The Ukrainian Weekly 2005, No.3
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www.ukrweekly.com INSIDE: • “2004: THE YEAR IN REVIEW” – pages 5-36 Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXXIII HE KRAINIANNo. 3 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JANUARY 16, 2005 EEKLY$1/$2 in Ukraine No celebrationsT yet,U W CEC announces final result: Yushchenko wins as inauguration is on hold by Andrew Nynka Kyiv Press Bureau KYIV – An official declaration by Ukraine’s Central Election Commission named Viktor Yushchenko the newly elected president of Ukraine, but since that announcement on January 10 there have been no mass celebrations here. Kyiv has been strangely quiet and the tent camps that have stood in front of the Presidential Administration Building and on Khreschatyk in the wake of the fraudulent November 21 election remain. Ukrainians throughout this city say there is nothing to celebrate until Mr. Yushchenko is officially inaugu- rated in the Verkhovna Rada as independent Ukraine’s third president. “I’m waiting. I’m not going anywhere until Yushchenko is inaugurated. We’ve seen all this in the past and it was overturned in the courts,” said Dimitri Leontiv, 74 a retiree from Chernihiv who has been liv- ing in the tent camp on the Khreschatyk since November 22. “We’ll celebrate when there is something to celebrate,” he added. Other Ukrainians here echoed Mr. Leontiv’s com- ments, saying they were happy with the CEC’s official announcement but hesitant to celebrate until the presi- AP/Sergei Chuzavkov dent-elect was sworn in. While Mr. Yushchenko’s Supporters of Viktor Yushchenko who was officially declared winner of Ukraine's presidential election, sign orange campaign color is still seen widely throughout his campaign poster after the official election results were announced at the Central Election Commission. the city and impromptu chants of “Yushchenko, Yushchenko” can still be heard every so often, people by Andrew Nynka when a much-anticipated official announcement from here appear to have begun settling back into workday Kyiv Press Bureau the CEC finally came on January 10, after a marathon routines. nine-hour meeting of the election commission. KYIV – Ukraine’s Central Election Commission “I’m still here,” said Konstantyn Kuzmenko, 51, a “During the repeat election of December 26, Viktor announced the official results of the December 26 presi- member of the tent camp that still stands in front of the Yushchenko has been elected president of Ukraine,” Presidential Administration Building. “They’ll come. dential run-off election, naming Viktor Yushchenko as independent Ukraine’s third president. But the country’s CEC Chairman Yaroslav Davydovych announced late The people will come back out on the streets. But on Monday night, prompting an outburst of applause there’s nothing to celebrate now,” he said. top court has put Mr. Yushchenko’s inauguration on hold, as presidential candidate Viktor Yanukovych and cheers from Yushchenko representatives and sup- Waves of appeals and complaints by presidential can- porters who raised an orange “Tak Yushchenko” flag. didate Viktor Yanukovych have set roadblocks to Mr. announced plans to appeal the overall election before Yushchenko’s ascension to the Ukrainian presidency the Supreme Court. (Continued on page 43) (see story on page 1). No official date has been set for In the wake of a petition from Mr. Yanukovych, Mr. Yushchenko’s inauguration, though both the Ukraine’s Supreme Court barred two official government Ukrainian Parliament and members of the Yushchenko newspapers from publishing the results. Both Holos team have already begun preparing for the event. Ukrainy and Uriadovyi Curier must publish the CEC’s “It’ll be flashy and interesting, with twists,” official protocol announcing the results of the election Oleksander Zinchenko, Mr. Yushchenko’s campaign before the Verkhovna Rada, can set a date for the inaugu- manager, promised during a press conference in Kyiv ration. Though the process of inaugurating Mr. Yushchenko (Continued on page 41) has been temporarily delayed, it took a step forward Ukraine set to withdraw troops from Iraq by Andrew Nynka tered 416 deputies – a spokesman for the Ministry of Kyiv Press Bureau Foreign Affairs announced that preparations to withdraw Ukrainian troops from Iraq in the first half of 2005 had KYIV – Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada passed a non- begun. binding resolution on January 11 recommending that Markian Lubkivskyi, the ministry spokesman, said outgoing President Leonid Kuchma immediately with- during a press conference on January 11 that both the draw Ukraine’s troops from Iraq. The move came a day Defense and Foreign Affairs ministries have begun joint after Mr. Kuchma called on two of his ministers to draw consultations to carry out Mr. Kuchma’s order and that up a plan that would remove Ukrainian troops from the the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also started talks with country by the end of June. foreign diplomats on the issue. Mr. Kuchma’s announcement came a day after an “There are no particular time limits for withdrawal of explosion killed eight Ukrainian soldiers at an ammuni- our contingent from Iraq,” Mr. Lubkivskyi said. tion dump in Iraq and wounded six others. The explo- “However, the preparation period has begun.” He said sion has been called an accident, but a Ukrainian mili- that removing Ukrainian troops from Iraq would be a AP/Sergei Chuzavkov tary commander later suggested it could have been a ter- difficult and multi-stage process. rorist act. Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Kostyantyn Ukraine's Central Election Commission Chairman Following Parliament’s call to remove Ukraine’s Yaroslav Davydovych speaks during the commission troops – which passed by a vote of 308-0 out of a regis- (Continued on page 2) session on January 10. 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JANUARY 16, 2005 No. 3 ANALYSIS the Republic of Iraq in the first half of Ukraine set to withdraw... the current year,” Mr. Kuzmuk said, (Continued from page 1) adding that the withdrawal could begin Gryshchenko met with U.S. Ambassador as early as March. Moscow ponders how Ukraine was ‘lost’ to Ukraine John Herbst on January 11 News of Ukraine’s eventual pullout and with British Ambassador to Ukraine from Iraq also drew the attention of offi- by Julie Corwin assert that Mr. Yanukovych did not in fact Robert Brinkley the following day to dis- cials in Washington, where State RFE/RL Newsline lose. At a news conference in Moscow on cuss the situation, Mr. Lubkivskyi said. Department Spokesman Richard Boucher touched on the topic during a briefing December 28, Mr. Pavlovskii asserted that Ukraine currently has the fourth As Viktor Yanukovych Ukraine’s for- with the press on January 11. Mr. Yanukovych won the second round on largest contingent in Iraq, with 1,589 sol- mer Prime Minister and defeated presi- “The Ukrainians have said the changes November 21, 2004, but that through a diers who serve under a Polish-led unit in dential candidate, clears out his govern- in Ukraine’s contingent would be made series of “manipulations of the results ... the south-central portion of the country. ment office in Kyiv, pundits, journalists in full consultation with the multinational the political process became one based Sixteen Ukrainian soldiers have died in and political analysts back in Moscow forces and with the Iraqi government, entirely on force,” RFE/RL’s Moscow Iraq and more than 20 have been wound- continue to ask what went wrong. With bureau reported. and that it would be done in a responsible so much financial backing from Russian ed since Ukrainian peacekeepers first At the same time, in what might be and measured way. So we trust that businesses and political support from began operations there in August 2003. considered an apparent contradiction, Ukraine’s new government, when it takes Russian President President Putin, why In the most recent incident, eight they proffer at least three different expla- office, will look at this issue carefully did Mr. Yanukovych lose? Ukrainians died at 12:05 p.m. on January nations for why Mr. Yanukovych did not and discuss it as appropriate with us and Many Russian and Ukrainian analysts 9 when a bomb they were extracting and win or why they should not be blamed for the Iraqis,” Mr. Boucher said. have hesitated to place primary responsi- moving from an ammunition deposit near Mr. Yanukovych’s failure to perform bet- bility on the Kremlin or Vladimir Putin the town of As Suwayrah exploded, A pledge by Yushchenko ter. First and foremost, they claim that for misjudging the Ukrainian situation. injuring six other Ukrainian soldiers, they were outgunned next to U.S. and Throughout the presidential election Instead they have been blaming the according to the Defense Ministry’s press Polish resources, according to Sergei campaign, Viktor Yushchenko repeatedly “aggressive tactics” of a gaggle of service. Markov of the Institute for Political pledged to remove Ukraine’s troops from Russian campaign consultants who Cause of explosion not known Iraq. began arriving at Kyiv’s Boryspil Airport Research. Second, they had too little time to refashion Mr. Yanukovych’s image. Oleksander Zinchenko, Mr. sometime in July, RFE/RL’s Russian The cause of the explosion has not Yushchenko’s campaign manager, said Service reported on December 28. Third, Mr. Yanukovych, a former prison been identified, and Ukrainian command- convict, was too difficult a candidate to on January 10 that withdrawal was a dif- In an interview with Lviv Ekspres on ers in Iraq have opened a criminal case in ficult procedure, burdened with political, December 22, 2004, outgoing President make palatable to the broad public. the matter and have begun an investiga- Mr. Gelman told Lvivska Hazeta on financial, military and diplomatic details, Leonid Kuchma’s chief speechwriter, tion.