NEWSBRIEFS (03/15/98)

NEWSBRIEFS

Duma in no hurry on treaty with Ukraine

MOSCOW - At the Russia State Duma's hearings on March 3, most deputies spoke out against rapid ratification of the Russia-Ukraine friendship treaty, which was signed in May 1997, Interfax reported. A group of deputies proposed delaying ratification until after the new Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada ratifies agreements on dividing the Black Sea Fleet. President Leonid Kuchma of Ukraine recently said he hopes Russia will ratify the treaty before the Ukrainian parliamentary elections scheduled for March 29. Russia's First Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Boris Pastukhov urged Duma deputies to ratify the treaty as soon as possible, as did Vladimir Yatsenko, the head of the Ukrainian parliamentary delegation at the hearings. Mr. Yatsenko promised that the Verkhovna Rada "will never make a choice in favor of NATO." Russian opponents of the treaty have charged that it opens the door to NATO membership for Ukraine by renouncing any Russian claim to Ukrainian territory. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Duma members disagree on treaty

MOSCOW - Russian State Duma Deputy Chairman Svetlana Goriacheva on March 5 criticized the behavior of Duma CIS Affairs Committee Chairman Georgii Tikhonov and suggested that he be replaced, RFE/RL's Moscow bureau reported. During March 3 hearings on ratification of the Russia-Ukraine friendship treaty, Mr. Tikhonov handed a Ukrainian parliamentary delegation a proposal on holding a referendum to reunite the two countries. When a Ukrainian deputy denounced that proposal as a "provocation," Mr. Tikhonov tried to force him to leave the Duma chamber. Mr. Tikhonov predicted on March 5 that no more than 50 to 60 Duma deputies are likely to support ratification of the treaty (226 votes are needed for a majority). Supervision within the Duma of CIS issues was recently transferred from Sergei Baburin - like Mr. Tikhonov, a member of the Popular Power faction - to Ms. Goriacheva, a Communist who supports the treaty with Ukraine. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Ukraine agrees to repay Gazprom debt

MOSCOW - Ukraine's Prime Minister Valerii Pustovoitenko said on March 6 in Moscow that he has reached agreement with Gazprom and Russian officials to pay $750 million of Ukraine's debt to the Russian gas giant, ITAR-TASS reported. The agreement, which followed two days of talks between Mr. Pustovoitenko and Gazprom head Rem Vyakhirev, calls for that sum to be paid by October 1. Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin also participated in the talks. Ukraine owes about $1.2 billion to Gazprom. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Poland wants to keep visa-free regime

WARSAW - Polish Foreign Minister Bronislaw Geremek said Warsaw will tighten security on its eastern border but wants to continue visa-free travel for Ukrainian citizens, Reuters reported on February 25. Speaking after a meeting in London with British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, Mr. Geremek said Kyiv is willing to take back illegal immigrants who are refused passage into Poland. Both Russia and Belarus have refused to take that step, which Poland requires before allowing a visa-free regime with a neighboring country. Mr. Geremek also said Poland will lose up to $3 billion in "gray zone" trade because of increased restrictions on Belarusians and Russians traveling to Poland. But, he said, it is a "worthy sacrifice" for integration into the European Union. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Hudyma appointed ambassador to EU

KYIV - Borys Hudyma was appointed Ukraine's ambassador to the European Union on February 24. He said 17 working groups, including groups on the coal and steel sector, trade, development of trans-European networks and domestic transport are planned to be created for "efficient work" with the EU. He said consultations between Ukraine and EU will take place in March in Kyiv. Issues to be discussed include the ban placed by Ukraine on the import of cars older than five years and privileges given to the AvtoZAZ-Daewoo JV. The latter issue threatens to damage Ukraine's relations with the EU. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Hudyma was vice minister for foreign affairs. (Eastern Economist)

Holovatyi ready to run for mayor

KYIV - An open public meeting at the Druzhba theater on February 20 nominated former Justice Minister Serhii Holovatyi to run as a candidate for the post of Kyiv mayor. Mr. Holovatyi agreed to stand as a candidate. Although scheduled to speak, he made no further official statements. (Eastern Economist)

Black Sea states to hold talks

ANKARA - Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine have drafted guidelines for talks on confidence-building measures related to the activities of their naval forces in the Black Sea, the Turkish Daily News reported on February 27, citing a Turkish Foreign Affairs Ministry statement. The measures are intended to strengthen economic, political and military cooperation among the states bordering the Black Sea. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Kyiv signs pact with southern neighbors

IZMAIL, Ukraine - Officials from Ukraine, Moldova and Romania signed a cooperation treaty in Izmail on February 26, Mediafax reported. The signatories to the agreement pledged to protect ethnic minorities and to put aside territorial disputes. The document, which was sponsored by the European Council, also draws up free-trade zones and sets common policies on border traffic. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Ukraine, Latvia sign five agreements

KYIV - Prime Minister Valerii Pustovoitenko and his Latvian counterpart, Guntars Krasts, signed five cooperation agreements in Kyiv on February 26, but failed to agree on the abolition of tariffs on some goods, BNS reported. A free-trade agreement on many foodstuffs was signed. But Mr. Krasts was opposed to a reduction of the 75 percent tariff on Ukrainian grain imports, while Mr. Pustovoitenko insisted on maintaining a 20 percent duty on Latvian canned fish products. Other agreements provided for cooperation in the transportation and communications sectors. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Deal with automaker means jobs

KYIV - Oleksander Sotnikov, director of the AvtoZAZ car firm, said on March 5 that a deal recently signed with South Korean automaker Daewoo will bring 150,000 new jobs to Ukraine, the Eastern Economist reported. Mr. Sotnikov said that under an agreement signed on March 2, some $1.3 billion will be invested over the next 10 years in AvtoZAZ, which is a joint venture between Daewoo and the Zaporizhia auto plant. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Ireland pledges $2.5 M for Chornobyl

KYIV - Ireland has pledged to give Ukraine 2.5 million ECUs by the year 2001 for reconstruction of the sarcophagus encasing the Chornobyl nuclear power plant's stricken reactor. In addition, Ireland has indicated that it will give 1.5 million ECUs to the sarcophagus fund established by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. (Respublika)

Nagano paraplegic athletes win medals

NAGANO, Japan - Ukrainian paraplegic athletes taking part in the Paraplegic Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan, did considerably better than the Ukrainian Winter Olympic team did last month. The paraplegic team has won several medals, according to the Invalids Association. Petro Kardash from Kharkiv won the 5-kilometer classical ski race, while Olena Akopian from Dnipropetrovsk and Tamara Kulinych won silver in the biathlon. Olha Kravchuk and Svitlana Tryfonova came in second and third, respectively, the 2.5-kilometer ski race. (Eastern Economist)

Ukraine-EU agreement goes into effect

KYIV - An economic cooperation agreement between the European Union and Ukraine became valid on March 1. Borys Hudyma, the Ukrainian representative to the EU, said the document gives Kyiv "new responsibilities" but also improves economic cooperation between the EU and Ukraine. The agreement commits both sides to creating favorable conditions for trade and investment. The EU is second behind the U.S. in trade with Ukraine. The agreement comes on the heels of unilateral restrictions by Kyiv on car imports in a move designed to benefit Korean automaker Daewoo, which has made substantial investments in Ukraine. The EU said the restrictions violate the agreement, and that sanctions could be imposed as a result. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Russia criticizes U.S. human rights report

MOSCOW - Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Gennadii Tarasov on February 5 said the U.S. State Department's 1997 survey of human rights in various countries "contains unconfirmed facts" and "does not take into account the development of democratic processes in Russia," Russian news agencies reported. The report described the Russian judiciary as weak and criticized prison conditions, infringements on press freedom, discrimination against ethnic minorities and the new religion law. Mr. Tarasov argued that the report views the human rights situation in Russia "from the point of view of [U.S.] law, practice and priorities." He also said it ignores Russia's efforts to improve prison conditions and make progress on other fronts. As for the religion law, Mr. Tarasov said it is designed to protect Russian society against "totalitarian sects" and is not aimed against all "non-traditional" faiths. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Moscow issues rules for religious groups

MOSCOW - Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin on February 2 signed a government directive on procedures for registering foreign religious associations with the Justice Ministry and its branches in the regions, Interfax reported on February 6. The directive follows from the religion law adopted in September 1997, which Russian officials have promised not to implement in a discriminatory manner. Within the next six months, offices representing foreign religious groups must be registered as religious organizations or face closure. According to the directive, foreign religious associations that do not have the status of a religious organization are prohibited from engaging in religious activities. Registration certificates will be valid for three years, but may be revoked if the authorities determine that a foreign religious organization is violating Russian legislation. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Ukrainian prime minister visits Miensk

MIENSK - Prime Minister Valerii Pustovoitenko of Ukraine held talks with Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka in Miensk on February 5, ITAR-TASS reported. Mr. Lukashenka said Belarus is ready to "strengthen relations with Ukraine" and that he hopes the visit would help solve bilateral problems. He added that the visit should lead to an increase in trade between the two countries, which he said is too low. Mr. Pustovoitenko said Ukraine wants to expand dialogue with Miensk. Mr. Pustovoitenko and his Belarusian counterpart, Serhei Ling, expressed satisfaction at the end of their two days of meetings in the Belarusian capital. They signed several bilateral agreements, including one that will eliminate customs tariffs between the two countries. Mr. Ling said agreement was reached on all topics discussed, while Mr. Pustovoitenko said the two sides considered the inclusion of Belarus in a Ukrainian-Russian economic cooperation program. (RFE/RL Newsline)