NEWSBRIEFS (06/26/05)

NEWSBRIEFS

Ukraine slams PACE resolution

KYIV - Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Borys Tarasyuk said in Kyiv on June 21 that a draft resolution calling on the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to investigate persecution of the opposition in Ukraine, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan is a "provocative" document, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service and Interfax reported. The draft resolution was submitted to the PACE by a small group of Russian parliamentarians. "Why did the Russian parliamentarians, members of the Parliamentary Assembly, keep silent when [President Leonid] Kuchma's authoritarian regime ruled in Ukraine?" Mr. Tarasyuk said. "Why did they keep silent when the authorities used administrative resources for the election campaign? Why did they keep silent when political assassinations were carried out in Ukraine? Why did they keep silent when in fact two attempts were made on the life of the opposition presidential candidate [Viktor Yushchenko]?" Mr. Tarasyuk said that only 12 of the some 600 members of the European Parliament signed the resolution, adding that not even all members of the Russian PACE delegation put their signatures on it. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Murdoch urged to invest in Ukraine

KYIV - President Viktor Yushchenko met with international media magnate Rupert Murdoch in Kyiv on June 21 and urged him to invest in the Ukrainian media, Ukrainian and international news agencies reported. Mr. Murdoch's Kyiv visit coincided with rumors that two Ukrainian television channels, Inter and 1+1, may be offered for sale. Both channels are reportedly controlled by opposition Social Democratic Party - United leader Viktor Medvedchuk, the head of former President Leonid Kuchma's administration. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Monument to Chornovil is planned

KYIV - President Viktor Yushchenko on May 12 signed an order about the erection of a monument to Vyacheslav Chornovil, a Verkhovna Rada national deputy, long-time leader of the national-democratic Rukh Party and a former Soviet political prisoner persecuted for his human and national rights activity. Mr. Chornovil was killed on March 26, 1999, when his car collided with a KamAZ truck on the outskirts of Kyiv. In recognition of his contributions to the national rebirth of Ukraine, in August 2000 he was accorded the title of Hero of Ukraine. The monument is to be built in the Kyiv city center. The Cabinet of Ministers and city authorities are to consult with Mr. Chornovil's family and colleagues to decide all issues related to the monument's erection, which is to be completed before December 24, 2005, the 65th anniversary date of his birth. (Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations)

Ukrainian government is sued

STRASBOURG - The Investment-Metallurgical Union, which won a controversial Kryvorizhstal privatization tender last year, has filed a lawsuit with the European Court for Human Rights, accusing the Ukrainian government of violating the union's rights in the government's recent efforts to reprivatize the steel mill, Ukrainian and international news agencies reported on June 21. A press release by the union says its stockholders do not hope for a fair consideration of the case in Ukraine and have to appeal for justice in Europe. Earlier this year, two economic courts in Kyiv ruled that the Kryvorizhstal privatization was illegal and ordered the owner to return the purchased 93.02 percent of Kryvorizhstal's shares to the State Property Fund. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Russians urged to invest in Ukraine

KYIV - Speaking on June 21, First Vice Prime Minister Anatolii Kinakh urged Russians to invest in Ukrainian businesses. He said the amount of current investment was too low for nations with centuries of shared history. "Every Russian investment in Ukraine and every Ukrainian investment in Russia will make our partnership as two brotherly peoples and two brotherly nations irreversible," Mr. Kinakh said, according to the Associated Press. A two-day conference, focusing specifically on Russia, followed the World Economic Forum's Ukraine Roundtable, which was aimed at investors from around the world. Mr. Kinakh said Russia is the seventh largest investor in Ukraine, behind the United States, Cyprus, Great Britain, the British Virgin Islands, Germany and the Netherlands. Since Ukraine's independence, direct investment from Russia has totaled $511 million out of a total of $8.7 billion. Ukrainian officials encouraged the Russians to focus on sectors such as aviation construction, space, energy and transport. Minister of Transport and Communications said the Russians were particularly encouraged to invest in Ukraine's railroad sector and in road construction. "But our door is open for every project," he said. "We are waiting for you." (Associated Press)

Yushchenko, Patriarch Bartholomew meet

ISTANBUL - Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko and Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople discussed religious issues in Ukraine during a meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, on June 8. "Ukrainian society awaits the creation of a single national Orthodox Church, but the unification question is exclusively the Church's question," pointed out President Yushchenko. Patriarch Bartholomew highly evaluated democratic changes in Ukraine and stated that Mr. Yushchenko's victory "opened a window to Europe for Ukraine." In response, Mr. Yushchenko underlined that as head of state he will exert every effort to establish friendly and stable relations between Turkey and Ukraine. "The authorities are acting honestly in the field of Church relations, since they realize what a sensitive issue it is," said Mr. Yushchenko. "We demonstrate an equal attitude to all the Churches and stick to the principle of non-interference in church affairs," he said. He also thanked Patriarch Bartholomew for his balanced position on this matter and invited him to visit Ukraine. (Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

5 million worked abroad in 2004

KYIV - Some 5 million Ukrainian citizens worked abroad during 2004, according to Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Valentyn Nalyvaichenko. He cited "economic factors and demand for the Ukrainian labor force in Europe" as reasons that so many leave Ukraine to seek employment. Mr. Nalyvaichenko said 1 million to 1.2 million Ukrainians work in Russia, while between 220,000 and 230,000 (200,000 of them on a legal basis) work in Portugal, and 120,000 to 130,000 work in Spain (50,000 legally). He added that 50,000 Ukrainians received five-year multiple-entry visas to the United States. (Ukrainian News Agency, Action Ukraine Report)

Gongadze suspects remain under arrest

KYIV - The Kyiv Appellate Court on June 21 extended the arrest of two former police officers, Valerii Kostenko and Mykola Protasov, until September 14, thus complying with a request from the Procurator General's Office, UNIAN reported. Messrs. Kostenko and Protasov, who were arrested earlier this year, are suspected of murdering Internet journalist Heorhii Gongadze in 2000. Another suspect, Oleksii Pukach, former head of the Ukrainian Internal Affairs Ministry's Department of Criminal Intelligence, is being investigated under a search warrant. Procurator General Sviatoslav Piskun said earlier this month that Messrs. Kostenko and Protasov had pleaded guilty, adding that the Gongadze case will go to court in July. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Mexican president visits Ukraine

KYIV - Mexican President Vicente Fox met with President Viktor Yushchenko as well as with Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and Verkhovna Rada Chairman Volodymyr Lytvyn in Kyiv on June 20, Ukrainian news agencies reported. Mr. Yushchenko said after his meeting with Mr. Fox that their countries are planning to cooperate in producing fertilizers and building planes. The two sides also agreed to hold a Days of Ukrainian Culture in Mexico and Days of Mexican Culture in Ukraine next year. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Kryvorizhstal sale to proceed

KYIV - Prime Minister Tymoshenko's cabinet on June 18 approved a decision to hold a new privatization of the Kryvorizhstal steel mill that was sold in 2004 under a controversial privatization tender to businessmen close to former President Leonid Kuchma, Ukrainian and international news agencies reported. Ms. Tymoshenko said 93.07 percent of Kryvorizhstal's shares will be offered for an open tender while an additional 1.74 percent will be sold on Ukraine's stock market. Unlike previous sell-offs, in which bidders submitted sealed letters to a commission, bidding for Kryvorizhstal will involve placing sums on raised cards or stating them aloud, Reuters reported. Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Pinchuk, one of the winners of the 2004 Kryvorizhstal privatization tender, commented the following day that he will take legal action against the government's decision. "[The decision] is wrong from a legal point of view, since legal procedures [concerning the privatization of Kryvorizhstal] are still continuing," Mr. Pinchuk said. Earlier this month the Kyiv Appellate Economic Court ruled that the Kryvorizhstal privatization in 2004 was illegal. The Investment-Metallurgical Union, the nominal owner of the mill, has announced that it will appeal that verdict. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Memorandum signed on property rights

KYIV - President Viktor Yushchenko, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, and Verkhovna Rada Chairman Volodymyr Lytvyn on June 16 signed a memorandum guaranteeing property rights in Ukraine, in an apparent move to ally fears over the government's earlier reprivatization plans, Ukrainian and international media reported. "The memorandum signed right now means that Ukraine is putting a full stop in the discussion of privatization processes that has been pursued for several recent months," Mr. Yushchenko commented. "The memorandum means that starting from now all privatizations in Ukraine will be made exclusively in accordance with the law. ... The properties that have been privatized with violations of privatization tenders or the law in force will be contested in the courts." (RFE/RL Newsline)

Illegal VAT refunds revealed

KYIV - President Viktor Yushchenko said at a meeting with oblast chairmen in Kyiv on June 15 that some 200 Ukrainian firms received illegal value-added-tax (VAT) refunds in 2004, Interfax reported. Mr. Yushchenko added that law-enforcement bodies have prepared documents to challenge in court VAT refunds totaling 3.3 billion hrv ($650 million). Meanwhile, President Yushchenko's spokeswoman Iryna Heraschenko told journalists later the same day that the Security Service of Ukraine has a list of some 1,000 Ukrainian firms that allegedly received illegal VAT refunds in 2004. (RFE/RL Newsline)

GDP figure for 2004 questioned

KYIV - President Viktor Yushchenko said at a same meeting with oblast chairmen that the country's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2004, in connection with the illegal VAT refunds, was overstated by some 30 billion hrv ($6 billion). "The Ukrainian Security Service a few days ago officially asked for the [GDP] base in 2004 to be reviewed. According to their calculations, around 30 billion hrv were fictitiously included to GDP in 2004," UNIAN quoted Mr. Yushchenko as saying. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Zaporizhia mayor accused of corruption

ZAPORIZHIA - Ukrainian investigators have accused Yevhen Kartashov, mayor of the city of Zaporizhia in eastern Ukraine, of corruption, Interfax reported on June 15. Earlier this month, President Viktor Yushchenko harshly criticized Mr. Kartashov and instructed regional prosecutors to look into alleged violations of law committed by the local authorities during their "work with entrepreneurs." (RFE/RL Newsline)

Number of millionaires doubled in 2004

KYIV - Last year, 1,871 Ukrainians declared annual income of more than 1 million hrv (nearly $200,000) compared to 876 such individuals in 2003, Interfax reported on June 15, citing an official from the State Tax Administration. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Transdniester threatens to block traffic

CHISINAU - The authorities of Moldova's secessionist region of Transdniester are going to prohibit Moldovan automobiles from entering and crossing the region in transit to Ukraine if Chisinau refuses to issue special permits allowing Transdniester passenger and cargo transport operators to enter Ukraine, Infotag reported on June 16, quoting a transport official from Tiraspol. Earlier this month, the Ukrainian transport authorities withdrew such permits from Transdniester transport agencies, bringing to a halt virtually all regular line buses from the Transdniester to Ukraine. The permits are issued through the Moldovan Transport Ministry. Under a 1999 transport agreement, Chisinau obliged itself to allocating 20 percent of Ukrainian permits to Transdniester operators. The withdrawal of Ukrainian transport permits from Transdniester transport operators appears to be Kyiv's move toward fulfilling its pledges to cooperate with Chisinau in curbing smuggling through the Ukrainian-Moldovan border. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Kyiv administration can't help Lavra

KYIV - Oleksander Omelchenko, mayor of Kyiv, said the municipal administration cannot offer assistance to the Kyivan Monastery of the Caves (Pecherska Lavra) since officially it is within the competence of the Ministry of Arts and Culture of Ukraine. "Financing from the municipal budget, despite the fact that such an opportunity exists, is prohibited by the Budget Code," said Mr. Omelchenko, reacting to reports of a recent landslide in the monastery. According to pravoslavye.org.ua, the mayor stated that one and a half years ago the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine transferred the monastery from the competence of the Kyiv municipal administration to the Ministry of Arts and Culture as a museum and a national reserve. Therefore, the financing has to come from the ministry, said Mayor Omelchenko. "The municipal administration cannot perform a single repair if it is considered an emergency repair, because the Budget Code forbids such financing from the municipal budget," he pointed out. Serhii Krolevets, director of the National Reserve of the Kyivan Monastery of the Caves, said that the monastery may soon be excluded from the list of UNESCO heritage sites since "over the last years, the condition of the monastery's monuments has been aggravated and they are not being restored." If this happens, St. Sophia Cathedral will also be excluded from the list. Both were added to the UNESCO heritage list of monuments as a single object. (Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

| Home Page |