INSIDE: • Opinions on NATO-Ukraine relations — page 2. • New bishop named for Edmonton — page 3. • CBS airs “Canada’s Dark Secret” — page 5 HE KRAINI A N EEKLY T PublishedU by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profitW association Vol. LXV No. 6 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1997 $1.25/$2 in Ukraine State Department’s annual report praises Council of Europe condemns Ukraine for significant progress on rights Ukraine on use of death penalty by Yaro Bihun in June for safeguarding human rights and by Roman Woronowycz Special to The Ukrainian Weekly establishing the principle of judicial Kyiv Press Bureau review, among other things. WASHINGTON — The U.S. State But the U.S. government report adds that KYIV — The Parliamentary Department’s annual human rights report “the efficacy of the new Constitution, howev- Assembly of the Council of Europe, for 1996 praises Ukraine for “significant er, depends on enabling legislation, most of meeting in Strasbourg, France, con- progress toward building a law-based which had not been passed by year’s end.” demned Ukraine on January 29 for fail- civil society” and at the same time focus- The report highlights the following ing to implement a moratorium on state es on a number of shortcomings in that problem areas: executions. It could expel the country process. The report on Ukraine, along • Police and prison officials “regularly from the council at its next scheduled with reports on 193 other countries, was beat” detainees and are not punished for it. meeting in April if executions are not released here January 30. • The judiciary is overburdened; long halted immediately. Human rights violations in Ukraine trial delays and pre-trial detentions are a In December 1995, Ukraine had “remained at the same low level as last problem; prison conditions are poor. agreed to a moratorium on capital pun- year (1995),” the report states, but adds • Despite progress toward an indepen- ishment and to abolish the death penalty that “problems remain in the unreformed dent judiciary, political interference con- by the year 2000 as part of the conditions legal and prison systems,” which are tinues, and there are cases of organized- for its acceptance into the Council of underfunded and, despite the new crime influence. Europe. Constitution, continue with some of the old • There have been government The Parliamentary Assembly has Soviet practices and rely on judges and attempts to control the press, and there determined that in the first half of 1996 prosecutors appointed during the Soviet are limits on the freedom of association 89 people found guilty of capital offenses Justice Minister Serhii Holovatyi era. While the previous year’s report criti- and the work of non-native religious were executed in Ukraine. The number is cized Ukraine for continuing to work under organizations. not disputed by Ukraine’s government. country.” Using soccer terminology he the old, Soviet Constitution, this year’s • “Significant societal anti-Semitism,” The Parliamentary Assembly resolu- said Ukraine had been given a yellow card report lauds the new Constitution adopted discrimination and violence against tion states that “the executions that have (a warning), and that in April a red card women, and incidents of discrimination taken place in Ukraine in 1996 thus con- (eviction) could follow if Ukraine does not against ethnic and religious minorities stitute a flagrant violation of her commit- uphold the promises it gave. are evident. ments and obligations” and “the Ukraine’s President Leonid Kuchma Miners strike The report notes that there were no polit- Assembly must condemn Ukraine for told reporters at the meeting of the World ical prisoners, no known political killings having violated her commitment to put Ecoomic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and no reported cases of political abuse in into place a moratorium on executions.” on February 1 that he is for abolition of for back pay psychiatry in Ukraine in 1996. There was, Minister of Justice Serhii Holovatyi the death penalty, but Europe must under- by Roman Woronowycz however, a claim by the speaker of the called the resolution an embarrassment to stand that Ukraine cannot do overnight Kyiv Press Bureau Ukraine. “It is extremely unpleasant when (Continued on page 4) your country is made out to be a renegade (Continued on page 18) KYIV — Chanting “Zar-pla-ta” and banging their helmets on the cold, wet pavement, almost 1,500 miners from the coal mining regions of Ukraine demonstrat- Investment forum explores Ukrainian market ed before the Cabinet of Ministers Building and the Verkhovna Rada on February 4. by Khristina Lew ombudsman for energy and commercial conference, however, Ukraine has taken cooperation with the NIS. great strides to improve its investment Members of the Coal Mine Workers’ NEW YORK — For many foreign Union from the cities of Donetsk, Conspicuously absent were the climate. In 1996 the Verkhovna Rada investors, the Ukrainian market contin- Makiyivka and Pavlohrad, Luhansk and forum’s top-billed speakers: Ukraine’s passed a Constitution, the government ues to be uncharted terrain riddled by Krasnoarmiisk were demanding “zarplata” reform-minded Vice Prime Minister for achieved macroeconomic stabilization, chaotic laws and corruption. Yet, a (wages), which some haven’t received the Economy Viktor Pynzenyk, and the interim currency, the karbo- growing number are plunging in, with since August 1996, as well as unpaid pen- Chairman of the Ukrainian Agency for vanets, was replaced with the hryvnia. profitable results. sions, disability benefits and student Reconstruction and Development The State Property Fund introduced The Ukrainian-North American stipends for their families and co-workers. compensation certificates and began Investment Forum, held on January 29-30 Roman Shpek and Chairman of the Demonstration leaders said the govern- holding state certificate auctions. at the Marriott Financial Center Hotel State Property Fund Yurii Yekhanurov. ment owes them almost 1.5 billion hryvni. According to Natalia Prokopovich, here, explored the possibilities and pitfalls Stephen Butler, producer of the Although the miners demanded to see director of the Investment Department of doing business in Ukraine and featured forum, presented by the American Vice Prime Minister Vasyl Durdynets, at the State Property Fund, since the first-hand accounts from joint ventures Conference Institute-EuroForum, Minister of the Coal Industry Yuriy explained that all three were last-minute beginning of last year, the SPF has Rusantsov came out to speak with them such as UTEL and UKR-CAN Power. offered 290 share packages of enter- The two-day forum attracted 125 cancellations. Mr. Pynzenyk was asked instead. He was shouted down each time to stay in the Ukrainian capital while prises, with an over-all face value of he suggested that payments would soon investors from companies as diverse as $60 million, for sale at commercial and Shell, Chrysler, KPMG and the Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko took a resume. Igor Pomarionov, one of the vacation. Mr. Shpek accompanied non-commercial tenders. The SPF is International Finance Corp., and heard also readying 222 enterprises of strate- demonstrators who stood just off to the President Leonid Kuchma on a trip to from Ukrainian officials from the gic value for the Ukrainian economy, side from the minister, belligerently kept Paris. Mr. Yekhanurov sent a deputy to Ukrainian Agency for Reconstruction the “crown jewels,” for sale at non- shouting, “We have heard your promises speak on his behalf. and your lies before. When was the last and Development, the State Property commercial tenders. time you weren’t paid?” Fund, the State Securities and Stock “It’s disappointing that the Ukrainian On the flip side, investors in the The miners then moved up Hrushevskyi Market Commission, and the Embassy side didn’t send its ministers,” said Ukrainian market still face many hur- Street to the Verkhovna Rada building and of Ukraine to the United States. Maryna Hrushetska of EPIC, a dles. The judiciary is not well estab- resumed their chanting and helmet beating U.S. government presence was European privatization and investment lished, corruption is an extremely seri- until Oleksander Moroz, chairman of the heavy, led by Ambassador Richard corporation that sponsored the forum. ous issue, there is no mechanism to parliament, appeared. He told the workers Morningstar, special advisor to the pres- “It shows that Ukraine doesn’t take resolve investment disputes, and the that they are not the only ones who have ident and secretary of state on assistance courting private capital seriously.” for the NIS, and Jan Kalicki, U.S. According to many speakers at the (Continued on page 19) (Continued on page 4) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1997 No. 6 ANALYSIS: Poll asks experts about NATO-Ukraine relations British defense secretary visits Ukraine Vadim Tudor, said his party’s very name by Volodymyr Zviglyanich Experts belonging to this category indicated its position and “we would stress that Ukraine is not yet ready to join KYIV — In his first official trip to rather forego the conclusion of the treaty NATO’s proposed enlargement east- NATO. First it must “adopt a proper mil- Ukraine on February 2-3, British Defense ward has stirred debate among politicians than abandon those ancient Romanian itary doctrine and work out a program of Secretary Michael Portillo urged Ukraine lands.” At that price, he added, “we do and analysts, particularly