The Ukrainian Weekly 1996, No.31

www.ukrweekly.com INSIDE:• Ukraine’s new Constitution: an analysis — page 2. • Udovenko meets with Talbott — page 3. • More Olympics coverage — pages 8-13. Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXIV HE KRAINIANNo. 31 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, AUGUST 4, 1996 EEKLY$1.25/$2 in Ukraine President’sT decreeUPodkopayeva wins all-aroundW title in gymnastics by Roman Woronowycz streamlines Cabinet ATLANTA — Nothing was going to by Marta Kolomayets stop little Liliya Podkopayeva this time. Kyiv Press Bureau The 4-foot-9-inch gymnastic dynamo was not going to be held back by the KYIV — President Leonid Kuchma much-hyped U.S. women, the rambunc- issued a decree on July 27 streamlining tious and loud pro-U.S. crowd, injury, the Cabinet of Ministers. her grandmother’s recent death or Mo The main points of the decree include Huilan, the Chinese gymnast. Nothing the liquidation of the Chornobyl Ministry did. On July 25, she won the gold medal (Ministry for the Protection of the in the individual all-around women’s Population from the Aftermath of the gymnastic competition in a battle that Accident at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power went to the last event and the last com- Plant) and the Civil Defense Headquarters, petitor. which are now merged and known as the The 17-year-old had several setbacks Ministry for Emergency Situations. recently - the latest, her gymnastic The decree also dissolves the Ministry team’s disapppointing fifth-place finish for Youth and Sports, the Committee for in the Olympic gymnastic team finals on Juvenile Affairs at the Cabinet of July 23. After that letdown, she said her Ministers and the Committee in charge team had been distracted by the crowd as of Women, Maternity and Childhood it passionately supported every U.S. under the aegis of the president of gymnast’s move. Speaking after she won Ukraine and in its place creates a Family the individual gold, she said she had and Youth Ministry. A new State made the adjustment, “I learned how to Committee on Physical Culture and deal with the noise,” she explained. “I Sports will be established. shut it out this time, and everything was It also forms a new Information all right.” Ministry, by merging the Information What distracted the U.S. members is and Press Ministry and Ukrinform, a not as clear. Both Dominique Dawes and (Continued on page 4) Shannon Miller, considered favorites for a medal in the individual competition, had done well in their first two rotations and were in first and second, respective- ly, going into the third rotation. Then the Lazarenko wins floor caved in – literally it seemed. In the floor exercise first Miller and then new commitments Dawes stepped out of bounds, which cost them automatic deductions, the lead and a medal. in Washington Theirs were part of a series of mis- by Khristina Lew takes made by the favorites that set up Podkopayeva’s final triumph. Earlier, WASHINGTON — Ukrainian Prime Associated Press Svetlana Boguinskaya of Belarus, medal- Minister Pavlo Lazarenko won a tacit commitment from the International Women’s all-around gymnastics champion Liliya Podkopayeva kisses gold medal. (Continued on page 13) Monetary Fund to explore the possibility of creating a $1.5 billion stabilization fund to back Ukraine’s new currency, the hryvnia, during his first working visit to In the Village: Ukraine’s Olympians crave borshch the United States on July 25. by Roman Woronowycz shop or restaurant. Sadovnycha, just about screamed in IMF Executive Director Michel There are 11 team volunteers helping unison, “There is no borshch or pam- ATLANTA — Life in the Olympic Camdessus said the lending institution Ukraine’s athletes — including one envoy pushky!” Village should be good. The athletes are would do “everything it can” to establish for the National Olympic Committee of Interesting. Maybe it was just two a stabilization fund for Ukraine, but cau- away from the crowds, the noise and the friends who shared a similar craving. problems that have characterized these Ukraine, five associate envoys and five tioned that “we won’t start it if it’s not drivers. However, in a dormitory apartment certain it will succeed.” “I hate sinking Olympics, rightly or wrongly. Many countries even have a temporary filled with wrestlers, among them boats,” he said. The more than 10,000 Olympians consulate set up in the Olympic Village to bronze medalist Andriy Kalashnikov, it According to acting Deputy Prime from 197 countries have billiard tables take care of issues of a more complex was confirmed that this was more than Minister for Economic Reform Victor and a bowling alley at their disposal. nature. an anomaly. Pynzenyk, no country has ever received There is the video game room, probably But the human spirit, constantly striv- The question about food in the this type of credit from the IMF. Mr. the most sophisticated and high tech of ing for perfection, will always find Olympic Village brought a direct Camdessus said “a mission with appro- its kind in the world. And it’s all free of something wrong. For some of the response from wrestler Rustam Adzhi: priate instructions” will visit Kyiv to dis- charge. “The food is not so good, we would Ukrainian athletes housed in the cuss the proposed fund in October. There is Coca Cola and Power Aide like to have soup, some borshch and Olympic Village one thing is desperately The IMF director more warmly for the thirsty, a cafeteria for the hun- pampushky.” The four other wrestlers lacking: borshch and pampushky. applauded Ukraine’s recent gains in con- gry, and local telephone call service, at nodded in agreement. trolling inflation, reducing the interest no cost to the athletes. Volunteers are No kidding. A trivial matter, perhaps, but don’t rate and strengthening its interim curren- on hand 24 hours a day to help solve When asked outside their dormitory tell the Ukrainian athletes that. It is cy, the karbovanets, and said that when whatever problem an athlete might building in the Olympic Village about the little things that can break up an Ukraine’s standby loan expires this year, have, be it a language problem, towels life there, Ukraine’s two stars in for the room or directions to a particular archery, Lina Herasymenko and Olena (Continued on page 8) (Continued on page 3) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, AUGUST 4, 1996 No. 31 ANALYSIS: A closer look NEWSBRIEFSNEWSBRIEFS at Ukraine’s Constitution Ukraine-Pakistan tank deal confirmed Meanwhile, the Ministry of Statistics by Petro Matiaszek society throughout the entire territory of reported that GDP fell by 8.7 percent Ukraine” (Article 10). Nonetheless, the KYIV — Ukraine has signed an It would be impossible to discuss here during the first half of the year, com- specific use of languages must still be agreement to sell more than 300 the content and implications of all 161 pared with a 3.1 percent decrease over regulated by law. Ukrainian-built T-80 tanks to Pakistan, articles of Ukraine’s new Constitution; the same period last year. (OMRI Daily 6. One likely conflict on the political Reuters reported on July 31. The deal is for this reason I will focus on several of Digest) horizon will be the issue of the national worth over $550 million and the tanks the more interesting aspects of the docu- deputies’ oath (Article 79), with a large are to be delivered to Pakistan over a Monument to Princess Olha unveiled ment. segment of the left-wing contending that three-year period. The U.S. had stopped As already reported, Ukraine’s new the oath, which mandates allegiance to all military deliveries to Pakistan in KYIV — During the annual Kyiv Day Constitution was adopted by Parliament Ukraine, is obligatory only for deputies 1990, but the deal was made possible celebrations held on May 26, a monument on June 28 after an all-night, marathon elected to the next Parliament, i.e., in under the Pressler Amendment, which to Princess Olha, grandmother of Prince session. Lest there be any doubt, it is 1998. The vast majority of MPs, includ- allows Islamabad a one-time exemption Volodymyr the Great, Christianizer of important to note that the adoption proce- ing the leadership of Parliament, took the for weapons purchases, excluding F-16 Kyivan Rus’, was unveiled here on St. dure was entirely legitimate under oath during a special ceremony on July aircraft. Ukraine developed the tank at Michael’s Square. Clergy, government Ukrainian law, and deputies had ample 12. According to the new Constitution, the Malyshev Plant in Kharkiv and first officials, Parliament Chairman Oleksander time to review and discuss progressive refusal to take the oath results in the loss displayed it at an arms fair in Abu-Dhabi Moroz and a throng of Kyivites took part drafts over the course of many weeks and of a deputy’s mandate. It is difficult to in March 1995. (OMRI Daily Digest) in a procession from Princess Olha’s bur- months. The voluminous parliamentary foresee that the parliamentary leadership ial site at Volodymyr Street to the square, record attests to the fact that consistent UNSO reformed as trade union will bar those who did not take the oath where the three-statue monument, attempts were made to reach consensus, from attending the next session of designed at the turn of this century by the and to take as many differing viewpoints KYIV — The Ukrainian National Parliament, while the vagary over the renowned Ukrainian sculptor Ivan into consideration as possible. Assembly said on July 23 that it had dis- issue and the lack of a clearly defined Kavaleridze, and recently executed in Also, the constitutional drafting banded its paramilitary wing, the mechanism for enforcing the oath will white Italian marble, was formally opened process was unequivocally multilateral, Ukrainian National Self-Defense likely result in a tabling of the issue until to the public.

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