www.ukrweekly.com INSIDE: • Ukraine: a separate but equal buffer zone? — page 3. • National Deputy Anatolii Kinakh visits D.C. — page 8. • Art installations at UIA inspired by “koliada” — page 15. HE KRAINIAN EEKLY T PublishedU by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profitW association Vol. LXXV No. 6 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2007 $1/$2 in Ukraine Controversial law on Cabinet Tymoshenko leads the charge becomes official in Ukraine to protect gas transit system by Zenon Zawada dent’s veto – also a first in Ukraine’s leg- by Zenon Zawada Kyiv Press Bureau islature. Kyiv Press Bureau As a result, Prime Minister Viktor KYIV – The January 12 Cabinet of Yanukovych is now the most influential KYIV – Parliamentary opposition Ministers law significantly enhancing the person in Ukrainian government, and leader Yulia Tymoshenko led the authority of the prime minister and the members of his Cabinet have already Verkhovna Rada to vote overwhelmingly Cabinet of Ministers at the expense of the begun referring to President Viktor on February 7 for a law protecting the president was published on February 2 in Yushchenko as a national figurehead. nation’s critical natural gas transit system the government’s two daily newspapers – “Viktor Yushchenko is the president, from foreign interests, namely the the final step for a law to become official. but I treat national symbols with the Russian Federation’s government and its It was the first law ever passed during appropriate piety,” said Minister of cadre of oligarchs. Ukraine’s 15-plus years of independence Justice Oleksander Lavrynovych, when Selling, renting or bartering manag- without the president’s signature, as the asked why he doesn’t communicate with ment or ownership rights to foreign Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc helped the par- interests is forbidden according to the liamentary coalition override the presi- (Continued on page 10) law, approved amidst concern that the pro-Russian coalition government would allow Russian interests to control or influence Ukraine’s natural gas system, Yushchenko nominates pro-Western foreign affairs minister as in Belarus and Moldova. by Zenon Zawada Yushchenko is trying to keep the At the session’s start, Ms. Tymoshenko and her bloc's national Kyiv Press Bureau Ministry of Foreign Affairs aligned with his foreign policy views and recover deputies blocked the Parliament’s trib- KYIV – To replace Borys Tarasyuk as ground lost in his political defeat over une, demanding that Verkhovna Rada foreign affairs minister, Ukrainian Mr. Tarasyuk, who submitted his resigna- Chair Oleksander Moroz allow a vote on Volodymyr Ilchenko President Viktor Yushchenko on tion on January 30. the bill barring the transfer of the transit Opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko. February 5 nominated Volodymyr “The president is coming from the system’s management, its privatization Ohryzko, a pro-Ukrainian, Western-ori- position that it’s necessary to preserve or “other manipulations.” Verkhovna Rada. ented diplomat. the inheritance of foreign policy strategy “When issues are raised in the Russian “They always vote for their native He served as Mr. Tarasyuk’s first vice and tactics,” said Valerii Chalyi, assistant Duma to defend the national interests of land and their native country. And I minister since February 2005 and spent general director of the Razumkov Center the Russian Federation, there is no divi- believe we need to start such traditions. his career serving in the foreign affairs for Economic and Political Studies, sion in Parliament there between pro- And that’s exactly why I would like to ministries of the former Soviet Union which is funded by more than 50 interna- Western, pro-Eastern, like we have pro- announce a law that would be a historic and independent Ukraine. Russian and pro-Western parts of With Mr. Ohryzko’s nomination, Mr. (Continued on page 11) Parliament,” Ms. Tymoshenko told the (Continued on page 8) USCAK soccer team competes at inaugural Ukrainian tournament in Australia by Andrij Panas SYDNEY, Australia – A soccer team representing the Ukrainian Sports Federation of the United States and Canada (USCAK) traveled to Sydney, Australia, to compete in the inaugural International Ukrainian Football Tournament (IUFT), which took place January 14-20. Tournament director Daniel Sawalaga conceived the idea for the event as well as its premise: to “unite Ukrainians from around the world to celebrate a common love of football/sport and Ukrainian cul- ture.” The tournament featured five teams of Ukrainian descent from three countries: USCAK (U.S.), Team GB (Great Britain), Sydney Trident F.C. (Australia), Adelaide (Australia) and Victoria (Australia). A sixth team from Chernivtsi, Ukraine, was also scheduled to compete. However, last-minute visa trouble pre- vented the players from participating. Matches were held at the Lidcombe Oval, where group play followed a round-robin format. Adelaide finished first at the end of preliminary play, while Trident placed second, USCAK third, Team GB fourth and Victoria fifth. The USCAK team, which comprised Ukrainian soccer clubs from the U.S., with the team from Great Britain. The teams (Continued on page 11) tied for third place in the International Ukrainian Football Tournament held in Sydney, Australia. 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2007 No. 6 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFSNEWSBRIEFS Yushchenko, Yanukovych battle Yushchenko cautious on gas consortium Service of Ukraine (known by its Ukrainian acronym as SBU), Interfax-Ukraine report- for control of security services KYIV – Ukrainian President Viktor ed on February 6, quoting the presidential Yushchenko said in Kyiv on February 2 that press service. Mr. Korol is a lawmaker of by Taras Kuzio to be not fully loyal to the president or, in it is too early to talk about setting up any the pro-presidential Our Ukraine bloc. In Eurasia Daily Monitor the case of Sviatoslav Piskun (December joint venture with Russia to manage 1995-1996, he was a vice minister of inter- 2004-October 2005), only there to defend Ukrainian gas-transit pipelines, Reuters and nal affairs and head of the criminal police; Last week the head of Ukraine’s parlia- the granting of immunity to Mr. Kuchma Interfax-Ukraine reported. Russian President mentary Committee on National Security in 1996-1998 he served as first deputy head and other high-ranking officials. Foreign Vladimir Putin disclosed the previous day of the tax police. (RFE/RL Newsline) and Defense, Anatolii Kinakh, accused the Minister Borys Tarasyuk was unconstitu- that Ukraine had made an offer of a “revolu- Procurator General’s Office, the Security tionally dismissed in December and the tionary character” to unify both countries’ Journalist seeks asylum in Ukraine Service of Ukraine (known by its gas-transportation systems in exchange for a NSDC leadership was given to the head of KYIV – Journalist Aleksandr Kosvintsev Ukrainian acronym as SBU), and law the Industrial Union of the Donbas, who share in Russia’s gas-drilling sector. enforcement of beginning to act on the “Everything that is related to modifying the of the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta has little experience in international affairs. has asked for political asylum in Ukraine, basis of political orders (Ukrayinska President Yushchenko lost control over the [Ukrainian gas-transportation] model Pravda, January 19). Mr. Kinakh’s concern requires a very thorough and cautious Interfax-Ukraine reported on February 6, Internal Ministry when his candidate, Yurii citing the press service of the Lviv Oblast was related to the tug of war and institu- Lutsenko, was removed after Our Ukraine approach,” Mr. Yushchenko told a news tional conflict in Ukraine during its consti- conference. “It is difficult to speak about this Council. Mr. Kosvintsev claims that he has went into opposition to the Anti-Crisis been persecuted by Russian law enforce- tutional crisis, which is now spilling over because we need to debate the principles of Coalition. ment bodies after conducting a journalistic into the field of civil-military relations. organizing our relations and methods to The SBU never fully came under Mr. investigation into “criminal activities” by Mr. Kinakh, head of the Party of implement initiatives. I would not mention Yushchenko’s control after he took office Kemerovo Oblast Administration Chairman Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of any percentages or shares in any plants in January 2005. The SBU’s high (Governor) Aman Tuleyev. “After reading Ukraine (PIEU), defected from the today because we are far away from this.” involvement in corruption and its links to his articles in the Russian press, it is becom- Leonid Kuchma camp to Viktor The same day, Yulia Tymoshenko, leader of local political and business elites ing clear that the corrupt Russian authorities Yushchenko during the second round of the eponymous opposition bloc, announced undoubtedly prevented this smooth tran- have decided to punish the independent the 2004 presidential elections after he that her bloc will prepare a bill to ban what sition to the Orange administration. journalist. We know the real state of the free himself obtained 1.98 percent in the first she called “manipulations around our gas- The Presidential Secretariat has under- press in Russia, and that is why we are ready round of voting. In the 2006 elections the transportation system in exchange for some stood the importance of reforming the to help the Russian journalist,” Lviv Oblast PIEU joined the Our Ukraine bloc, there- sort of bait.” She added, “We are going to SBU, yet has been unable to put forward Council Chairman Myroslav Senyk com- by strengthening the business component put forward a secure shield against attempts a concrete strategy (Ukrayinska Pravda, mented on Mr. Kosvintsev’s application for that preferred a coalition with the Party to appropriate our gas-transportation system December 9, 2006). Parliament’s ruling political asylum. (RFE/RL Newsline) of the Regions to one with the Yulia coalition is also proving to be obstructive or the entire Naftohaz [Ukraine’s gas and oil Tymoshenko bloc.