NEWSBRIEFS (06/21/98)

NEWSBRIEFS

Moroz calls for leftist takeover

KYIV - Addressing a congress of the Socialist Party in Kyiv on June 13, Oleksander Moroz, party head and former Parliament chairman, called on left-wing forces to shoulder responsibility for the situation in the country, Ukrainian Television reported. "The left-wing forces should take power irrespective of whether their representative will be elected head of the Verkhovna Rada," he said. "We should not be afraid of the Bulgarian scenario, with which we are being threatened," Mr. Moroz added. Official media have warned that a Socialist/Communist comeback may lead to economic collapse, as was the case in Bulgaria. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Kuchma decrees spending cuts

KYIV - President Leonid Kuchma has issued an edict introducing strict limits on budget expenditures and other state outlays in a bid to avert a financial crisis, Ukrainian Television reported on June 10. The government has been given two months to work out a plan to find additional funds to pay wage arrears. The edict prohibits the Cabinet of Ministers from granting tax exemptions or postponing budget payments to any ministries, social organizations, local authorities or enterprises. Political observers view the move as another attempt by President Kuchma to introduce order into Ukraine's economy while the country negotiates a $2.5 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Ukraine reports GDP growth

KYIV - Anatolii Halchynskyi, President Leonid Kuchma's adviser on macro-economic issues, said GDP grew by 0.1 percent during the first five months of this year, Ukrainian Radio reported. The State Statistics Committee said this is the first time since 1989 that the gross domestic product has increased. According to Mr. Halchynskyi, Ukraine is now experiencing "unstable economic balance." He added that he believes 1998 will be a year of economic stabilization for the country. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Unclaimed vouchers to go to budget

KYIV - Prime Minister Valerii Pustovoitenko on June 3 said the government has decided to transfer to the Ministry of Industrial Policy those privatization vouchers that were not claimed by Ukrainian citizens, ITAR-TASS reported. The unclaimed vouchers are worth more than 2.2 billion hrv. Mr. Pustovoitenko said he believes they can be put into circulation and result in budget revenues worth 22 million hrv in the near future. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Russians want to gather info in Ukraine

KYIV - Russia has shown interest in Ukraine's information zone, stated Information Minister Zinovii Kulyk on June 16. He said the Russian gas monopoly Gazprom is especially interested in acquiring Ukrainian information space, and Lukoil "is buying out the regional television stations and STV, and wants to create another TV channel in Ukraine." More financing is needed to withstand such companies looking to enter the domestic information market, said Ukraine's information minister. (Eastern Economist)

NATO info center has new chief

KYIV - Taras Kuzio, historian and political analyst, was appointed on June 5 by NATO Secretary General Javier Solana to fill the post of Kyiv Information Officer at the NATO Information and Documentation Center that opened in Kyiv on May 7 of last year. The British-born Mr. Kuzio spent most of his career specializing in Ukrainian affairs. His latest appointment was as senior research fellow of the Council of Advisors to the Verkhovna Rada. Mr. Kuzio assumes a position that has been vacant since November after the sudden death of its first director, seasoned Canadian diplomat Roman Lishchynski. (Eastern Economist)

Polish soldiers' graves being restored

LVIV - Four hundred graves of Polish soldiers killed during World War II are being restored at the Lychakiv Cemetery in Lviv. Last year the remains of 141 Polish soldiers were exhumed. According to the Polish consul general based in Lviv, Petro Konowrodski, the restoration is expected to be completed by November 1, when the presidents of Poland and Ukraine are scheduled to meet in Lviv. (Respublika)

Ukraine envoy addresses OSCE forum

PRAGUE - The OSCE Third Economic Forum that concluded in Prague on June 5 discussed security issues related to development of the energy sector in the OSCE region and ways of expanding cooperation in the spheres of economics, science and technology and environmental protection. Andrii Ozadovskyi, Ukraine's ambassador to the Czech Republic and head of the Ukrainian delegation, said Ukraine is ready for close cooperation with other countries in the energy sector. Areas of possible cooperation include the transport of energy, research and development, and the establishment of domestic energy markets. Mr. Ozadovskyi said the Chornobyl disaster has hindered economic reform in Ukraine. He emphasized that the issue of closing the Chornobyl nuclear power plant is directly tied to the provision of necessary funds from the West in support of both the Shelter Implementation Plan and the creation of alternative energy supplies to compensate for the plant's shutdown. (Eastern Economist)

PivdenMash rolls out Sea Launch rocket

KYIV - Dnipropetrovsk-based PivdenMash sent its second Zenit rocket to the Sea Launch company on June 4. The plant's deputy chief designer, Oleksander Maschenko, said the rocket is designed to launch commercial satellites into orbit from a platform. He said PivdenMash is pleased with the progress of the Zenit project, which is running on schedule. The full order consists of 38 rockets, with the terms of their manufacture depending on the results of the first sea launch, scheduled for October 30. (Eastern Economist)

Kazakstan celebrates new capital

ASTANA, Kazakstan - A large ceremony in Astana on June 10 marked the transfer of the Kazak capital from Almaty to that city. Attending the festivities were the heads of state from Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkey and Ukraine, as well as Russian Deputy Prime Minister and special envoy to the CIS Ivan Rybkin, CIS Executive Secretary Boris Berezovskii and officials from the Economic Cooperation Organization and the Organization of the Islamic Conference. Kazak President Nursultan Nazarbayev said the decision to move the capital from Almaty, in southeastern Kazakstan, to Astana, which lies in the approximate geographical center of the country, was "the result of a centuries-long search, lengthy contemplation and heated debates." (RFE/RL Newsline)

Dynamo again Ukraine champion

KYIV - Dynamo Kyiv once again rose to the top of Ukrainian soccer after beating Zirka, the Kirovohrad team, 4-1 to become Ukraine's champion. This is the sixth consecutive win for Dynamo in the country championship. Dynamo is to represent Ukraine in the next Champions League in Europe. Dynamo will know its first opponent after July 8. Second place went to Shakhtar of Donetsk and third to Karpaty of Lviv. (Eastern Economist)

Independence military parade planned

KYIV - For the first time in the history of independent Ukraine, a military parade will take place on August 24 during celebrations of the country's Independence Day, said First Vice Minister of Defense Ivan Bizhan. The minister stated that about 5,000 military personnel, 268 units of military equipment and 50 military planes will be involved in the parade. He added that no additional funds will be allocated for organizing the parade. (Eastern Economist)

Shipyard finally sells Variah

KYIV - The state's Black Sea Shipyard has signed a contract for the sale of the unfinished military ship Variah. The winner of the tender was the firm Agencia Turistica e Diversoes Chong Lot from the Portuguese colony of Macao, said the plant's deputy general director, Ivan Vinnyk, on June 15. According to Mr. Vinnyk, the plant has already received $2 million (U.S.) in advance payments out of the total sum of $20 million. Mr. Vinnyk said construction of the ship will not be completed, since one of the conditions in the contract was that the ship was not to be used for military purposes. The Variah is capable of carrying 60 planes and is more than 300 meters long. Its construction had started in November 1985 and is presently 65 to 73 percent finished, according to specialists. Construction of the ship was halted toward the end of 1991 and in 1994 Ukraine received a final refusal from Russia to participate in its completion, at which point the international tender was announced. (Eastern Economist)

Ivano-Frankivsk to rebuild cathedral

IVANO-FRANKIVSK - The Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast Council in early May approved a decision to begin rebuilding the Assumption Cathedral that have been built by Galician Prince Yaroslav Osmomysl in the 12th century. The cathedral was destroyed in 1340 by invading Tatars; all that remains is the building's foundation. (Respublika)

Belarusian women seek Hillary's help

MIENSK - Six Belarusian women, mothers or wives of persecuted opposition activists, on May 6 presented U.S. Ambassador to Belarus Daniel Speckhard with a letter to First Lady Hillary Clinton, asking for her support for political prisoners and human rights activists in Belarus, RFE/RL's Belarusian Service reported. The letter protests against political repression in Belarus and "the transformation of all of us into [President Alyaksandr] Lukashenka's voiceless slaves." It also states that since the beginning of 1997 the Belarusian authorities have subjected more than 1,500 people to different kinds of political repression. (RFE/RL Newsline)

New embassy is not the only attraction

LONDON - The new Ukrainian Embassy in London opened at the end of May. It took more than two years to renovate a huge residence that reportedly cost 6 million hrv. However, the new Embassy is not the only place of interest for Ukrainian visitors. The Embassy building is situated close to the site of a monument to St. Volodymyr the Great in commemoration of 1,000 years of Christianity in Rus'-Ukraine that was celebrated in 1988. The Ukrainian social club and the offices of the Association of Ukrainians of Great Britain are nearby at 154 Holland Park Ave. (Eastern Economist)