NEWSBRIEFS (10/23/05)

NEWSBRIEFS

Ukraine suspends some adoptions

KYIV - Ukraine has suspended acceptance of documents from citizens of some foreign states for the adoption of children, it was reported on October 14. The relevant decree by the Ministry of Education and Science concerns such states as the United States, Spain, Canada, Germany and France, said Minister for Family Affairs, Youth and Sports Yurii Pavlenko. He explained that the temporary prohibition for foreign citizens of some states to file documents is connected with the non-compliance of some adoptive parents with their obligation to annually report to Ukraine about their adopted children's status. Mr. Pavlenko said the Procurator's Office and the Security Service of Ukraine checked into facts and found out that there was no information about 800 children who were adopted in the U.S.A., 200 children in Italy, and so on in each of the said countries. He said the embassies of the affected countries were informed of the matter, and the destiny of every child was discussed at deliberations with consuls. At present, Ukraine has already received all reports from Italy and 200 reports from the United States, a fact that may lead to resuming adoption procedures. As concerns the U.S., both sides agreed to consider the situation individually in each state. According to the Children's Adoption Center of Ukraine, foreign citizens have adopted more than 10,000 Ukrainian children over past 15 years. (Ukrinform)

Yushchenko receives British award

KYIV - Queen Elizabeth II presented the first prize of the Royal Institute of International Affairs to President Viktor Yushchenko on Monday evening, October 17. The president was recognized for his significant contribution to the improvement of international relations. The award was established in 2005; Mr. Yushchenko is its first recipient. The decoration ceremony, in which the duke of Edinburgh also participated, was held at the Mansion House in London. "President Viktor Yushchenko's achievement as a statesman was his victory in the domestic political revolution whilst simultaneously dealing with neighboring states, who have sought to influence Ukraine's political and economic life," said the director of the Chatham House, Victor Bulmer-Thomas. He added: "Viktor Yushchenko's adeptness in handling relations with other states has ensured that Ukraine, as a pivotal state in Eastern Europe and Russia's most important western neighbor, has not become the cause of a serious deterioration in relations between Russia and Western Europe." As the queen told the Ukrainian president before the decoration ceremony, the award is a token of great respect for the achievements of the Ukrainian nation. In turn, President Yushchenko told the queen about unique Ukrainian traditions and history. A reception in honor of the Ukrainian head of state was held after the ceremony, and the British prime minister's wife, Cherie Blair, delivered a speech. (Ukrinform)

President promises fair elections

KYIV - President Viktor Yushchenko said in London on October 17 that his government's primary task next year is to hold honest and democratic parliamentary elections, Interfax-Ukraine reported. "This is a test that the previous authorities have not passed," Mr. Yushchenko said. "As president, I declare that no administrative resource will work in these elections." He was speaking at the Royal Institute of International Affairs. (RFE/RL Newsline)

President satisfied with trip to Britain

KYIV - President Viktor Yushchenko is satisfied with negotiations, which were held during his two-day working visit to Great Britain, the presidential press service reported on October 18. "The most important conclusion is that Ukraine and Great Britain have entered a new phase of relations," the president said, adding that this is a "qualitatively different level of relations." According to Mr. Yushchenko, the meetings focused on granting Ukraine market economy nation status. He described negotiations on the matter as fruitful. Ukraine will soon hear good news from the European Union and its European partners, he commented. President Yushchenko said that the meetings also touched on Ukraine's accession to the World Trade Organization. He noted that Ukraine had started to consider this issue only in the second quarter of 2005 and voiced his belief that Ukraine is close to achieving positive results. According to President Yushchenko, the talks also dealt with liberalization of the visa regime. "We have been heard, our opinion has been taken into consideration, and concrete meetings and moves on the matter are ahead," the president was quoted as saying. Mr. Yushchenko said there was much talk about the development of bilateral Ukrainian-British relations, and political and trade-economic cooperation, which are of good dynamics, but still require certain normative legal regulation. Mr. Yushchenko appreciated his meeting with Queen Elizabeth II, describing the meeting as "remarkable for Ukraine." "I think it was Ukraine's Day in London and in Great Britain on Monday," President Yushchenko said. (Ukrinform)

Yushchenko meets British Ukrainians ...

KYIV - President Viktor Yushchenko, who was on a two-day working visit to Great Britain, met with representatives of the Ukrainian community of Great Britain Tuesday, the presidential press service reported on October 18. The president spoke about the preservation of national cultural heritage and the Ukrainian government's initiatives to that end. He unveiled the government's plan to plant a viburnum (kalyna) grove in Kyiv's Glory Park in memory of the victims of the 1932-1933 Famine-Genocide in Ukraine. There will be as many trees as there were villages devastated by the Famine, the president said. He assured British Ukrainians that the government is aiming to step up relations with the Ukrainian diaspora.

... meets with Financial Times editors

KYIV - During his two-day visit to Great Britain, President Viktor Yushchenko also met with Financial Times editors, focusing on Ukraine's European perspective. The parties touched on the Ukraine-European Union summit to be held in Kyiv on December 1. British journalists showed their interest in privatization in Ukraine and the outcomes of the Ukrainian president's visit to Britain. The president was accompanied on his trip by Foreign Affairs Minister Borys Tarasyuk and Minister of the Economy Arsenii Yatseniuk. (Ukrinform)

Monument to Prince Sviatoslav unveiled

KYIV - A monument to Kyivan Prince Sviatoslav the Brave, the son of Prince Ihor and Princess Olha, opened in Zaporizhia in commemoration of the city's 235th anniversary of founding, it was reported on October 17. Prince Sviatoslav was killed by the nomadic tribe of Pechenegs in 972 or 973. The prince's reign was full of battles. In 964-966 he liberated the Slavic tribe Viatichians from the rule of Khazars, and in the mid-10th century he routed the Khazar Kaganat. In 962, in alliance with Bulgaria, he fought against the Byzantine Empire, with which he eventually concluded a peace treaty. His name was widely known not only in Europe, but also in Asia. As historical documents testify, he sought to unite all the Slavic tribes. (Ukrinform)

President extends hand to oligarchs

KYIV - President Viktor Yushchenko said at a meeting with some 20 Ukrainian industrial and financial tycoons on October 14 that the government and big business in Ukraine need to "hold out hands to each other and find understanding on key strategic issues," Interfax-Ukraine reported. Mr. Yushchenko called on domestic oligarchs to invest in strategic projects in the country, including in developing transport corridors, aviation, rocket manufacturing, high technology and machine building. He also appealed to them to leave the shadow economy sector and pay taxes as expected. President Yushchenko said he has instructed the government to draft within a month a law that would guarantee property rights to facilities privatized before 2005. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Lukashenka upbeat on relations with Kyiv

MIENSK - President Alyaksandr Lukashenka told visiting Ukrainian Prime Minister Yurii Yekhanurov in Miensk on October 18 that he is satisfied with the "current trend" in relations between Belarus and Ukraine, Belarusian and Ukrainian media reported. "Taking into account the proximity of our countries and peoples, we have always made and will continue to make some concessions for the sake of the future, and we are ready to resolve problems on mutually beneficial terms," Mr. Lukashenka added. Mr. Yekhanurov also met with Belarusian Prime Minister Syarhey Sikorski, with whom he discussed outstanding debt to Belarus dating back to the early 1990s. The two sides signed four cooperation accords, including on joint research and design projects regarding weaponry and military equipment. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Belarus, Ukraine deemed corrupt

BERLIN - The global anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International on October 18 published its "Corruption Perceptions Index 2005," an annual study analyzing "perceptions of corruption" based on a number of surveys held among business leaders, analysts and economic experts around the world. Countries are ranked on a scale of one to 10, with 10 signifying the country is "highly clean" in terms of perceived corruption. Belarus and Ukraine were jointly ranked 107th among 158 countries, with ratings of 2.6. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Rada OKs ban on steel giant's sale

KYIV - The Verkhovna Rada on October 18 passed in the first reading two resolutions that prohibit the government from selling its stake in the metallurgical giant Kryvorizhstal, Ukrainian news media reported. A bill proposing to include Kryvorizhstal in the list of state facilities than cannot be sold was backed by 256 deputies. The other, stipulating the introduction of a moratorium on the sale of the state stake in Kryvorizhstal, was supported by 255 deputies. It is not clear from reports whether the resolutions are binding or when they may be endorsed in their final versions. A presidential veto on a parliamentary bill can be overridden by no fewer than 300 votes. Earlier this year the government canceled the controversial privatization of Kryvorizhstal in 2004 and proposed a 93.02 percent stake in the enterprise for a new tender that must be concluded by October 24. (RFE/RL Newsline)

President says sale will proceed

KYIV - President Viktor Yushchenko told journalists in London on October 18 that the government will go ahead with the planned sale of the country's largest steel mill, Kryvorizhstal, despite the Verkhovna Rada's two votes earlier the same day to block the privatization, the Financial Times reported. "Yes, of course, this is a bad signal [to investors]. But it has a purely political meaning, nothing more," Mr. Yushchenko said of the Verkhovna Rada's decision. Meanwhile, Ukraine's State Property Fund revealed the same day that three bidders have provided $200 million in deposits to participate in the Kryvorizhstal auction that is to be resolved on October 24: Mittal Steel, the world's largest steel group; the Luxembourg-based Arcelor, bidding jointly with the Industrial Union of Donbas; and the Russian-Ukrainian LCC Smart Group. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Ukraine's procurator-general fired

KYIV - President Viktor Yushchenko on October 14 signed a decree dismissing Procurator General Sviatoslav Piskun, Interfax-Ukraine reported, quoting Oleh Rybachuk, head of the Presidential Secretariat. "I can say that we have probably saved Piskun from himself, from opening a criminal case against himself. He has been very excited in recent days, opening so many cases. I think this is a normal, well-timed decision by the president [to fire Piskun] so he doesn't open a case against himself, investigate it in one day and put himself in jail," Mr. Rybachuk said. Mr. Piskun told journalists earlier this week that if President Yushchenko fires him, he will fight in court to keep his job. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Lutsenko comments on Piskun dismissal

KYIV - Internal Affairs Minister Yurii Lutsenko said on October 17 on Channel 5 that President Viktor Yushchenko dismissed Procurator General Sviatoslav Piskun last week due to investigative ineffectiveness. "Following our motions, prosecutors have launched more than 1,000 investigations involving officials of various categories, but none of them has been brought to court," Mr. Lutsenko said. "You should agree that this looks like a system, not some odd errors. It is necessary to change the system. The president examined the situation and made the right decision." Meanwhile, Mr. Piskun said in an interview on October 17 that his dismissal resulted from his resistance to pressure from the president. Mr. Piskun also suggested that Mr. Yushchenko harbors a grievance against him for the fact that the Procurator General's Office had closed a criminal case against Yulia Tymoshenko while she was prime minister. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Nationalists, leftists clash in Kyiv

KYIV - Some 3,000 adherents of nationalist and national-patriotic organizations took part in a rally on the Khreschatyk, Kyiv's main boulevard, on October 15 to mark the 63rd anniversary of the creation of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), Ukrainian and international media reported. Participants demanded that the government recognize the UPA as combatants in World War II and that UPA soldiers be given veterans' rights. Fist fights broke out and eggs and kefir cartons were used as projectiles when the rally was approached by some 8,000 followers of the Communist Party and the Progressive Socialist Party, which routinely denounce the UPA as a fascist organization. The UPA fought for Ukraine's independence against Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union and Polish forces during World War II. (RFE/RL Newsline)

WTO membership seen unlikely in 2005

KYIV - World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Pascal Lamy has said Ukraine will not be able to conclude negotiations on WTO membership that would open the way for acceptance into the organization at its summit in Hong Kong in December, Ukrainian media reported on October 17. Meanwhile, President Viktor Yushchenko said in an interview with the BBC on October 16 that he believes Ukraine's accession to the WTO this year is a realistic goal. (RFE/RL Newsline)

A pledge to pay off Turkmen gas debt

ASHGABAT - President Viktor Yushchenko assured his Turkmen counterpart, Saparmurat Niyazov, in a letter quoted by the Turkmen press on October 13, that Kyiv will meet all its commitments regarding its payment for Turkmen gas supplies, Interfax-Ukraine reported. "This issue is under my personal control," Mr. Yushchenko wrote. It was reported earlier this year in the Russian press that Ukraine had accumulated up to $600 million in commodity debt for Turkmen gas. Prime Minister Yurii Yekhanurov said on October 13 that Ukraine's commodity debt for Turkmen gas supplies now stands at somewhere between $450 million and $470 million. Meanwhile, earlier the same day Turkmen Television showed a meeting of President Niyazov with a Ukrainian governmental delegation, at which he blasted Ukraine for not paying its gas debt to Turkmenistan, Reuters reported. "You only give empty promises," Mr. Niyazov said. "We are glad to see you here, but when will you implement your obligations?" Mr. Niyazov also said both states' planned 25-year gas contract has been put off indefinitely. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Miners demand more state funding

DONETSK - Some 30,000 coal miners staged a rally in Donetsk on October 13, demanding that the government increase financing for the coal industry and pay September wages at all mines, Ukrainian and international news agencies reported. A state budget draft for 2006 envisages some $800 million for the coal industry, a figure seen as too low by miners. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Former oblast leader arrested in U.S.

KYIV - Former Sumy Oblast Administration Chairman Volodymyr Scherban was arrested in Tampa, Fla., Ukrainian and international news agencies reported on October 13. Ukrainian prosecutors issued an international arrest warrant for Mr. Scherban earlier this year, charging him with extortion and abuse of office. Mr. Scherban was arrested by U.S. Migration and Customs Service officers in his own apartment in Florida on October 12 for staying in the U.S. illegally, the chief of the National Central Bureau of Interpol, Kyrylo Kulikov, told journalists in Kyiv. He explained that Ukrainian law enforcement officials knew that Mr. Scherban was staying in the U.S. since April 9 through his business visa. However, the absence of a legal assistance agreement between Ukraine and the U.S. prevented Ukraine from investigative actions. "In such a situation we had to wait until the visa expired, which happened on October 8," he said. Ten days after he was taken into custody, the U.S. was to hear the case about his deportation to Ukraine. Mr. Scherban was placed on the international wanted list back in May. (RFE/RL Newsline, Ukrinform)

Council aims at dialogue with Rada

KYIV - President Viktor Yushchenko has signed a decree setting up a Political Council under the head of state for holding "permanent and constructive dialogue between the president and political forces represented in the Verkhovna Rada," Interfax-Ukraine reported on October 12, quoting the presidential press service. The council, an advisory and consultative body chaired by the president, will include the heads of parliamentary caucuses and groups on a voluntary basis. The Verkhovna Rada currently has 15 deputy factions. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Court puts political reform in doubt

KYIV - The Constitutional Court ruled on October 12 that only the people of Ukraine have the right to decide on the Ukrainian constitutional system or make any changes to the Constitution of Ukraine directly through a nationwide referendum. The ruling quotes Article 5 in Part 3 of the Constitution, which stipulates that the right to decide or change the constitutional system in Ukraine is the exclusive right of the people and may not be usurped by its bodies or officials. The ruling appears to call into question the political-reform bill adopted by the Verkhovna Rada in December 2004, when deputies redistributed constitutional prerogatives of the top executive and legislative authorities in the country in order to overcome the presidential standoff. (RFE/RL Newsline)

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