholic Education Foundation (UCEF). Ticket requests should
be made by October 30th and sent to St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church,
30 East 7th Street, New York, NY, 10003, tel: (212) 674-1615. [We
apologize for distributing this information about the above event took
place. The rush of election related articles has had us swamped.]
CHICAGO ---Sunday, November 14
Ukrainian Catholic Bishop Richard Seminack of the Chicago Eparchy invites
the public to a Rector's Luncheon for Fr. Borys Gudziak. The luncheon is to
benefit the university and will be held at the Ukrainian Cultural Center in
Chicago, 2247 W. Chicago Ave., on Sunday November 14 at 1 p.m. Tickets
are available for $25.00 per person, though additional gifts are encouraged.
To order tickets or for further information, contact the Ukrainian Catholic
Education Foundation, (773) 235-8462
CAN'T ATTEND
Those who are unable to attend but would like to make a contribution can
send checks to the Ukrainian Catholic Education Foundation, 2247 W.
Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL, 60622 or donate online at:
www.chi-cash-advance.com/sforms/appeal228/contribute.asp.
HISTORY OF THE UKRAINIAN CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY
Despite great obstacles, UCU has made great progress and the Ukrainian
Catholic Church can be proud of this.
METROPOLITAN SHEPTYTSKY CREATES THEOLOGICAL ACADEMY
With the Lviv eparchial seminary as a basis, the Lviv Theological Academy
was created in 1929, with the initiative and blessing of Metropolitan Andrey
Sheptytsky under the rectorship of then-Father Josyf Slipyj. Metropolitan
Sheptytsky intended to establish the Academy as "a sure foundation for the
spiritual rebirth of our people."
World War II thwarted these great plans. The Academy was closed by the
Red Army in 1944. In 1946, the Ukrainian Catholic Church was declared
illegal and forcibly joined to the Russian Orthodox Church by Joseph Stalin.
The Ukrainian Catholic Church was the largest illegal church in the world
for over four decades. Church life, including seminary education, continued
underground.
UCU PROTOTYPE FOUNDED IN ROME
After 18 years in Soviet work camps, Patriarch Josyf Slipyj was exiled from
Ukraine in 1963. That same year, he established a prototype Ukrainian
Catholic University in Rome. In the 1970s and 1980s, he inspired Ukrainian
seminarians with the dream of returning to Ukraine to create a
fully-developed university there. "May the Ukrainian Catholic University,"
said Patriarch Josyf, "be for us an example and a stimulus for new quests
and scholarly and educational efforts!"
The former students of the late Patriarch Josyf, including Fr. Borys
Gudziak, longed to fulfill his dream of a full-fledged Ukrainian Catholic
University. Toward that end, they re-opened the Lviv Theological Academy in
1994, which now provides the academic program for Lviv seminarians and
educates nuns and laity on a separate campus. In November 1998, the revived
Academy received accreditation from the Vatican's Congregation for Catholic
Education to grant a bachelor's degree in theology.
THE UCEF HELPS RE-BUILD CHURCH IN UKRAINE
To help Catholic education in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Catholic Education
Foundation was founded in the U.S. in 1997. The Lviv Theological
Academy/Ukrainian Catholic University has been the major beneficiary of
the UCEF's fundraising efforts.
Pope John Paul II blessed the site for the new campus of the Ukrainian
Catholic University in 2001. Later that year, the Academy started another
bachelor's degree program, in history, and a graduate-level program offering
a licentiate in theology.
With the participation of numerous national and international guests, from
the fields of education, religion, and government, the Ukrainian Catholic
University in Lviv was inaugurated in June 2002.
There are currently 200 religious and laity studying in the two bachelor's-
degree programs, not to mention hundreds of students of the extension
program of the university's Catechetical-Pedagogical Institute and dozens of
licentiate students. The university's new Faculty of Philosophy and Theology
Building is under construction as part of a new Theological Center in Lviv.
The Ukrainian Catholic University in Rome celebrated its 40th anniversary in
2003, and the Lviv Theological Academy is celebrating its 75th anniversary
in 2004.
For more information on the Ukrainian Catholic University, contact:
Ukrainian Catholic Education Foundation, 2247 West Chicago Avenue,
Chicago, IL 60622. Phone: (773) 235-8462. E-mail: ucef@ucef.org;
website: www.ucef.org. -30- [Action Ukraine Monitoring Service]
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.213: ARTICLE NUMBER TWELVE
Your financial support is needed, please send a check.
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12. "BERDYANSK: THEY ARE NOT AFRAID OF THE GENI
IN THE CAPITAL OF DEMOCRACY"
By Tetiana Honcharova, The Ukrainian magazine
Issue 4/2004, Pickard & Co., Ltd, Kyiv, Ukraine, July/August, 2004
I sank back into the big "armchair of wishes," rested my hands on the marble
armrests, made myself comfortable and closed my eyes. If you can focus your
mind on one wish, it is supposed to come true. I tried really hard but could
not concentrate. My mind flicked from one thing to another, which really did
not need the magic of the chair of wishes. No matter how hard I tried,
nothing worthwhile came into my head. Suddenly I heard an annoyed male's
voice, "Come on you've been sitting there far too long!"
THE TOWN OF CONTRASTS
I have to admit I do like the town of Berdyansk that sits on the shore of
the Sea of Azov. For example, I don't think you can find monuments of the
kind you can see around Berdyansk anywhere else. Right in the centre of the
town there stands a monument to Bullock the Benefactor (the actual bullock
honoured with this monument is said to have saved many lives in the Famine
of 1932-1933); from an open manhole in the street, with fairly heavy traffic
there sticks out a bronze head of a plumber and it is a monument to The
Plumber. In the park named after Shmidt you will find a bench with "Shmidt's
children" sitting on it - a monument to the protagonists of a popular comic
novel. The Armchair of Wishes is another Berdyansk monument that is unique.
It stands in Primorskaya Square.
Berdyansk is best known in Ukraine as a resort town. But it is also referred
to as "the capital of democracy." It was a high-ranking Ukrainian official
who once half-seriously- half-mockingly referred to the town in this way.
The phrase was latched onto and it is now often quoted in Berdyansk,
although with a little 'tongue in cheek'. But if you listen carefully it is
more than just a joke -there is a good measure of pride and dignity in being
referred to as "the capital of democracy."
Newcomers passing through the suburbs of small ramshackle houses, bumpy
roads and trees with drooping, dusty leaves, would not immediately associate
the place with 'a capital'. But in the centre, where there are no
conspicuous eyesores, the impression changes to a much more favourable
one although the central streets continue to bear the names of "the leaders
of the international proletariat". Lenin, is one of them and he had a
somewhat peculiar notion of democracy. His catch phrase being, "democratic
centralism," whatever that meant.
Those who come to Berdyansk for convalescence and treatment (Berdyansk
is a centre of balneology and its mudbaths have an excellent reputation),
see mostly the sunny side of this town - the groomed central part with
sanatoria and convalescent homes in a good state of repair. These and the
salubrious sea air all combine to make them feel comfortable and relaxed.
In recent years the services have been much improved and visitors are
now treated as dear guests rather than as a nuisance to be tolerated as
previously. Even the cabbies are exceedingly and surprisingly polite -
I've never met taxi drivers like those of Berdyansk anywhere else.
However, the locals are not happy with their lot. For three years now there
has been no hot water supply. Some districts of the town still have no
natural gas supply. Most of the small private houses are in a poor state.
The local authorities claim they do not have the funds for building new
housing. At the same time prices for apartments are steadily rising. Food
prices, which are high in most Ukrainian resort towns, are sky high in
Berdyansk. So there are quite a few problems that the local authorities have
to face. The town budget does not have the means to deal with all of them
but nevertheless much has been done in recent years to improve the
situation.
DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY
As is well known, democracy may be not the best form of government but
a better one has yet to be invented. Valery Baranov, the current mayor of
Berdyansk (it's his second mayorship; in 1998 he was elected mayor for the
first time), knows only too well the problems a mayor faces - he is held
responsible both for those things that he can control and those that he
cannot. Consequently, hundreds of local citizens line up in front of his
office everyday with requests, complaints and pleas of help. So Baranov
made a bold move - he decided to delegate some of his authority to his
representatives in the town's districts. And in this way he unburdened
himself from problems that could be dealt with at the local district level.
But these mayor's representatives are from the central authority and are
thus looked upon as someone imposed from above. This is why the people of
Berdysnsk created elected committees in each district. The representatives
are on the city payroll, but the committee members are not - they do
whatever is required of them voluntarily. But each committee controls its
own budget and these funds can be used for the needs of that particular
district. These district funds come from the central budget, the town
administration, and the amount is proportionate to the number of people
living in the district. According to Serhiy Mykhailov, chairman of the
committee of the Svetlovolkno neighbourhood with 20,000 inhabitants, his
committee was allocated 23.000 hryvnyas. It is a not a large sum but it is
about enough to take care of rubbish collection, to organize local
festivities and other useful activities.
Volodymyr Amelychev, mayor representative in the Tsent neighbourhood,
says that "We involve local businessmen in helping our community. We do
not ask them for money, but we tell them it'd be nice if they could, for
example, buy ice-cream for the local children on holidays or goodies for
the lonely old people. The town has done quite a lot for private businesses
and they should reciprocate."
There are 12 local district and neighbourhood committees operating in the
town, and 33 street committees in the area of the town where private houses
are concentrated. These committees decide for themselves where a new park
should be located, a children's play ground built, or other such projects
without having to wait for a decision from the town hall.
There is an organisation in every Ukrainian city known as ZhAK. They are
responsible for the communal areas in and around buildings and apartment
blocks. In general the quality of their service is considered inadequate. In
Berdyansk, the maintenance of apartment blocks has been transferred to the
tenants themselves. It was an uneasy start with a fair amount of scandal and
misunderstandings, but gradually the Societies of Tenants of Apartments
began to be seen as a possible way out of many difficulties. The tenants of
apartment blocks elect a head of their Society and each individual Society
takes upon itself the responsibility of keeping its apartment block in good
order and repair.
The city administration carries the responsibility for a comprehensive
overhaul and then the apartment blocks are turned over to these societies to
run. Maintance, cleaning, lighting in the halls and stairways and other
items are in private hands now. Those who violate the established rules can
face various types of punishment.
Money is collected by the Societies to cover their costs. In the past five
years, 46 such societies have been set up. You have to go through some
bureaucratic procedures within the city administration for apartment blocks
to be transferred over to the maintenance societies and this can take a
while. Nevertheless, the town authorities hope that in due course the
maintenance of all apartment blocks will be carried out by tenants'
societies. This creates a sense of ownership and responsibility among the
tenants.
GENERAL MEETINGS
It is in Berdyansk that I heard for the first time about "municipal
hearings." They are general meetings for all the inhabitants of Berdyansk.
Of course, it does not mean that all of them do take part but everyone has
the right to do so. No important decisions are taken without the approval
of the general meeting.
"What is the usual procedure of decision making in most of the cities in
Ukraine? The mayor and his deputy lock themselves away in the mayor's office
and map out the plans for urban development, where to build what," says
Valery Baranov, Berdyansk mayor. "Here in Berdyansk we get things done in
a somewhat different way. We have general meetings held in each district.
People write down what they want done, anything from repairing the pavements
and roads to the construction of swimming pools. All these suggestions fill
8 hefty volumes.
We analyzed all of them, added our own ideas, deleted absurd things, and
then presented it to the general meeting of our city as 'the strategic plan
of city development until the year 2010.' Then we put all the relevant maps,
diagrams and charts on display in the Palats Kultury Community Centre so
that everyone could come and have a look for themselves. We even released
a brochure on this plan. The budget is drawn up in accordance with the plan.
At 'the municipal hearings' we present ways of financing the budget. It's
unlikely that we'll get some ground-breaking proposals from an ordinary
housewife, but we make sure all our plans and expenditures are made known
to all of the citizens. This we do by weekly publications in local
newspapers."
The mayor does not hide the fact that his administration keeps selling city
property into private ownership. An inventory of the town's real estate held
back in 1998 revealed a lot of property about which the town's authorities
had either forgotten or had not known it even existed, and consequently no
one controlled it. After the inventory, the budget revenues increased five
times. All the buildings offered for sale are first repaired at the expense
of the town as it increases their price.
"Also, after we got things sorted out a bit with our real estate, the budget
revenues increased from 7 million hryvnyas to 13 million hryvnyas," added
Baranov. I could not help thinking that if something similar was carried out
throughout Ukraine, there could be enough money to go round without loans
from abroad.
MUNICIPAL POLICE, THE FIRST OF ITS KIND IN UKRAINE
Recently, many people of Berdyansk had the surprise of their life - one fine
day, good-looking young men wearing smart uniforms turned up at their doors.
They introduced themselves, saying they were 'the municipal police,' and
politely asked "Whether everything was all right. Do you get along well with
your neighbours? Any problems?" After years of complete neglect on the part
of local police officers who were supposed to look into the citizens'
complaints, these visits came as something totally unexpected but
encouraging.
"We want law and order in our town. In many countries of the world there is
such an institution as the federal police that investigates murders,
burglaries, robberies, and so on, and then the municipal police who are to
maintain law and order in urban areas. Our militsiya (police) have too many
functions to perform and so we decided to set up a new force, the municipal
police," explained Valery Kharchenko, secretary of the city council.
The municipal police in Berdyansk began working in July 2002. This force has
been set as a separate unit after a tender had been held among the law
enforcement agencies. The tender was won by a department of the State
Security Guards Service. There are only 28 officers in Berdyansk's municipal
police who are subdivided into nine units. These units are financed by the
city. These municipal police officers are also provided with uniforms,
footwear and bicycles, all at the expense of Berdyansk. There is always
enough work for them to. In addition to maintaining order in the streets,
they make sure no harm comes to the many monuments of Berdyansk. They
also act as security guards to the town's real estate property.
The municipal police who are better trusted by the local population and thus
have access to confidential information, also help the regular militsiya in
investigating crimes.
Once an official in an unofficial conversation asked Mayor Baranov, "Are
you not concerned about the consequences of letting the geni out of the
lamp?" (by this the official meant releasing the forces of self-government).
"No, I am not, but I know that if we let it get ut of our control, it will
eat us."
The mayor should not, of course, fear an act of cannibalism but he has to
keep 'on top' if he wants to be re-elected. And in his plans there are many
more things waiting to be done. -30- [Action Ukraine Monitoring]
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The Ukrainian, Terry Pickard, Managing Editor, Pickard & Co., Ltd,
Ukraine; Kiev; http://www.theukrainian.kiev.ua, lana@pickard.kiev.ua.
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