The Ukrainian Weekly 2003, No.19
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www.ukrweekly.com INSIDE:• “Good news” from Ukraine, courtesy of Kuchma administration — page 2. • 2003 Shevchenko Lecture focuses on multiculturalism’s significance — page 4. • Ukraine’s philatelic releases of 2002: vote for your favorite — pages 13-15. Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXXI HE KRAINIANNo. 19 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MAY 11, 2003 EEKLY$1/$2 in Ukraine UkraineT may be involvedU in stabilization TarasyukW elected to lead of post-war Iraq; role to be determined National Rukh of Ukraine by Yaro Bihun “We were not presented with any con- by Roman Woronowycz Special to The Ukrainian Weekly crete proposals,” he said, “we were there Kyiv Press Bureau simply to observe how the decisions were WASHINGTON – Ukraine’s participa- being made and how the stabilization of KYIV – Less than two months after tion in post-war Iraq has yet to be decid- Iraq would proceed. Would there be a role joining the National Rukh of Ukraine ed. Yevhen Marchuk, secretary of for Ukraine in this or not — that would be Party (NRU), Borys Tarasyuk became its Ukraine’s National Security and Defense decided later.” chairman on May 4 during its 13th Council, says it will depend on how “There is much that would be of inter- annual congress. The former foreign NATO responds to the U.S. proposal, and, est to Ukraine,” Mr. Marchuk told Radio affairs minister received nearly unani- according to that alliance’s secretary-gen- Liberty, “but this will require serious mous support from the 834 delegates, eral, George Robertson, NATO has not study and appropriate procedures.” with 808 supporting his candidacy, 10 yet made its decision. Lord Robertson said Ukraine remains voting against and 16 abstaining. Mr. Marchuk and Lord Robertson were “high on the list of NATO’s strategic pri- Speaking at the Culture and Arts asked about their future roles in Iraq dur- orities” as it continues to develop its rela- Center on the campus of the Kyiv ing a news conference here May 5, after a tionship with NATO. Polytechnic Institute, where the two-day daylong conference of the NATO-Ukraine “We had some tough moments between congress took place, the ex-foreign min- Joint Working Group on Defense Reform. Ukraine and NATO, but I believe it’s ister of Ukraine, who is currently a law- The closed-door meeting of Ukrainian changing significantly,” he said. maker and chairman of the Verkhovna and NATO defense ministers and officials “I think the worst of the problems are Rada’s Committee on European focused on Ukraine’s progress in achiev- certainly over,” he added. “But some Integration, laid out his political stance Yaro Bihun ing greater cooperation and integration in a single sentence. issues still remain and they will still have Borys Tarasyuk at a recent conference. into NATO. to be resolved.” “Our goal is to take the reigns of Responding to a question about power to build an independent, demo- Mr. Marchuk indicated that these prob- must consolidate and work for the unifi- Ukraine’s role in Iraq, Mr. Marchuk said lem issues were the subject of frank dis- cratic, prosperous, law-abiding that, as a cooperating partner with NATO, European-type country,” explained Mr. cation of all national democratic forces cussions at the conference. in Ukraine into a single political organi- “We will make our decision after NATO “The talks between friends sometimes Tarasyuk, who called for resolving con- makes its position known.” tinuing economic problems and main- zation. He said the object of that unifica- do not sound like the sweetest of music,” tion should be support for a single can- Lord Robertson noted that the issue of he said, “but they were most helpful.” taining the course towards Euro-Atlantic NATO’s role in Iraq was raised during a integration for the country. didate in the 2004 presidential elections, ministerial meeting in Brussels in April. (Continued on page 3) He said the National Rukh of Ukraine whom he identified as National Deputy He said that they will surely discuss the Viktor Yushchenko. possibility “in due course, when the situa- Mr. Yushchenko is an ex-prime minis- tion does become clearer.” As of now, ter who currently heads the Our Ukraine however, “There is no NATO position in faction in Parliament to which the NRU relation to operations in Iraq,” he added. belongs. Mr. Yushchenko was present Later, Mr. Marchuk said in an inter- Tarasyuk: no legal basis at present for both sessions of the congress. view with Radio Liberty that deciding “I call on all those political powers Ukraine’s participation in Iraq will not be for Ukraine to send soldiers to Iraq close to us in spirit to begin unification an easy matter, recalling how it was with by Roman Woronowycz presence in Iraq by dividing the country and the formation of a single monolithic the decision on sending the Ukrainian Kyiv Press Bureau into three zones of control and inviting party,” Mr. Tarasyuk exhorted his party NBC (anti-nuclear, -biological, -chemical) other countries to provide troops, among faithful. detachment to the Persian Gulf. KYIV – A former foreign affairs min- them Ukraine. The 10 countries invited Delegates heeded the call and “The decision in this case will be no ister of Ukraine said on April 7 that no would have responsibility over the approved a resolution that states: less complex, and most probably more legal basis exists at present for sending northern zone, which Poland would con- “Victory in these elections will depend complex,” he said. And that is why soldiers to Iraq as part of a U.S. stabi- trol as one of the countries that sent on agreement and unity among all the Ukraine was invited as an “observer” to lization force. troops into battle. democratic forces of Ukraine and full the coalition’s Iraq stabilization planning “There is a problem of legitimacy Great Britain would continue to main- coordination of our common efforts.” talks in London, he explained. here. In Ukraine’s past participation in tain responsibility over the southern part The congress also approved a specific peacekeeping efforts there was a norma- of the country, while the U.S. presence request to Mr. Yushchenko to run for the tive base from which to proceed, the would be reduced to the central region, presidency in 2004 – a move that he has United Nations, NATO, etc. At the including the area around Baghdad. not yet been willing to make. moment there is none,” explained Borys Australia would maintain only a token While Mr. Tarasyuk had only recently Tarasyuk, foreign affairs minister in the force in Iraq. taken formal membership in the NRU, Cabinet of ex-Prime Minister Viktor The other countries invited to con- more commonly referred to simply as Yuschenko and currently the chairman of tribute military personnel were: Rukh, he was not an unexpected nomi- the Verkhovna Rada’s Committee on Bulgaria, Denmark, the Netherlands, the nee, nor was he an unexpected victor. European Integration. Philippines, South Korea, Qatar, Outgoing Chairman Hennadii Udovenko Mr. Tarasyuk emphasized that he Pakistan, India and Albania. told The Weekly in an exclusive inter- would like to see Ukraine take part in the Kyiv has remained guarded about its view on May 7 (a full transcript will U.S.-led stabilization force, but until a current attitude toward participation in a appear in an upcoming issue of The recognized international body gave sup- stabilization force in part perhaps Weekly) that he had pushed the candida- port for the mission and a legitimate because its giant northern neighbor, cy of the person whose career in interim government took charge in Iraq Russia, has continued to vehemently Ukraine’s diplomatic corps and in poli- it was unlikely that the Verkhovna Rada oppose the U.S. takeover of the country tics has shadowed his own. Mr. would give legislative approval for and the regime change that occurred. On Udovenko suggested that there was not a Ukraine’s participation. The stabilization May 6 Foreign Affairs Ministry better choice for the Rukh chairman than force would conduct peacekeeping and spokesman Markian Lubkivskyi would Mr. Tarasyuk. humanitarian operations. only say that “intensive negotiations” are Mr. Udovenko said the new Rukh Yaro Bihun On May 2 the U.S. announced that it Yevhen Marchuk will make an effort to reduce its military (Continued on page 4) (Continued on page 4) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MAY 11, 2003 No. 19 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFSNEWSBRIEFS “Good news” from Ukraine Putin, Kuchma agree on range of issues House noted, and downgraded Russia’s by Taras Kuzio stopped producing these surveys after Ms. overall rating from “partly free” to “not RFE/RL Poland, Belarus and Ukraine Report Severinsen publicly ridiculed them in the YALTA, Ukraine – President Vladimir free.” (RFE/RL Newsline) Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Putin wound up his five-day visit to Yalta, The presidential administration’s Europe. Crimea, on May 4, having reached agree- CPJ gives Russia poor marks Department for Information Policy began Third, the aim is to influence the ment with Ukrainian President Leonid sending, on a daily basis, “Good News Kuchma on “a wide range of issues,” NEW YORK – The U.S.-based Ukrainian diaspora through its media out- Committee to Protect Journalists named from Ukraine” newspapers to the lets. The thinking behind the “media proj- Kommersant-Daily reported on the next Ukrainian diaspora. The first issue included day. Mr. Putin reiterated Russia’s desire to Chechnya as one of the 10 worst places in ect” and the tactics used are similar to those the world to be a journalist, noting that a cover letter signed by the head of the in the Soviet era when Tovarystvo Ukraina reach an agreement with Ukraine and department, Serhii Vasyliev, stating that Germany to repair Ukraine’s gas-pipeline Russian policies have accomplished “the (the Society for Cultural Relations with government’s goal of preventing journalists when used, “Good News” should be cited Ukrainians Abroad) published a weekly system and thereby expand its capacity to as the source (i.e., not the presidential from reporting on the [Chechen] war’s dev- newspaper in English and Ukrainian titled export Russian natural gas to Western administration).