www.ukrweekly.com ïêàëíéë êéÑàÇëü! CHRIST IS BORN! HE KRAINIAN EEKLY T PublishedU by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profitW association Vol. LXXV No. 51 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2007 $1/$2 in Ukraine Tymoshenko returns as prime minister of Ukraine by Zenon Zawada Kyiv Press Bureau KYIV – Fired little more than two years ago, Yulia Tymoshenko returned as Ukraine’s prime minister after the parliamentary coalition elected her on December 18 by the thinnest of margins. Later that day, the coalition approved her Cabinet of Ministers, which she described as a team of profession- als prepared to undertake sweeping reforms. “I am happy that the democratic forces were able to return to government to install order in the country,” Ms. Tymoshenko told a press conference, adding “the government appointed today is highly professional and consists of experienced people who don’t have a conflict between business interests and their governing tasks.” With the rise of a new executive government, Ukraine is reset on a path toward adopting European standards, values and political structures, something that was attempted by Ms. Tymoshenko’s first government, which was installed by the Orange Revolution. Her new foreign policy team consists of Vice-Prime Minister for Euro-Integration Issues Hryhorii Nemyria and Minister of Foreign Affairs Volodymyr Ohryzko, stalwart supporters of Ukraine’s integration into Euro- Atlantic structures. UNIAN Mr. Nemyria is Ms. Tymoshenko’s top foreign policy Yulia Tymoshenko waves to onlookers in victory after the majority coalition in the Verkhovna Rada elected advisor and a close confidante who frequently accompa- her prime minister on December 18. nies her on visits to the West. Mr. Ohryzko is a trusted confidante to President Viktor Yushchenko and widely the 2008 budget, reassessing Ukraine’s energy contracts, tion. “But rest assured that we are devoted, we won’t regarded as a staunch Ukrainian patriot who favors combating corruption and eliminating bureaucracy. allow anyone to abuse government positions, we won’t Ukraine’s integration into the North Atlantic Treaty “It’s possible we obtained a difficult inheritance and, allow politics to be used for profit and we will step-by- Organization (NATO). possibly, we won’t be able to embody in three minutes step carry out strategic, systemic reforms that were out- On the day of her election, Ms. Tymoshenko immedi- everything that we would have wanted to embody even ately made clear her top priorities: drafting and passing 10 years ago,” she told a press conference after her elec- (Continued on page 18) Efforts to raise awareness of Holodomor New Cabinet of Ministers get boost from Ukrainian government is decidedly pro-Western by Zenon Zawada raise awareness and recognition to by Zenon Zawada Dnipropetrovsk. Previous post: first Kyiv Press Bureau unprecedented levels in the next year. Kyiv Press Bureau assistant secretary of the National Ms. Tymoshenko’s ascension to the Security and Defense Council. KYIV – Globally, November 24 prime ministership will colossally boost KYIV – Ukraine’s new Cabinet of Her most trusted political advisor and marked the start of the 75th anniversary Holodomor commemoration and recogni- Ministers led by Yulia Tymoshenko is dis- right-hand man, Mr. Turchynov has been commemoration of the Holodomor under tion efforts, Mr. Romaniw observed. tinctively pro-Western, not only in its policy allied with Ms. Tymoshenko since the early the motto “Ukraine Remembers, the A pair of key government officials but in its make-up. 1990s, when they operated a video rental World Acknowledges.” with whom Mr. Romaniw has been work- Of the 25 ministers, 11 are natives or business. The persistent leadership of President ing closely on Holodomor recognition is lifelong residents of western Ukraine. Viktor Yushchenko on raising recognition now part of Ukraine’s Cabinet of Specifically, six are from the Halychyna Vice-Prime Minister for Euro- and awareness, along with the emergence Ministers. region, Minister of Finance Viktor Integration Issues Hryhorii Nemyria. of a new Cabinet of Ministers led by Ivan Vasiunyk left his post as first Pynzenyk is a Zakarpattia native and Born April 5, 1960, in Donetsk. Previous Yulia Tymoshenko, has fueled significant assistant chair at the Presidential Minister of Internal Affairs Yurii Lutsenko post: national deputy. momentum on global efforts to prepare Secretariat to become vice-prime minis- is a Rivne native. Having worked at the Center for for next November’s commemoration. ter for humanitarian affairs. His new Meanwhile, Vice-Prime Minister for Strategic and International Studies in which will mark the culmination of the position will enable Mr. Vasiunyk to con- Euro-Integration Issues Hryhorii Nemyria Washington, the International Institute of solemn anniversary year. centrate the government’s energies on and Minister of Foreign Affairs Volodymyr Strategic Studies in London and the NATO “The president’s position on the next year’s commemorative activities Ohryzko are consistent advocates of Defense College in Rome, Mr. Nemyria is a Holodomor is very strong, and he has throughout Ukraine. Ukraine’s integration into Euro-Atlantic foreign policy maven and strong advocate demonstrated 100 percent commitment On the international front, the Ministry structures. for integration with the European Union. on the issue,” said Stefan Romaniw, chair of Foreign Affairs, now led by In selecting the ministers, Ms. of the International Coordinating Volodymyr Ohryzko, will play a signifi- Tymoshenko was given preference over the Vice-Prime Minister for Committee of the 75th Anniversary of cant role in providing Ukrainian economic posts, while President Viktor Humanitarian Issues Ivan Vasiunyk. the Famine-Genocide in Ukraine, which Embassies throughout the world with Yushchenko and the pro-presidential Our Born July 7, 1959, in Velykyi Liubyn, functions under the aegis of the information, exhibits and displays, much Ukraine – People’s Self-Defense bloc Lviv Oblast. Previous post: first assistant Ukrainian World Congress. of which will be stored on simple com- secured defense, law enforcement and chair of the Presidential Secretariat. After meeting with the president at his puter discs and will be easily distrib- humanitarian posts. A longtime advisor to Viktor dacha on December 9, Mr. Romaniw said utable, Mr. Romaniw said. Yushchenko, Mr. Vasiunyk will make the he felt confident of the Ukrainian gov- First Vice-Prime Minister Oleksander ernment’s ability and commitment to (Continued on page 20) Turchynov. Born March 31, 1964, in (Continued on page 3) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2007 No. 51 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFSNEWSBRIEFS First vote on Tymoshenko reveals Oldest citizen dies at age 116 December 11 “events in the Verkhovna Rada revealed the obvious lack of viabil- KYIV – Ukraine’s oldest citizen, ity of a [YTB/OU-PSD] coalition of 227 democratic coalition’s limitations Hryhorii Nestor, who lived in the Lviv lawmakers,” Mr. Yanukovych said. region, died on December 14 at the age “Society should receive an answer to the by Pavel Korduban Technical experts interviewed by of 116. Mr. Nestor was born on March Eurasia Daily Monitor Channel 5 said that the Rada system could question of whether a coalition of 227 is 15, 1891, on Ukrainian lands then under capable of taking responsibility for the December 13 not possibly be tampered with. They sug- Austrian-Hungarian rule. To his very gested that the incident during the voting country,” he continued. “Either they take death he worked as a shepherd and was a was an unfortunate coincidence. After responsibility and realize their promises The coalition of President Viktor confirmed bachelor. Repeatedly asked checking the voting system the Security to voters... or they must admit that a Yushchenko’s Our Ukraine – People’s Self- about his secret to a long life, he joked Service of Ukraine reported that nothing coalition of 227 cannot work,” he added. Defense (OU-PSD) bloc and the Yulia that he had never been married, which suspicious was found. The coalition has a two-seat majority in Tymoshenko Bloc (YTB) has thus far failed kept him strong and healthy. His favorite On December 12 President Yushchenko the 450-seat Verkhovna Rada. (RFE/RL to ensure Ms. Tymoshenko’s return to the hobbies included singing in German, again submitted Ms. Tymoshenko’s nomi- Newsline) post of prime minister, from which the pres- Polish, Ukrainian and Russian. Mr. nation to Parliament. The opposition, how- ident fired her in fall 2005. Nestor was to be included in the Yushchenko rules out dismissing Rada ever, blocked the session hall. The PRU This time it is not disagreements within Guinness Book of World Records as the said that the December 11 voting was just a the coalition that stand in her way, but what world’s oldest person. (Ukrinform) KYIV – Ukrainian President Viktor looks like a glitch of the “Rada” electronic one-off concession to the coalition, and now Yushchenko told Channel 5 television on voting system and the opposition’s determi- they want Parliament to continue working Yushchenko waxes optimistic December 16 that he rules out the possi- nation to capitalize on it. Ms. Tymoshenko’s according to the usual procedure, which bility of dissolving the Verkhovna Rada bid for the prime ministership was support- stipulates that the Rada chair and vice- KYIV – Ukrainian President Viktor if it fails to form a government by the ed by exactly half of the Verkhovna Rada – chairs should be elected and standing com- Yushchenko said on Channel 5 television deadline for doing so. “Unfortunately, the but not a majority. mittees should be formed before voting on a on December 13 that lawmakers in the Constitution does not provide for this,” The voting on Ms. Tymoshenko on new prime minister. Only the chair has been Verkhovna Rada would reach an agree- he said. Mr. Yushchenko said that politi- December 11 demonstrated that the coali- elected so far.