NEWSBRIEFS

Yushchenko orders investigation

KYIV - President Viktor Yushchenko instructed the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on September 12 to investigate within the next 10 days the allegations of corruption in the presidential entourage that were voiced earlier this month by former presidential chief of staff Oleksander Zinchenko, Interfax-Ukraine and UNIAN reported. Mr. Yushchenko gave this instruction while introducing new SBU Chief Ihor Drizhchanyi. Mr. Drizhchanyi replaced Oleksander Turchynov of the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc, who tendered his resignation on September 8 when President Yushchenko sacked Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and her Cabinet. According to Mr. Yushchenko, Mr. Turchynov's performance was highly unsatisfactory. "[The SBU] proved unable to radically change the situation during the past seven months," Mr. Yushchenko said, criticizing the Turchynov-led service particularly for the situation on the state border. "The problems of trading in humans and narcotics and of refugees have remained at last year's level," the president stressed. Commenting on the reasons he fired Mr. Turchynov, President Yushchenko also cited unsatisfactory investigations into the murders of journalists Heorhii Gongadze and Ihor Aleksandrov. (RFE/RL Newsline, Ukrinform)

Tymoshenko: campaign has begun

KYIV - Yulia Tymoshenko said in an interview with the Kommersant-Daily on September 13 that last week's dismissal of her Cabinet has inaugurated a campaign for the 2006 parliamentary elections in Ukraine. "I think a parliamentary campaign has started, therefore, attempts are being made to remove all possible competitors from it," Ms. Tymoshenko said. "I know that the fight will be very harsh and intense. It will be the fight of those who want to wipe me off the political map of my country. [This fight] will be very unfair. But I have fought for eight years to finally make my country acquire moral ideals, and I will without fail follow this path to its logical conclusion in order to have a government that does not steal, to have officials that do not steal, and to have a country that could be relieved of this oppression." (RFE/RL Newsline)

Yekhanurov candidacy submitted to Rada

KYIV - President Viktor Yushchenko has submitted the candidacy of Yurii Yekhanurov for the Verkhovna Rada's approval as the head of a new Cabinet of Ministers, Interfax Ukraine reported on September 13, quoting the presidential press service. Mr. Yushchenko appointed Mr. Yekhanurov, chairman of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Administration, as acting prime minister on September 8, shortly after the dismissal of Yulia Tymoshenko. Mr. Yekhanurov said that his first task is to ensure that "government members continue their work, and there should be stability," Interfax reported, citing his press secretary. "Therefore, my goal now is to set up a government and start working efficiently." Mr. Yekhanurov was reportedly traveling to Kyiv from Odesa to begin negotiations with former government members and party leaders on September 9. Mr. Yekhanurov, 57, was head of the State Property Fund in 1994-1997. He held the positions of economy minister, first vice prime minister and first deputy chief of the presidential administration in the era of former President Leonid Kuchma. He has worked with Mr. Yushchenko since 1999; he organized Mr. Yushchenko's parliamentary election campaign in 2002 and presidential election campaign in 2004. Last March Mr. Yekhanurov was elected head of the central executive committee of Mr. Yushchenko's Our Ukraine People's Union Party. Mr. Yekhanurov supports Ukraine's membership in the Single Economic Space with Russia and is considered to be a liberal economist. Mr. Yekhanurov needs 226 votes in the 450-seat Verkhovna Rada for approval. His predecessor, Ms. Tymoshenko, was approved in February with a record number of votes: 373. (RFE/RL Newsline)

President seeks Rada leaders' support

KYIV - President Viktor Yushchenko met with leaders of parliamentary factions on September 9 in an effort to convince them to support acting Prime Minister Yurii Yekhanurov, international media reported. "Nobody wants conflict and misunderstanding," he said in a closed-door meeting, according to his website (http://www.president.gov.ua). "If this happens, I am sure we should face things honestly and courageously and give an absolutely balanced and calm answer." Observers are closely watching the reaction of Yulia Tymoshenko, who campaigned side by side with Mr. Yushchenko during the Orange Revolution and whose support is considered key to the success of the president's decision to dissolve the government. Ms. Tymoshenko was quoted as saying on Ukrainian television that her dismissal was "very unfair," but that Ukrainians' lives will continue to improve, Reuters reported. According to Interfax, she left a note in her office wishing Mr. Yekhanurov success as her successor. (RFE/RL Newsline)

World leaders downplay crisis

PRAGUE - Russian President Vladimir Putin, who recently accused Ukraine's government of corruption, said during a joint press conference in Berlin with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder that "I would not dramatize the events taking place in Ukraine now," ITAR-TASS reported. "Ukraine is going through a complicated stage of its development," Mr. Putin said, adding that Russia will continue to "contribute to stabilizing a country to which we are linked with many bonds." U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said at a press briefing on September 8 that "this is a matter for the Ukrainian people. Young democracies sometimes have changes in government, but as long as those changes are made in a constitutional manner, in a peaceful manner, that's all part of the democratic political process." Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, whose Rose Revolution preceded Mr. Yushchenko's Orange Revolution, said on September 8 that the Ukrainian president's "main quality" is "knowing exactly at the decisive moment what must be done," the Associated Press reported. Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski said that Ukraine's political crisis is a symptom of the country's democratic transition, and that "Polish-Ukrainian relations will not suffer as a result of these changes," the AP reported. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Nemtsov praises Cabinet dismissal

MOSCOW - Boris Nemtsov, the former leader of Russia's liberal Union of Rightist Forces who now advises Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, hailed the Ukrainian government ouster, mosnews.com reported on September 8. "Tymoshenko's government has led Ukraine to an economic crisis," Mr. Nemtsov told Rosbalt news agency the same day. "Sustained recession has been seen in all the economic spheres over the last few months, the outflow of foreign capital has become stronger...[and] an extremely hostile investment climate has emerged. There is a need to take responsibility for such a policy," he stated. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Duma deputies speculate on Tymoshenko

MOSCOW - Liubov Sliska, deputy chairman of the Russian State Duma, said she suspects that Yulia Tymoshenko orchestrated the government crisis herself as the first step toward winning the country's presidency, mosnews.com reported on September 8. "Yulia Tymoshenko is not one who surrenders easily and can give up power in cold blood," Ms. Sliska said, adding that the ex-prime minister can try to gain a majority in Parliament and eventually make herself president. "Tymoshenko appears before the nation as offended and aggrieved because of the struggle with oligarchs and corrupt officials from the former government." Sergei Baburin, another deputy chairman in the Duma, agreed that Ms. Tymoshenko will attempt to use her dismissal to strengthen her political position. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Ousted PM: president destroyed unity

MOSCOW - Ousted Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said on Inter TV on September 9 that she refused to follow President Viktor Yushchenko's "set of conditions," one of which was to make peace with his team. "The first condition [was that I had] to extend my hand not to the president but to his team - Poroshenko, Martynenko, Tretiakov, Bezsmertnyi, that I should give them a hand," Ms. Tymoshenko said. "But how could I extend my hand to them if their hands are constantly busy stealing something?" According to Ms. Tymoshenko, minutes before the announcement of the Cabinet's dismissal by Mr. Yushchenko she was trying to convince the president not to make that step. "At that moment Poroshenko stormed into the president's office," Ms. Tymoshenko said. "He was covered, excuse me, in tears and snot, and he started yelling that he had just been stripped of his Parliament seat and that the decision had been backed by the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc. ... So the president looked, stood up, turned his back to me and said that the conversation was over. He went on, having practically destroyed our unity, our future and the future of our country." (RFE/RL Newsline)

Tymoshenko vows to be back ...

KYIV - Yulia Tymoshenko said on Inter on September 9 that her bloc will not take part in the formation of a new Cabinet of Yurii Yekhanurov, who was appointed by President Viktor Yushchenko as acting prime minister last week. "Of course I will work in the new government, but after the parliamentary elections in a few months' time," Ms. Tymoshenko asserted. "We will take part in the elections as a separate and very powerful political force, and I think the result we will obtain will be very good. Then we will decide who to form a coalition with in the new Parliament, and on what principles." (RFE/RL Newsline)

... reconsiders constitutional reform

KYIV - Yulia Tymoshenko also said on Inter on September 9 that she has to reconsider her position on the political reform that is to take effect on January 1, 2006, and give more powers to the prime minister and Parliament at the expense of the president. "I have always said that this reform is not a good thing for Ukraine," Ms. Tymoshenko said. "Back at that time I really hoped that the arrival of the new president, of the new team will be able to give the country a new impetus without changes to the Constitution. Now I just see what is happening and, to be honest, all of this reminds me of the old days which it seems are returning now. So we just have to choose now between the bad - constitutional reform, and the very bad - the things that are now happening under this administration. So we will think about it, and our party will define its position on this." (RFE/RL Newsline)

President promises democratic path

KYIV - President Viktor Yushchenko said on September 11 that his decision last week to dismiss the government was "absolutely correct," Ukrainian and international news agencies reported. "Ukraine has been pushed to the verge of a serious conflict. I put an end to it," Reuters quoted him as saying. Mr. Yushchenko stressed that he appointed Yurii Yekhanurov as acting prime minister to form a "pragmatic government." He added, "I became the president to ensure welfare, freedom and development. We will have the rule of law, media freedom. We will not have a shadow economy." (RFE/RL Newsline)

PDP leader comments on situation

KYIV - National Deputy Valerii Pustovoitenko, leader of the People's Democratic Party, told Ukrinform's correspondent in Kyiv that President Viktor Yushchenko's September 12 deliberations with parliamentary faction leaders focused on the current sociopolitical situation in Ukraine and the formation of a new government. Mr. Pustovoitenko said he suggested that the president act as the arbiter in gearing up for the 2006 elections, and Mr. Yushchenko agreed to this. According to the PDP leader, he also suggested some changes in the future government, such as sacrificing the posts of vice prime ministers for European integration and administrative-territorial reform. As deputies will work within committees next week, endorsement of Ukraine's new government will likely occur in two weeks' time. Mr. Pustovoitenko declined to either confirm or deny reports about his likely appointment as transportation minister in the new government. (Ukrinform)

German experts ID Tarascha corpse

KYIV - On Friday, September 9, the Procurator General's Office received the conclusion of German experts that the Tarascha corpse found in the autumn of 2000 was that of the late journalist Heorhii Gongadze. Procurator General Sviatoslav Piskun told journalists in Kyiv that the examination was performed at the insistence of the journalist's mother, Lesia Gongadze. Mr. Piskun said the first part of the Gongadze case is over, as investigators have established the immediate perpetrators; work continues to establish those who masterminded and ordered the journalist's murder. Mr. Piskun also revealed that investigators have also established that those who killed the journalist kidnapped a businessman, whose name is mentioned on the Melnychenko tapes. This man, Mr. Piskun noted, is being questioned, and these materials will be added to the Gongadze case. The prosecutor further disclosed that he has reached an agreement with senior U.S. justice officers to question Mykola Melnychenko. Mr. Piskun also refuted ex-Vice Prime Minister Mykola Tomenko's statement that Volodymyr Lytvyn, Petro Poroshenko and Mykola Martynenko allegedly blocked the Gongadze investigation, stating none of them had ever approached him on that subject. (Ukrinform)

New poll shows parties' popularity

KYIV - The Razumkov Center polling agency found in a survey conducted on August 5-12 that six political parties would have been able at that time to overcome the 3 percent voting threshold to qualify for parliamentary representation, Interfax-Ukraine reported on August 30. The Our Ukraine People's Union was supported by 20 percent of those polled, the Party of the Regions by 14.2 percent, the Fatherland (Batkivschyna) Party by 10.5 percent, the Communist Party by 5.5 percent, the Socialist Party by 4.2 percent and the People's Party by 4.1 percent. In a similar poll conducted in May, the ruling Our Ukraine People's Union and Fatherland were backed by 31.6 percent and 15.5 percent of voters, respectively. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Nastia reported ready for school

KYIV - "I am waiting so much for the school bell to ring for me, too," said burn victim Nastia Ovchar, 6, during an August 31 telephone conversation with the Verkhovna Rada's Commissioner for Human Rights Nina Karpachova. September 1 was the first day of the school year in Ukraine. After being discharged from the hospital in the U.S., Nastia temporarily resided with family of Hanna Chmyrowa, a Polish citizen, who is from Lviv by origin. Olha Ovchar, said her daughter is well-prepared for school. Ms. Karpachova shared some good news: the educational complex Dominant in the city of Kyiv, which has a pre-school, a special school devoted to intensive study of foreign languages, is located 800 meters from the house where a three-room flat was purchased with charitable funds for the Ovchar family. Since this house will be ready no earlier than in November, on request from the Parliament's commissioner for human rights, the Bratislava Hotel's board of directors, headed by Petro Yaroshenko, decided to provide temporary housing for Nastia and her mother at the hotel and to provide them with meals. The family will be settling in Kyiv in order to be near the burn center where doctors are familiar with Nastia's state of health. The little girl was seriously burned while saving her 2-year-old sister during a fire at the family's home. She underwent treatment at the Shriners' Burn Center in Boston. (Ukrinform)

Russian ministry notes language issue

MOSCOW - The Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry said that Ukraine's decision to hold court proceedings in the Ukrainian language will "infringe on the rights of nearly 20 million ethnic Russians" in the country, ITAR-TASS reported on September 6. "This means denying a chance to effective juridical protection to ethnic Russians, who make up 40 percent of Ukraine's population," the ministry said in a statement released that day. "The meaning of legal terms is hard to grasp when they are spoken in a language other than the mother tongue of the one standing trial." The Foreign Ministry called the decision "part of the unsavory campaign regarding the Russian language in Ukraine." (RFE/RL Newsline)

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, September 18, 2005, No. 38, Vol. LXXIII

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