NEWSBRIEFS (04/25/04)

NEWSBRIEFS

Rada OKs border accord with Russia ...

KYIV - The Verkhovna Rada on April 20 voted 352-16 to ratify a treaty on the state border with Russia, Ukrainian media reported. The Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc did not participate in the voting. Subsequently, the legislature voted 274-59 to endorse an accord on the joint use with Russia of the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait. The Tymoshenko Bloc, the Socialist Party and Our Ukraine refused to vote. The accord stipulates that the Azov Sea and the Kerch Strait are internal waters of both Ukraine and Russia. Under the accord, ships of third countries will be allowed to transit the Kerch Strait and enter the Azov Sea only following the invitation of one of the signatories and permission of the other. The accord leaves the delimitation of the Russian-Ukrainian border in the Azov Sea for a future bilateral agreement. (RFE/RL Newsline)

... and Single Economic Space

KYIV - The Verkhovna Rada on April 20 also ratified an agreement on the creation of Single Economic Space of Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and Kazakstan, Ukrainian media reported. The agreement was approved by a vote of 265-60, following a dozen abortive attempts by lawmakers from the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc, the Socialist Party and Our Ukraine to vote it down. In particular, the agreement calls for the formation of a free-trade zone of the four states and a high level of political coordination of their economic and financial policies. Opponents of the agreement argue that its full implementation, which entails the creation of a full-fledged customs union of the four states, will deprive Ukraine of any prospects of joining the European Union in the future. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Duma OKs Single Economic Space

MOSCOW - The Russian Duma on April 20 ratified by a vote of 408-7 with one abstention an agreement on the creation of a Single Economic Space signed by the presidents of Russia, Ukraine, Kazakstan and Belarus in September 2003, RIA-Novosti and newsru.com reported. The agreement calls for the formation of a free-trade zone comprising the four states and a high level of the political coordination of their economic and financial policies. Ukraine and Kazakstan also ratified the agreement on April 20. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Ratification leads to walkout ...

MOSCOW - During its April 20 session, the Duma approved two contentious accords with Ukraine, RTR, gazeta.ru, and strana.ru reported. The first, which stipulates that the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait are internal waters of both Ukraine and Russia, passed by a vote of 311-1 with one abstention, and a border agreement passed by a vote of 310-2 with one abstention. Representatives of the left-nationalist Motherland bloc and the Communist Party walked out of the session after lobbying against the bills, and did not participate in the vote, strana.ru reported. Motherland faction head Dmitrii Rogozin argued that the treaties should not be approved until Ukraine rejects a recommendation by its National Council for Television and Radio that state television halt its broadcasts of Russian-language programs. The Communists opposed the measures because they believe it will pave the way for Ukrainian accession to NATO. Liberal Democratic Party of Russia leader Vladimir Zhirinovskii said before the vote that the border treaty would "return Russia to its 17th century borders." (RFE/RL Newsline)

Procurator to probe Mukachiv election

KYIV - President Leonid Kuchma has instructed Procurator General Hennadii Vasyliev to investigate, jointly with the Security Service of Ukraine, possible irregularities in the April 18 mayoral election in the town of Mukachiv, Zakarpattia Oblast, Interfax reported on April 20, citing presidential spokeswoman Olena Hromnytska. According to Ms. Hromnytska, the alleged irregularities include the beating of lawmakers, the disappearance of election documents, dismissals of government employees and illegal actions by law-enforcement officers. Earlier the same day, Our Ukraine leader Viktor Yushchenko met with President Kuchma to demand the dismissal of the internal affairs minister, the presidential administration chief and the Zakarpattia Oblast chairman over what he described as gross violations in the Mukachiv election, UNIAN reported. Mr. Yushchenko reportedly presented documentary proof to Mr. Kuchma that Our Ukraine candidate Viktor Baloha was robbed of a decisive victory over Ernest Nuser, who was supported by the head of the presidential administration. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Kuchma continues to push his reform plan

KYIV - President Leonid Kuchma on April 20 once again expressed his support for the constitutional reform that suffered a setback in the Verkhovna Rada on April 8, reported the UNIAN news service. "The political reform is intended to end the post-Soviet epoch in Ukraine [and] create space for deepening the democratization of society and accelerating the process of European integration," Mr. Kuchma told a forum on the country's economic strategy in 2004-2015. Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych said at the same forum that he is sure political reform will be implemented irrespective of who will be elected president in the October 31 election. Last week Mr. Yanukovych was named a joint presidential candidate of the pro-government parliamentary coalition on the condition that he finalize the constitutional reform initiated by the pro-presidential camp. (RFE/RL Newsline)

TV/radio council bolsters Ukrainian

KYIV - Ukraine's National Council for Television and Radio (NCTR), a body responsible for issuing broadcast licenses, adopted a resolution on April 15 whereby all broadcasters in the country are obliged to increase the hours of their broadcasting in the Ukrainian language so as to meet the requirements specified in their licenses, Interfax reported. Moreover, the resolution stipulates that all new licenses issued by the council after April 18 will require that nationwide and regional broadcasters use only Ukrainian in their programs. The broadcasters that currently operate under licenses requiring less than 100 percent Ukrainian-language programs reportedly will not have to apply for new licenses. "Ukraine is becoming a unique state in Europe, a state losing its indigenous language, which is being pushed out by official languages of other states," NCTR deputy head Vitalii Shevchenko commented to RFE/RL. The NCTR is to immediately launch a monthlong monitoring of Ukrainian broadcasters to examine how they react to the resolution. "If the council detects that its resolution is being ignored by some companies, they will be subject to sanctions," NCTR spokesman Mykola Hrytsenko told journalists without elaborating. (RFE/RL Newsline)

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