The Ukrainian Weekly 2005, No.45
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www.ukrweekly.com INSIDE:• Ukrainian American Veterans hold 58th National Convention — page 4. • UCARE mission and art show aim to help Ukraine’s orphans — page 8. • Commemorative postal covers of North American diaspora — centerfold. Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXXIII HE No.KRAINIAN 45 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2005 EEKLY$1/$2 in Ukraine Verkhovna Rada OKs more bills geared PrimeT Minister YuriiU Yekhanurov travels W toward membership for Ukraine in WTO to U.S. for meetings with top officials by Yaro Bihun by Zenon Zawada and textile producers may increase pro- Special to The Ukrainian Weeky Kyiv Press Bureau duction by as much as 30 percent, Minister of the Economy Arsenii WASHINGTON – Ukrainian Prime KYIV – The Verkhovna Rada on Yatseniuk told a meeting of faction lead- Minister Yurii Yekhanurov spent the first November 1 approved two more bills ers and Cabinet ministers on November two days of November in Washington that will enable Ukraine’s membership in 1, which was called by the president to meeting with top Bush administration the World Trade Organization (WTO). discuss the 2006 budget and WTO officials, international financial institu- As a result, the Rada has now passed issues. tions and business leaders, to discuss 65 percent of the necessary WTO legisla- Already 80 percent of the Ukrainian Ukraine’s entry into the World Trade tion, President Viktor Yushchenko told economy functions within the WTO Organization and other, primarily eco- journalists that day. framework, he said. In some bilateral nomic, issues. WTO membership “will qualitatively trade relations, Ukraine exceeds WTO It was Mr. Yekhanurov’s first visit change Ukraine’s participation in the conditions, Mr. Yatseniuk added. In some here since President Viktor Yushchenko world markets,” he said, stressing that 95 cases, Ukraine has lowered its import tar- disbanded the first government headed percent of the world’s goods are traded iffs beyond what’s required, he said. by his Orange Revolution co-leader Yulia within the WTO’s bounds. Entry will have some negative effects Tymoshenko and got the Verkhovna The first bill amended the law defend- on the Ukrainian economy, Mr. Yatseniuk Rada to confirm Mr. Yekhanurov as ing domestic producers from import acknowledged. Food, refining and agro- prime minister by cutting a deal with his dumping, while the second one amends the industrial industries generally experience presidential election rival, Viktor law to adopt special measures for imports. 10 percent declines in the first year or Yanukovych. In stressing the economic benefits of two after WTO entry, he said. Mr. Yekhanurov had talks with Vice- WTO membership, Mr. Yushchenko cited The Ukrainian government is prepar- President Richard Cheney and Secretary Yaro Bihun statistics provided by the Institute for ing for WTO’s negative effects, Mr. of State Condoleezza Rice, during which Economic Research and Political Prime Minister Yurii Yekhanurov fol- Yatseniuk said, by improving its agricul- – as in other meetings with administra- Consultation. lowing his meetings at the Embassy of tural support structures and protecting tion officials, members of Congress, The wealth of Ukrainians will increase Ukraine. domestic producers via tariffs. business leaders and policy experts – annually by 3 percent, GDP will improve Ukraine’s tariff proposal to the WTO Ukraine’s economic priorities topped the The Ukrainian Cabinet-level delega- by 1.9 percent, foreign investment will and its schedule is nearly complete, Mr. agenda, with particular focus on such tion included a number of key ministers: grow a minimum of 50 percent, Yushchenko said. issues as getting market-economy status Arsenii Yatseniuk (economy), Ivan European Union exports will grow 15 However, the Ukrainian government from the U.S., WTO membership and Plachkov (energy), Oleksander percent and international trade income has several critical steps it needs to eliminating the Jackson-Vanik Baranivskyi (agriculture) and Viktor will increase 10 percent, the president accomplish, which was the purpose of Amendment impediments to improving said, quoting his experts. U.S.-Ukraine economic relations. (Continued on page 22) Additionally, chemical, metallurgical (Continued on page 15) Western Ukrainianby Zenon Zawada town of Pidhaitsifund’s development sees department. hope for the future in its ‘Narodnyi Dim’ Kyiv Press Bureau She confirmed that Pidhaitsi’s Narodnyi Dim is a candidate for funding. By requiring the town raise a PIDHAITSI, Ukraine – As with most of western small down payment, it mobilizes Ukrainians to have a Ukraine, Pidhaitsi has seen better days. stake in their community, particularly in building and The town of 3,200 residents, almost midway between preserving its institutions, she said. Ternopil and Ivano-Frankivsk, is crumbling – literally. “Much of Ukraine is destroyed by those who live in Home to a historic 15th century Polish church and a the cities and villages,” Ms. Demchenko said. “We 16th century synagogue, Pidhaitsi doesn’t have the want to motivate people to give at least one kopiyka, funds to keep these treasures from deteriorating, said so that they won’t destroy their own investments and Stepan Kolodnytskyi, the manager of the town’s even prevent others from destroying them.” Culture Department. Such stipulations by the fund are a great indication The thousands of Poles and Jews who once lived of how Ukrainian culture has deteriorated in post- there are gone, either killed, deported or having fled. Soviet Ukraine. And while the historical monuments remain beyond “The Soviet occupation was here for only 40 years, help at present, a glimmer of hope has emerged from but it did enough damage for these people not to the Ukrainian government, of all places, to restore the understand how important it is to continue what their town’s national home, or its “Narodnyi Dim.” ancestors did,” Mr. Kolodnytskyj said. The Kyiv-based Ukrainian Fund for Social Investment, In the case of the Narodnyi Dim, it was the town’s created by the Verkhovna Rada through a $50 million loan minority Ukrainians who were driven to build a cultural from the World Bank, is offering Pidhaitsi a grant of about center. $126,000 to finance the Narodnyi Dim’s renovation. When they laid the first stone on August 11, 1928, There’s a catch: the town needs to put up $6,300 by which was blessed by Ukrainian Catholic priests, half a November 8 deadline, or 5 percent of the project’s the town’s 10,000 residents were Jews, 3,000 were estimated cost. Ukrainians and 2,000 were Poles, Mr. Kolodnytskyi “The bank needs a guarantee that the people truly said. Zenon Zawada want to build something here and that the money won’t Without a place to gather and meet on their own, the go to corruption,” Mr. Kolodnytskyi said. Ukrainian residents dedicated themselves to the proj- Pidhaitsi's Culture Department Manager Stepan One of the fund’s main goals is to give Ukrainians a ect, Mr. Kolodnytskyi said, bringing even a single rock Kolodnytskyi stands in front of the town's sense that they have a stake in their community and its Narodnyi Dim, which has fallen into disrepair since outcome, said Svitlana Demchenko, who chairs the (Continued on page 3) its construction was completed in 1934. 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2005 No. 45 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFSNEWSBRIEFS Moscow plans linguistic counterattack Yekhanurov visiting Washington vant phone call” was made. Mr. Lytvyn declined to comment on another candidate, in Commonwealth of Independent States WASHINGTON – Ukrainian Prime referring to the fact that no official docu- Minister Yurii Yekhanurov said on ments had come to the Verkhovna Rada by Paul Goble working to promote their national lan- November 1 during a two-day visit to thus far. (RFE/RL Newsline, Ukrinform) RFE/RL Newsline guages at the expense of Russian, some- Washington that he expects Ukraine to thing Ms. Khaleeva said threatens to cre- join the World Trade Organization (WTO) ... then chooses another nominee Stung by a report that Ukraine now ate new divisions not only among people by the end of 2005, Interfax reported. Mr. has fewer Russian-language schools than but among countries as well. Yekhanurov described talks with U.S. KYIV – President Viktor Yushchenko on does Uzbekistan, and apparently con- Indeed, she argued, the only country officials regarding the signing of an agree- 31 October nominated Oleksander vinced that such linguistic shifts are a among this group where the status of ment on opening commodity and service Medvedko to serve as the next procurator cause and not simply a consequence of Russian is where it should be is Belarus. markets – necessary for Ukraine’s acces- general, Interfax reported the same day, cit- political changes, Moscow officials are There it is a required subject in schools, sion to the WTO – as “considerably ing presidential spokeswoman Iryna planning to step up their efforts to defend and specialists in Russian language and advanced.” According to Mr. Yekhanurov, Heraschenko. Mr. Yushchenko withdrew and promote the use of the Russian lan- literature are still being trained in univer- signing the WTO protocol with the United his previous nominee, Vasyl Prysiazhniuk, guage in the post-Soviet states. sities. That approach, she continued, States will be a good sign to other coun- with no explanation. Mr. Medvedko cur- In an interview in the October 17 issue should be, but at present is not, “a model tries, particularly Australia. The same day rently serves as a deputy procurator general. of Parlamentskaya Gazeta, Irina for other countries.” in Kyiv, the Verkhovna Rada passed two Socialist Party Chairman Oleksander Khaleeva, who is head of the Moscow Ms. Khaleeva suggested, somewhat bills required for WTO entry pertaining to Moroz commented that the president’s State Linguistic University, said knowl- improbably, that the decline in the use of imports and protection of domestic pro- announcement was unexpected to the edge of Russian in these countries, while Russian was part of a plan by the West to ducers.