NEWSBRIEFS (08/15/04)

NEWSBRIEFS

Ukraine starts up new nuclear reactor

KHMELNYTSKYI - President Leonid Kuchma attended the start-up of the No. 2 reactor at the Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant on August 8, Ukrainian news agencies reported. Another new reactor at the Rivne nuclear power plant, also in western Ukraine, is set to be completed this year. President Kuchma upbraided Western countries for their failure to finance safety upgrades at both reactors with an $83 million loan to supplement a $42 million facility from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Privatization to continue despite election

KYIV - Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych said on August 7 that the October 31 presidential election should not affect the privatization of state property, New Channel television reported. Mr. Yanukovych also said that fulfilling the privatization program will allow for additional funds for social protection. In a major and controversial privatization in June the government sold steelmaker Kryvorizhstal to a company linked to President Leonid Kuchma's son-in-law, Viktor Pinchuk, drawing criticism from the Ukrainian opposition and foreign bidders who said their offers were much higher than the $800 million pledged by the winner. The government is also planning soon to sell a 43 percent stake in Ukrtelecom, the largest national telecommunications operator in Ukraine. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Kyiv hails abolition of some VAT

KYIV - Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Mykola Azarov on August 5 welcomed the Russian Duma's decision the same day to cancel the value-added tax (VAT) on oil and gas exports to CIS countries as of January 1, Interfax and ITAR-TASS reported. "This is an extremely positive decision that undoubtedly will give an additional impetus to Ukrainian-Russian trade and economic relations," Mr. Azarov said. "This is a real implementation of the principles underlying the creation of a Single Economic Space [of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakstan]." Mr. Azarov said that as of January 2005, VAT on Russian oil and gas exports will be collected according to the country-of-destination. (RFE/RL Newsline)

PM criticizes Moldovan sanctions

KYIV - Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych said in a letter to his Moldovan counterpart, Vasile Tarlev, on August 4 that Moldova's decision to suspend customs certificates for Transdniestrian enterprises that are not legally registered in Moldova would make the implementation of the customs agreement between Ukraine and Moldova difficult, Infotag and ITAR-TASS reported. "The build-up of a large number of vehicles at border crossing points will disrupt traffic across the Transdniester territory and is fraught with unpredictable social and economic consequences," Infotag quoted Mr. Yanukovych as saying. The Ukrainian prime minister also said that while the "acts of the Transdniester administration violate European human rights and freedoms," retaliation by economic measures would result in the "further accumulation of problems and a snowballing effect," Infotag reported. He also said Ukraine cannot remain indifferent to the fate of the 200,000 ethnic Ukrainians living in the Transdniester region who would be affected by the Moldovan sanctions. Transdniestrian leader Igor Smirnov told Ukraine's Ambassador to Moldova Petro Chalyi on August 4 that Moldova's recent economic sanctions on the Transdniester are tantamount to a "total economic siege," ITAR-TASS reported. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Bishops seek fair treatment of schools

LVIV - The Synod of Bishops of the Kyiv and Halych Metropolitanate of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church (UGCC) has asked the oblast administrations in Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil and Zakarpattia for fair treatment of Christian schools. In particular, the bishops stress the status of Christian schools as non-profit organizations and emphasize the importance of introducing changes in the price policy on communal services (utilities) for them. Christian schools currently pay the same rates for utilities as commercial organizations. The press service of the UGCC released the synod's statement on June 17. According to the statement, the law of Ukraine "On Education" states that Christian schools of general secondary education are registered as private educational institutions, which equates them with commercial organizations, having to pay a higher price for communal services. The bishops expressed their conviction that such a policy toward Christian schools impedes their development and imposes a very heavy financial burden on church communities and parents. Taking into account the significance of church schools for the good of Ukrainian society, the bishops called upon the oblast administrations to consider renting out premises and land areas for educational purposes, charging them the same fees for communal services as those paid by state educational institutions, and establishing performance-based salary standards for teachers who fully meet the requirements of general education in Ukraine. (Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

Russia allocates funds for UOC-MP

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the External Economic Bank of Russia to issue a check for 10 million rubles (about $350,000) to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) for the restoration of its church buildings, it was reported on June 11. Serhii Storchak, deputy head of the External Economic Bank, handed the check to Metropolitan Volodymyr Sabodan, leader of the UOC-MP. The money will go toward the restoration of the Cathedral of All Saints of Volyn in northwestern Lutsk; the cathedral in Ternopil; the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Symferopol, Crimea; the cathedral in Ivano-Frankivsk; and the Memorial Church Complex in Kyiv. Metropolitan Volodymyr stressed that the money will be used to build churches in cities where the UOC-MP communities lost their church buildings because of the division in Ukrainian Orthodoxy. "We are currently concerned over the division among the Ukrainian people, caused by the recent split," said Metropolitan Volodymyr. (Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

Georgian, Ukrainian presidents meet

YALTA - Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili met with Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma in Yalta on August 10, Rustavi-2 and Caucasus Press reported. The two presidents reviewed measures seeking to expand bilateral cooperation in energy and trade, and discussed the latest situation in South Ossetia. The visit is characterized as "unofficial" and is timed with the 64th birthday of the Ukrainian leader. (RFE/RL Newsline)

UOC-KP exarch in Greece dies

KYIV - Metropolitan Tymofii (Kutalianos) of Korsun (Keratsyn and Salamin), the patriarchal exarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate (UOC-KP) in Greece, passed away on July 31. The metropolitan was appointed by the Synod on March 15, 1996. Patriarch Filaret, head of the UOC-KP, forwarded a telegram of condolences to the faithful in Greece in which he wrote: "Our Church lost a faithful son who sincerely witnessed about the Kyivan Patriarchate in Greece and devoted himself to the task of recognition thereof by the Hellenic sister Church." According to a decree of Patriarch Filaret, Archimandrite Nektarii, the protosyncellus (chancellor) of the patriarchal exarchate in Greece, is to serve as acting head. (Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

New UOC-KP bishop ordained

KYIV - In accordance with a decision of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate (UOC-KP), Archimandrite Feodosii (Paikush) on July 28 was ordained bishop of Chernihiv and Nizhyn in St. Volodymyr Cathedral in Kyiv. Patriarch Filaret (Denysenko), head of the UOC-KP, performed the ordination together with bishops of the UOC-KP. Patriarch Filaret addressed the new bishop: "After you received secular education and graduated from the seminary, you worked in God's vineyard for more than 13 years. At a mature age, you took monastic vows and worked fruitfully as a pastor in the Chernihiv eparchy. Now, through the election of the Holy Synod and Chernihiv clergy, the Lord calls you to a higher ministry as bishop A bishop can do much good for the Church if he has in his soul the constant fear of the Lord and awareness of his responsibility." (Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

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