NEWSBRIEFS

Yushchenko upbeat on election coalition

KYIV - President Viktor Yushchenko said in an interview with the UT-1 television channel on May 3 that he is sure that the Our Ukraine People's Union, which was created earlier this year to support him, will form a coalition for the 2006 parliamentary elections with the eponymous bloc led by Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and the People's Party of Ukraine headed by Verkhovna Rada Chairman Volodymyr Lytvyn. In a separate interview with the 1+1 television channel on May 3, Mr. Yushchenko expressed confidence that such a coalition could be created as early as this month. "I see this as an optimal development," Mr. Yushchenko said. "It seems to me that today these three forces enjoy a critical level of trust among the population. In my opinion, this level will easily allow [us] to form the core of a future Parliament." The president also positively assessed his first 100 days in power. "We have not betrayed any slogan voiced on the maidan [Independence Square in Kyiv during the 2004 Orange Revolution]," Mr. Yushchenko told UT-1. "Today I can address any segment of society - be it veterans, children or whoever else - and say that we have worked for them." (RFE/RL Newsline)

Socialist Party grows larger

KYIV - Socialist Party leader Oleksander Moroz on March 3 signed an accord with Vasyl Volha, head of the All-Ukrainian Union Public Control, on a merger of the two organizations, Interfax and the Ukrayinska Pravda website reported. Under the agreement, Public Control will be dissolved and its members absorbed by the Socialist Party. The two sides said the merger was necessary in order to strengthen "the influence of democratic and socialist forces" in society ahead of the 2006 parliamentary elections, which are to take place under a fully proportional, party-list system. Public Control claims a membership of 74,000. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Release comments on press freedom

KYIV - The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders said in a press release on May 3 that the 2004 presidential election campaign in Ukraine was marred by numerous attacks on media freedom. In total, 20 journalists were arrested, 32 physically attacked and five threatened, and 30 media outlets censured by the authorities. Simultaneously, the media watchdog said the presidential campaign gave rise to an "unprecedented rebellion against censorship." Reporters Without Borders also noted that "The Orange Revolution of presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko was accompanied by a media revolution that may or may not be sustained." (RFE/RL Newsline)

U.S. backs Yushchenko's peace plan

WASHINGTON - The U.S. permanent representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Paul Jones, said in a statement distributed by the U.S. State Department that Washington supports Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko's initiative concerning the settlement of the Transdniester conflict, Infotag reported on April 29. Speaking at the GUUAM summit in Chisinau on April 22, Mr. Yushchenko proposed a seven-point plan aimed at resolving the long-running conflict. Mr. Yushchenko's peace proposal would entail holding free and democratic elections in Transdniester under the aegis of the European Union, the OSCE, the United States and Russia, and the replacement of the Russian peacekeeping forces in Transdniester with international military and civilian observers. Mr. Jones said Washington will carefully study President Yushchenko's initiative and will discuss it with Ukraine, Moldova and other international mediators and interested parties. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Leftists stage May Day rallies

KYIV - Ukrainian Communists and other left-wing organizations staged a number of what were generally sparsely attended rallies in some cities to celebrate the May Day holiday, Ukrainian media reported on May 1. In particular, May Day rallies reportedly gathered 2,500 people in Kyiv, 6,000 in Sevastopol, 5,000 in Donetsk Oblast and 1,000 in Kharkiv. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Yushchenko attends Easter services

KYIV - This year May Day coincided with the Easter holiday observed by Orthodox and Greek-Catholic believers in Ukraine. President Viktor Yushchenko attended Easter services in the Uspenskyi Cathedral (under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate) and the Volodymyrskyi Cathedral (Kyiv Patriarchate) in Kyiv in the early hours of May 1, Ukrainian media reported. Mr. Yushchenko's schedule for the following week includes a vacation in Crimea on May 2-6, the CIS summit in Moscow on May 8 and celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II with veterans in Kyiv on May 9. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Privatization review to be expedited

KYIV - President Viktor Yushchenko on April 27 ordered that the Cabinet of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko compile within the next 10 days a list of privatizations that have been conducted under questionable circumstances, the Ukrayinska Pravda reported. According to Mr. Yushchenko, the compilation of such a list has "dragged" since he announced in February that his government would review the privatizations of 30 to 40 enterprises. "Business is paying heightened attention. We have 10 days to close this question and lay the list on the table," President Yushchenko said at a Cabinet meeting. Economy Minister Serhii Teriokhin told journalists the same day that some companies that were privatized under objectionable circumstances will be asked to pay the difference between the sale price and the real value of their assets. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Decrees to cover 17 government goals

KYIV - President Viktor Yushchenko said at the Cabinet meeting on April 27 that he will draft 17 decrees within the next two weeks to implement 17 programs for reforming Ukrainian society, Interfax and UNIAN reported. "We are speaking about 17 steps, 17 key goals for 2005, which will be reflected in decrees [drafted] within the next two weeks after their mutual finalization," Interfax quoted Mr. Yushchenko as saying. UNIAN reported that the postulated goals will include increasing people's incomes, rendering support to children from their birth to the end of schooling, reducing the shadow-economy sector, attracting foreign investment, furthering Ukraine's integration with Europe, and developing oil- and gas-transport routes. (RFE/RL Newsline)

PGO probes Zakarpattia official

KYIV - The Procurator General's Office (PGO) opened a criminal case against Viktor Diadchenko, former deputy chief of the Zakarpattia Oblast Administration, who is charged with vote rigging and theft of documents during local elections in Mukachiv in 2004, Interfax reported on April 29. Mr. Diadchenko was arrested earlier that week. "It has been established that during the mayoral elections in Mukachiv on April 18-19, 2004, Diadchenko, as an official acting with an organized group, deliberately entered inaccurate information in documents of district election commissions. In abusing his powers, he pressured the heads of election commissions to make changes in completed ballot-counting documents," the Procurator General's Office press service said. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Case initiated against Scherban

KYIV - The Ukrainian Internal Affairs Ministry directorate for Sumy Oblast has initiated a criminal case against Volodymyr Scherban, former head of the Sumy Oblast Administration, on charges of extortion, Interfax reported on April 29, quoting Internal Affairs Ministry spokeswoman Inna Kysil. According to Ms. Kysil, Mr. Scherban, in his administrative capacity, "forced the managers of a number of enterprises to conduct transactions involving property" and demanded that controlling stakes in these businesses be sold to companies controlled by him. Mr. Scherban's current whereabouts are unknown, Ms. Kysil added. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Miensk rally participants sentenced

MIENSK - Belarusian courts on April 27 punished five Ukrainians, 14 Russians and eight Belarusians who were arrested the previous day for their participation in an unauthorized rally near the presidential-administration building in Miensk, ITAR-TASS reported. According to the agency, the Russians were jailed for terms varying from five to 15 days. Belapan reported that they include a reporter of the Russian edition of Newsweek (10 days) and a correspondent of Moskovskii Komsomolets (eight days). Meanwhile, the Ukrainians were jailed for terms varying from nine to 15 days, Ukrainian and Belarusian news agencies reported. RFE/RL's Belarus Service reported that two Belarusians, Zmitser Dashkevich and Syarhey Lisichonak, were jailed for 15 days and 10 days, respectively, while Maryna Bahdanovich, head of the Miensk branch of the opposition United Civic Party, was fined some $2,000. Ukraine's Foreign Affairs Ministry has issued a statement saying that the Belarusian authorities violated the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms by denying opportunities for proper legal defense to the Ukrainian detainees. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Jailed activists on hunger strike

MIENSK - Zmitser Dashkevich, Kiryl Shymanovich and Syarzhuk Vysitski from Belarus jointly with Ihor Huz, Andrey Bokach, Oleksander Hrymaliuk, Oleksii Panasiuk and Oleksander Mashlai from Ukraine went on a hunger strike on April 28 in the detention center on Akrestsina Street in Miensk, RFE/RL's Belarus Service reported. The group was detained during an anti-presidential demonstration in Miensk on April 26 and sentenced to jail terms the following day. Kyiv has officially accused Miensk of violating the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms by denying opportunities for proper legal defense to the Ukrainian detainees. Ukraine's consul in Miensk, Vasyl Serdeha, met with the jailed Ukrainians on April 28. Activists of Ukraine's National Alliance youth movement picketed the Belarusian Embassy in Kyiv on April 28 and reportedly presented the mission with a textbook on human rights and a basket of oranges, symbolic of last year's Orange Revolution in Ukraine. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Russian demonstrators released

MIENSK - The Miensk City Court on April 30 ruled to release the 14 Russians who were detained at an unauthorized anti-presidential rally in Miensk on April 26 and subsequently punished with jail terms varying from five to 15 days, RFE/RL's Belarus Service and Belapan reported. The court ruling followed an appeal by Russian Ambassador to Belarus Aleksandr Blokhin, which was broadcast by the NTV channel on April 29. "This fact once again shows Belarus' readiness for the further strengthening of allied relations with Russia," Belarusian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ruslan Yesin commented upon the release of Russian demonstrators. ITAR-TASS reported the Russians left on April 30 on a train to Moscow without any marks in their passports banning future admission to Belarus. Meanwhile, five Ukrainians arrested at the same rally remain in jail in Miensk. Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Borys Tarasyuk said on May 1 that the refusal to free the five Ukrainians reflects Belarus's "special attitude" to Ukraine, and added that Belarus "gives more attention" to relations with Russia, according to Interfax. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Miensk, Kyiv trade barbs

MIENSK - Belarusian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ruslan Yesin said on May 2 that Belarus harbors no "special attitude" toward Ukraine, RFE/RL's Belarus Service reported. Mr. Yesin was referring to Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Borys Tarasyuk's statement the previous day that Belarusian authorities have refused to release five Ukrainians arrested during a demonstration in Miensk on April 26 because of their "special attitude" toward Ukraine. "The Republic of Belarus has always rejected the language of pressure, including media pressure," Mr. Yesin said. "We hope the Ukrainian side will not copy pseudo-democratic methods and forms of building interstate relations imposed by certain countries and international organizations." Ukrainian commentators suggested that Miensk granted early release to 14 Russians detained during the same demonstration while leaving the five Ukrainians in jail because of its prejudice against Kyiv, which backed a recent United Nations resolution condemning Belarus' human rights record. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Court upholds demonstrators' sentences

MIENSK - The Miensk City Court on May 3 rejected appeals by five Ukrainians of jail sentences handed down for their participation in an anti-presidential demonstration in Miensk on April 26, RFE/RL's Belarus Service reported. The same court on April 30 released 14 Russians who were detained and sentenced to jail time for participating in the same demonstration. The five Ukrainians, all members of the National Alliance youth association - Ihor Huz, Andrey Bokach, Oleksander Hrymaliuk, Oleksii Panasiuk and Oleksander Mashlai - were sentenced to jail terms varying from nine to 15 days on April 27 and went on a hunger strike the next day. The National Alliance picketed the Belarusian Embassy in Kyiv on May 3, demanding that the Belarusian authorities free their colleagues in Miensk. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Envoy: Kyiv failed to seek their release

KYIV - Belarusian Ambassador to Ukraine Valyantsin Vyalichka told journalists in Kyiv May 3 that Ukrainian Ambassador to Belarus Petro Shapoval, in contrast to Russian Ambassador Aleksandr Blokhin, has not asked Belarusian authorities to release his compatriots detained during the April 26 demonstration in Miensk, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reported. Mr. Vyalichka also claimed that Ukraine, unlike Russia, did not demand permission to see the Ukrainian detainees immediately after their arrests. "I have no words to comment on such statements," Ukrainian consul in Miensk Vasil Serdeha told RFE/RL. The Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement on May 3 that it is "disappointed" with Miensk's reluctance to shorten the five Ukrainians' jail sentences, and added that it is considering an appeal to the Belarusian Supreme Court against the ruling of the Miensk City Court. (RFE/RL Newsline)

"Flower revolution" in Miensk

MIENSK - Belarusian Television's main newscast Panarama on May 3 reported on an initiative of the state-controlled Belarusian National Youth Union (BRSM) called "The Belarusian-Style Flower Revolution." The report ran as follows: "Through the efforts of the BRSM grassroots organizations, flower beds in front of the Moskva and Kyiv cinemas [in Miensk] were adorned with violets and wild pansies. Flowers were also planted in front of the U.S. Embassy in Miensk. According to the project's coordinators, the youth group exemplified the peaceful and creative aspirations of the Belarusian people. 'We don't need color revolutions. We only accept flower ones," the project's participants chanted. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Hrv revaluation not tied to fuel prices

KYIV - Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko told journalists in Kyiv on April 27 that the Cabinet of Ministers was not behind last week's decision by the National Bank of Ukraine to strengthen the national currency against the U.S. dollar, Interfax reported. "This [establishing the hryvnia's exchange rate] is a prerogative of the National Bank of Ukraine and no talks of the government [with oil traders] influence such decisions," Ms. Tymoshenko said. Some Ukrainian experts have suggested that the hryvnia revaluation, which reportedly caused significant losses for depositors of U.S. dollars in Ukrainian banks, was connected with a recent reduction in the price of oil products in Ukraine and followed an agreement between the government and oil traders. (RFE/RL Newsline)

No obstacles to Tymoshenko visit

KYIV - Petro Poroshenko, secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said in Moscow on April 21 that he believes Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko will visit Moscow "very soon," Interfax reported. He said that Russian officials had assured him that "Tymoshenko is expected and will be received at the very highest level at any convenient time." Ms. Tymoshenko's scheduled visit to Russia was postponed indefinitely without explanation, although most analysts believe the move was connected with fears that she could be questioned or even detained by Russian law enforcement authorities investigating a case of allegedly bribery of Defense Ministry officials. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Ukrainian, Romanian leaders meet

BUCHAREST - Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko met with his Romanian counterpart, Traian Basescu, in Bucharest on April 21, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reported. "We both believe that we need to boost mutual trust," Reuters quoted Mr. Yushchenko as saying after his meeting with Mr. Basescu. Both presidents reportedly pledged to tackle bilateral disputes such as the delimitation of an oil-rich continental shelf in the Black Sea around Serpents Island and a Ukrainian project to use a shipping canal in the Danube delta. They also said they will set up a commission to cooperate in solving the conflict in Moldova's separatist Transdniester region and in monitoring ethnic minority issues in both states. "We will create a Basescu-Yushchenko commission which will tackle the most painful bilateral problems," Mr. Yushchenko said. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Commission on rights is established

KYIV - The Verkhovna Rada on April 21 voted overwhelmingly to set up a commission to monitor the observance of constitutional rights and civic freedoms in Ukraine, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reported. The commission, which will include representatives from all parliamentary groups, is headed by lawmaker Viktor Musiyaka from the Democratic Ukraine caucus. The commission is to present a report within 15 days after its creation. Opposition caucuses demanded that the commission's name reflect its primary goal - probing the recent arrest of Donetsk Oblast Council Chairman Borys Kolesnykov and dismissal of Odesa Mayor Ruslan Bodelan - but pro-government deputies reportedly rejected that proposal. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Troops to be sent to Golan Heights

KYIV - The Verkhovna Rada on April 21 approved President Viktor Yushchenko's decision to deploy 200 Ukrainian troops as part of the United Nations peacekeeping force separating Syrian and Israeli troops on the Golan Heights, Interfax reported. The decision was backed by 287 lawmakers. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, May 8, 2005, No. 19, Vol. LXXIII

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