The Ukrainian Weekly 2000, No.50
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www.ukrweekly.com INSIDE:• Foreign representatives attend Chornobyl hearing in Kyiv — page 3. • Winner Ford chief speaks on doing business in Ukraine — page 5. • Premiere of feature film about Roman Shukhevych — page 14. Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXVIII HE No.KRAINIAN 50 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2000 EEKLY$1/$2 in Ukraine UNAT General AssemblyU Kuchma’s chief of staff filesW slander suit against Moroz by Roman Woronowycz alleges is a recording of several conversations between meets at annual session Kyiv Press Bureau President Kuchma and Mr. Lytvyn, his chief of staff, as well as with Minister of Internal Affairs Kravchenko. KYIV – While President Leonid Kuchma’s chief of by Roma Hadzewycz What is not clear is whether the tape is a well-produced staff, Volodymyr Lytvyn, filed a criminal suit for slan- forgery or an authentic recording. In the recording, which KERHONKSON, N.Y.– At its annual meeting here at der against National Deputy Oleksander Moroz in a is of poor quality, the voices are audible although not the UNA resort, Soyuzivka, on December 1-3, the Kyiv court on November 30, for publicly accusing him clear, but one would be hard-pressed not to concede that Ukrainian National Association’s General Assembly noted of helping to organize the disappearance of a Ukrainian major progress made in this fraternal organization’s finan- journalist, the European Parliament called for an inde- they are those of the three men named. cial status, as for the first time in many years the UNA’s pendent investigation into the matter. The three are heard discussing how to get rid of Mr. surplus had increased. Meanwhile, many here were simply still trying to Gongadze, who is mentioned by name and also as the Furthermore, the General Assembly, the UNA’s highest understand whether the shocking audiotape Mr. Moroz owner of the Internet publication, Ukrainska Pravda. decision-making body between the organization’s quadren- presented on November 28 to support allegations he had However, at no time during the 11 separate conversa- nial conventions, adopted a budget for 2001 that foresees made from the floor of the Ukrainian Parliament was a tions, which are staccato-like and do not present clear $6,031,000 in income and disbursements of $5,985,700. forgery or not, and, if so, why persons would go to such and well-developed ideas, are direct suggestions made Participants of the three-day meeting – the UNA’s execu- great lengths to create such a scenario. that the journalist should be killed, murdered or elimi- tive officers, advisors, auditors and honorary members of On November 30 Jan Wiersma, a representative of the nated in any manner. At one point a person states that he the General Assembly – heard and discussed reports on the European Parliament, sent a letter to Verkhovna Rada has a highly trained elite force free of moral principles UNA’s business operations and fraternal activities for the Chairman Ivan Pliusch stating that a full and independ- that will do just about anything. For the most part, the past year, taking a particularly close look at the state of ent investigation must take place into the disappearance ideas thrown about focus on having Mr. Gongadze per- Soyuzivka, located in the Catskills of upstate New York. of journalist Heorhii Gongadze, including allegations by haps kidnapped by Chechens or forcefully evicted from After holding a special evening meeting on Friday, the Ukraine and moved to Georgia, his country of birth. Standing Committee on Soyuzivka reported back to the Mr. Moroz that the matter involves the highest echelons Because Mr. Moroz has offered few answers, even as entire assembly. The report acknowledged that Soyuzivka is of the Ukrainian state. (The text of the letter appears on a necessary and important resource for the Ukrainian com- page 9.) Mr. Gongadze is the missing Georgian-born, he has raised many questions about the contents of the munity and that the Ukrainian National Association should 31-year-old journalist whose disappearance on tape, the central unanswered questions are: Is the tape continue to maintain an active role in the resort. However, September 16 after leaving the apartment of an associate recording real? Who would go to such lengths to impli- sparked an outcry from the mass media and led to insin- the committee also said it recognizes that Soyuzivka cannot (Continued on page 20) continue to operate with the serious deficits it has been uations of government involvement in the matter. incurring, and, as a result, sees the need to raise capital out- Meanwhile President Kuchma said on December 1, side of the significant annual subsidy provided by the UNA. while in Miensk at the meeting of the heads of state of The annual meeting’s sessions were chaired by the UNA the Commonwealth of Independent States, that the situ- ation with the Moroz tapes might be a grand conspiracy Winnipeg’s Bishop Soroka (Continued on page 6) by foreign agents. “This is a provocation, foreign special services may have had a hand in this,” explained President Kuchma, named metropolitan for U.S. according to Interfax-Ukraine as Georgian President PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Edvard Shevardnadze stood at his side. “We shall have Archeparchy of the Ukrainian Catholic Church to clear up which special services.” announced that Pope John Paul II has appointed Mr. Shevardnadze, who is mentioned in the tapes as a Auxiliary Bishop Stephen Soroka of the Winnipeg person who might assist in getting Mr. Gongadze out of Archeparchy as the next metropolitan-archbishop Ukraine and back to Georgia, added, “Or guess.” for Ukrainian Catholics in the United States. Mr. Kuchma’s remarks came three days after Mr. The appointment follows the resignation of Moroz, leader of the Socialist Party and former chair- Metropolitan-Archbishop Stephen Sulyk. man of the Verkhovna Rada, turned Ukraine on its ear The pontiff also named Bishop Michael when he told a session of Parliament that President Wiwchar, eparch of Chicago, to head the Saskatoon Kuchma, Mr. Lytvyn and Minister of Internal Affairs Eparchy in Saskatchewan. As well, Pope John Paul Yurii Kravchenko had planned and executed the disap- accepted the resignation of Auxiliary Bishop Walter pearance of Mr. Gongadze, a controversial and outspo- Paska of the Philadelphia Archeparchy. ken Kyiv journalist and founder of one of Ukraine’s The apostolic nuncio to the United States, first Internet publications. Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, announced the Mr. Moroz announced at the time that he had an appointments and resignation on November 29 in audiocassette of several telephone discussions among Washington. the three men that implicated them in the case. Bishop Soroka was born on November 13, In the last few days many lawmakers have criticized 1951, in Winnipeg. He studied at the University of Mr. Moroz’s decision to publicize the tapes in such dra- Manitoba, earning a bachelor’s degree in 1973 and matic fashion and have said the former chairman of the a master’s in 1978 in social work. He entered the Ukrainian Catholic Seminary in Rada had left himself vulnerable to dire consequences Washington in 1979 and was ordained to the should he not be able to prove that the audiotapes are in priesthood on June 13, 1982, in Winnipeg. He con- fact authentic. He could be sentenced to as much as five tinued his studies at The Catholic University and years’ imprisonment if he is found guilty of slandering was a awarded a Ph.D. in social work in 1985. Mr. Lytvyn. Mr. Moroz, however, has reminded journal- The archbishop-designate served parishes in ists on several occasions that he has immunity from Manitoba, was a judge of the archieparchial tribu- criminal prosecution nal and served as director of vocations since 1984. First Vice-Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Viktor In 1994 he was named chancellor and financial Medvedchuk said on December 1 that Mr. Moroz administrator of the Winnipeg Archeparchy and should not have made a grand public display of what he two years later was tapped as auxiliary bishop, had obtained, but should have turned the tapes over becoming the youngest bishop in Canada. Roma Hadzewycz either to law enforcement agencies or to National UNA Advisor Tekla Moroz speaks about the UNA’s Deputy Oleksander Lavrynovych, chairman of the (The full text of Metropolitan-Archbishop patron, Taras Shevchenko, as General Assembly mem- Verkhovna Rada’s ad hoc committee investigating the Sulyk’s statement about the appointment of his suc- bers look on, during special ceremonies in front of the disappearance of Mr. Gongadze. cessor appears on page 9.) Shevchenko statue at Soyuzivka. At the core of the controversy is a tape that Mr. Moroz 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2000 No. 50 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFSNEWSBRIEFS Ukraine’s divided Orthodox Church loses believers Moroz says Kuchma should resign Minister Viktor Yuschenko of Ukraine in by Lily Hyde attend, and that the breach with the other Bratislava on December 5 to discuss bilater- KYIV – Socialist Party leader RFE/RL Newsline Orthodox Churches is a problem of eccle- al trade and ways to boost it. The two prime siastical rules that can only be resolved Oleksander Moroz has said President ministers also discussed the Russian A spate of church-building since inde- by the breakaway churches returning to Leonid Kuchma should resign in connec- monopoly Gazprom’s plan to build a pendence seems to indicate a spiritual the Moscow Patriarchate. The Kyiv tion with the latter’s alleged involvement in pipeline through Poland and Slovakia that rebirth in Ukraine. The newly rebuilt Metropolitan vicar of the Moscow the disappearance of journalist Heorhii would circumvent Ukraine.