NEWSBRIEFS

Kyiv removes envoy to Canada

KYIV - President Viktor Yushchenko on February 7 relieved Mykola Maimeskul of the position of Ukraine's ambassador to Canada in connection with a new job. Mr. Maimeskul had served as Ukraine's envoy to Canada since March 20, 2004. (Ukrinform)

New Rada session is opened

KYIV - Verkhovna Rada Chairman Volodymyr Lytvyn opened the ninth session of the Verkhovna Rada of the fourth convocation on February 7. All members of the government, Prime Minister Yurii Yekhanurov, representatives of judicial bodies, the ombudsperson, the Central Election Committee chairman, the Accounting Chamber chairman, the State Property Fund chairwoman and other officials were present at the session hall. Mr. Lytvyn said the session will "have a clear election content." Among the session's main tasks the chairman listed prevention of any spontaneous or uncivilized manifestations, which are possible during the election campaign. (Ukrinform)

Yanukovych says SES is solution

DONETSK - Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, head of the opposition Party of the Regions, told journalists in Donetsk on February 6 that the creation of a Single Economic Space with Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia is "the only realistic way for resolving the gas crisis," the Ukrayinska Pravda website reported. According to Mr. Yanukovych, that conclusion was reached during recent talks between his party and the pro-Kremlin Unified Russia. "Our countries should have a single energy policy," he noted. "Russia is vigorously integrating with the European economic space, and it is very important for Ukraine not to let this process bypass our state." (RFE/RL Newsline)

McCain criticizes Putin

MUNICH - U.S. Sen. John McCain told the Munich security conference on February 4 that "under [President Vladimir] Putin, Russia today is neither a democracy nor one of the world's leading economies, and I seriously question whether the [Group of Eight] leaders should attend the [upcoming] St. Petersburg summit," mosnews.com reported. Sen. McCain argued that "the Kremlin ... continues to pursue foreign and domestic policies strongly at odds with our interests and values." He noted that Russia's "broadcast media are Kremlin-controlled, as are the Parliament, the provincial governors and the judiciary. All of these were free and independent when ... Putin took office." (RFE/RL Newsline)

Population below 47 million

KYIV - The State Statistics Committee announced in mid-January that Ukraine's population has fallen to 46,958,740 as of December 1, 2005. As of December 1, Ukraine's urban population was 31,886,688 (a decrease of 0.01 percent, or 3,534) while its rural population was 15,072,052 (a fall of 0.2 percent, or 25,238). In the January-November 2005 period, the country's population fell by 0.7 percent, or 322,060. According to the nationwide census conducted in December 2001, Ukraine's population was 48,415,500, including 32,538,000 in urban areas and 15,877,500 in rural areas. (Ukrainian News Agency, Action Ukraine Report)

Envoy presents letter of credence

WASHINGTON - Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the United States of America Dr. Oleh Shamshur presented his letter of credence and a letter of recall of his predecessor to Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice on January 24. As reported by the Embassy of Ukraine in the United States and Ukrinform, Dr. Shamshur was born in Kyiv on July 6, 1956. In 1978 he graduated from the international relations and international law department of Kyiv State University. He worked as a counselor of Ukraine's Permanent Representation to United Nations headquarters and other international organizations in Geneva. Between 1998 and 2003 he worked as a counselor of the Ukrainian Embassy to the Benelux countries, and then was appointed chief of the European Union Affairs Department of the Foreign Affairs Ministry. Since February 2004 he served as vice minister of foreign affairs. (Embassy of Ukraine in the United States, Ukrinform)

Klitschko to run for mayor of Kyiv

KYIV - Former boxing champion Vitalii Klitschko announced his withdrawal from the election roll of the Reforms and Order Party-Pora Bloc. Mr. Klitschko explained that the "Orange camp's" split prompted him to make the decision. He said he was ready to enter the race for Verkhovna Rada together with a democratic bloc, but such a bloc has failed to materialize. Furthermore, Mr. Klitschko said he thinks he will prove more useful to society in the capacity of mayor of Kyiv, rather than as Verkhovna Rada national deputy. "I will be of greater use on the municipal level," he said, "I will manage to make investors come to Kyiv as I have many influential friends." Reuters quoted the mayoral hopeful as stating on January 19, when he announced his candidacy: "I want to become Kyiv mayor because I love my city very much and want to make life better here." Mr. Klitschko also pledged to fight corruption. (Ukrinform, Reuters)

Gongadze hearings to remain closed

KYIV - The Kyiv City Appellate Court turned down lawyer Andrii Fedur's petition to hold open hearings in the Heorhii Gongadze murder trial. The court's collegium session on February 1 noted that a decision to hold the hearings behind closed doors was made on January 23 and there are no grounds to revoke it. The decision was apparently made with a view toward preventing state secrets from being divulged. Mr. Fedur, the lawyer of Lesia Gongadze, the murdered journalist's mother, reacted by stating that barring the press from the court's hearings stemmed from the authority's desire to conceal the truth. Former police officers Valerii Kostenko, Mykola Protasov and Oleksander Popovych are charged with the journalist's murder; a key figure in the case, ex-general Oleksii Pukach, has been declared wanted. (Ukrinform)

Lutsenko comments on Gongadze case

KYIV - According to Minister of Internal Affairs Yurii Lutsenko, the investigation toward establishing the masterminds of journalist Heorhii Gongadze's murder has been stepped up. He said that, in his opinion, everything is proceeding normally, adding that the suspects now standing trial should be duly appraised, but the investigators should continue looking for the murder's organizers and those who ordered the murder. Touching on the court's closed-door sessions, Mr. Lutsenko said that determining the trial's mode is up to the court. He noted that the Internal Affairs Ministry's secret agents are supposed to testify and their identities cannot be revealed, in accordance with Ukraine's legislation. (Ukrinform)

Scant support for constitutional reform

KYIV - Less than one-third of Ukrainians support the parliamentary-presidential form of government that went into effect on January 1 in compliance with alterations made to the Constitution of Ukraine, according to an opinion poll conducted by the Institute of Social and Political Psychology. Only 27.4 percent of respondents nationwide (the figure is highest in Crimea at 36.1 percent) support implementation of amendments to the Constitution. More than 19 percent of respondents say the constitutional reform should be suspended and submitted to a nationwide referendum, as suggested by President Viktor Yushchenko. A significant number of respondents believe the constitutional reform is not necessary in the near future and must be canceled (17.6 percent). The latest constitutional reform passes the bulk of presidential authority to the Verkhovna Rada, which must form a majority coalition in order to name the government. (Ukrinform)

More Ukrainians registered in Italy

KYIV - According to the charitable organization Caritas, which quoted the newspaper La Republica, there are 2.8 million foreign immigrants in Italy - twice as many as five years ago. The immigrants account for 5 percent of the Italian population, but in such large cities as Rome and Milan every 10th resident is an immigrant. Ethnic Albanians are the most numerous group (316,000 people) and are followed by Moroccans (294,000), Romanians (248,000) and Chinese immigrants (111,000). Caritas gives the number of immigrants from Ukraine at 93,000. According to the La Republica, the number of immigrants from Ukraine has grown from 9,000 three years ago to 93,000. The immigrants are evenly divided among male and female, with the exception of Campagna Province, where females account for 62.3 percent of the total number of immigrants. This province is also home to the biggest Ukrainian community. (Ukrinform)

Average monthly wage up to $200

KYIV - According to data released in late January by the State Statistics Committee, the average monthly wage in Ukraine increased to 1,000 hrv (approximately $200) in December 2005 for the first time since independence. Compared with 2004, the average wage rose by 45 percent in 2005. The highest average wage -2,036 hrv - was in the banking sector, while the lowest - 22 hrv - was in the education sector. (Ukrinform)

AeroSvit Ukraine's leading airline

KYIV - According to AeroSvit CEO Vitalii Potemskyi, in 2005 the company's performance made it Ukraine's leading air carrier. Mr. Potemskyi noted that AeroSvit carried 1,461,000 passengers in 2005. The company operates one dozen planes, 10 medium-range aircraft and two long-range planes, which service 61 air routes. According to the AeroSvit chief, by 2011 the company means to boost air carriage to 4 million passengers a year. The company's plans also envisage increasing the number of routes to 85 and boosting its fleet to 42 planes. AeroSvit is among those Ukrainian companies that allowed foreign capital investment. Since 1994 AeroSvit has been relying on Boeing planes; currently AeroSvit's fleet is composed of one Boeing 737-200, two Boeing 737-300s, five Boeing 737-400s, two Boeing 737-500s and two Boeing 767-300ER aircraft. (Ukrinform)

Children evacuated from frozen city

ALCHEVSK - Low temperatures burst two heating mains in the city of Alchevsk, Luhansk Oblast, on January 22, leaving hundreds of buildings, including schools and hospitals, cut off from the heating system, Ukrainian media reported. The Emergency Situations Ministry has said the breakdown was primarily the result of long-term neglect of Alchevsk's heating pipes, which are more than 25 years old. "About 70 percent of Ukraine's heating system is worn out and needs to be renovated, while about a quarter of it is in critical condition and must be replaced immediately," the February 2 issue of the Kyiv Post quoted Vasyl Kvashuk from the Emergency Situations Ministry as saying. President Viktor Yushchenko visited Alchevsk on January 30 and said the need for reform in the housing and communal sector has become an urgent issue, adding that Alchevsk will be the "starting block" for such reform. The government has decided to move some 4,500 children from the freezing Alchevsk to other cities. Some 700 children had been sent from Alchevsk to Crimea on January 1. The Health Ministry said the same day that 589 people have died from the cold in Ukraine during the second half of January. (RFE/RL Newsline)

EU ready for "enhanced" partnership

BRUSSELS - European Union External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said after her meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Borys Tarasyuk in Brussels on February 1 that consultations on a new, "enhanced" partnership accord between the EU and Ukraine may start as early as this year, RFE/RL's Brussels correspondent reported. However, she made clear that the new accord - to replace the current Partnership and Cooperation Treaty which expires in 2008 - will not offer Ukraine an EU membership perspective. Ms. Ferrero-Waldner stressed that EU relations with Ukraine will for the foreseeable future be pursued under the EU's European Neighborhood Policy, which does not provide explicitly for membership. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Anti-monopoly body approves gas JV

KYIV - The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AKU) has given its go-ahead for the creation of UkrgazEnergo, a joint venture (JV) between Naftohaz Ukrayiny and the obscure Swiss-based gas trader RosUkrEnergo to sell gas to Ukrainian consumers, UNIAN reported on January 31. A controversial January 4 deal between Gazprom, Naftohaz Ukrayiny and RosUkrEnergo made RosUkrEnergo the monopolist of gas supplies to Ukraine and obliged Naftohaz Ukrayiny and RosUkrEnergo to set up a joint venture on a parity basis for selling imported gas in Ukraine. Last month the Ukrainian Parliament sacked the Cabinet, charging that the January 4 gas deal is disadvantageous to Ukraine. Some Ukrainian opposition politicians and media have demanded the disclosure of information about RosUkrEnergo shareholders. The AKU said on February 1 that it has received sufficient information about RosUkrEnergo in order to approve the creation of UkrgazEnergo. However, the AKU added that it cannot make this information public since the law obliges it to remain silent on commercial secrets. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Morozov presents credentials

KYIV - The chief of Ukraine's Mission to NATO, Ambassador Kostiantyn Morozov, presented his credentials to NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, who congratulated the envoy on the appointment and underscored the significance NATO attaches to the promotion of a strategic partnership with Ukraine. Ukraine's Foreign Affairs Ministry reported the news on January 20. Ambassador Morozov expressed the Ukrainian leadership's resolve to pursue the nation's Euro-Atlantic integration course. Ambassador Morozov, born in 1944, once held the posts of defense minister, deputy chief of Ukraine's Mission to NATO and ambassador to Iran. He was appointed chief of the Mission to NATO on November 5, 2005. (Ukrinform)

Opinions split on gas deal

KYIV - According to a January 15 survey ordered by the National Institute for Strategic Studies and conducted in Vinnytsia, Donetsk, Lviv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Cherkasy and Kyiv, the Ukrainian population's appraisal of the gas deal with Russia is rather balanced. Thus, 25.4 percent of the respondents view the Ukrainian-Russian "gas conflict" as having been prompted by the Russian party's wish to secure more money for its gas; 29.9 percent view it as Russia's desire to influence the outcome of the upcoming elections in Ukraine; 24 percent think Russia is seeking to get control of Ukraine's gas transportation system; and 23.8 percent interpret the "gas conflict" as having been meant to "punish" Ukraine. Over half of the respondents view the deal as a compromise or a transient truce, while 22.5 percent view the deal as Ukraine's defeat. The poll further showed that 26.2 percent of the respondents whose vision of Russia was previously favorable, worsened their attitude to that state. In addition, 41.2 percent of respondents think the gas deal with Russia should be revised in favor of Ukraine. Only 17.9 percent of the respondents said the deal must be immediately denounced. (Ukrinform)

Putin: no more subsidies

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin said during his January 31 news conference broadcast live on RTR state television that "switching to a market-based [gas] price system for our closest neighbors cannot in any way harm our policy on post-Soviet territory." He added that "on the contrary, I am sure that it will help us achieve our foreign-policy goals ... [Russia has been using] non-market pricing methods, or in fact subsidizing the economies of the former Soviet republics, at the expense of Russian consumers, Russian citizens, for 15 years. Subsidies to the Ukrainian economy alone cost Russian citizens $3.5 billion annually. For comparison, as far as I remember, the U.S. provided $174 million worth of aid to Ukraine last year." The president argued that "we have our own economy, our own country, our own citizens, our own pensioners, our own military servicemen, health workers, teachers and other government-employed workers. And we have been talking about switching to a market-based price system for a long time ... We've been talking to Ukraine about it for several years." (RFE/RL Newsline)

Ukraine-Romania commission created

KYIV - Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko and his Romanian counterpart, Traian Basescu, signed a protocol in Kyiv on February 2 on the establishment of a joint Ukrainian-Romanian presidential commission, Ukrainian news agencies reported. Both presidents told journalists that they also created an intergovernmental commission to study cooperation in exploring and exploiting gas and oil deposits in the Black Sea continental shelf. Mr. Yushchenko said they also discussed issues related to the Romanian minority in Ukraine and the Ukrainian minority in Romania. "We jointly proceed from a principle of equality and symmetry in organizing cooperation in this issue," Mr. Yushchenko noted. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, February 12, 2006, No. 7, Vol. LXXIV

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