www.ukrweekly.com ХРИСТОС НАРОДИВСЯ! CHRIST IS BORN! THEH Published U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal W non-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXIX No. 52 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2011 $1/$2 in Ukraine Tymoshenko urges opposition forces European Union declines to initial to unite for parliamentary elections Association Agreement with Ukraine “The government will provoke conflicts, clashes of interests and play off contradic- tions within the opposition,” said Volodymyr Fesenko, board chairman of the Penta Center for Applied Political Research in Kyiv. “For there to be less of that, the largest opposition forces need to restrain their emotions and on many issues and consider not only their own egotistical party inter- ests.” Lacking unity, the opposition forces to Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych grew even more divided after the parlia- mentary opposition voted on November 17 to support the scandalous election law, which was tailored by the parliamentary www.tymoshenko.com.ua majority to keep the authoritarian govern- Yulia Tymoshenko in a photo taken dur- ment intact. ing her March visit to Brussels. Critics said that by offering their sup- port, the opposition deputies surrendered by Zenon Zawada their moral authority in contesting or inval- Special to The Ukrainian Weekly idating the election results, which most UNIAN/Vladimir Gontar President Viktor Yanukovych is flanked by Herman van Rompuy (left), president of political experts expect will be skewed by KYIV – Imprisoned opposition leader the European Council, and Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, “adminresurs” (abuse of government resourc- Yulia Tymoshenko released a December 20 during a press conference after the European Union-Ukraine Summit held in Kyiv on es) and possibly be tainted by falsification. letter in which she called upon Ukraine’s December 19. “A loser psychology drives the actions of fractured opposition to unite for the sake of the Ukrainian opposition,” declared the the 2012 parliamentary elections, propos- by Zenon Zawada five years working on the Association front page of the Ukrainian Week maga- ing drastic measures such as merging into Agreement, which would have been a sig- zine, depicting the leaders of Batkivschyna Special to The Ukrainian Weekly a single party. She also rejected speculation nificant step in Ukraine’s EU-integration and the Front for Change (Front Zmin) par- about her own party’s division. KYIV – It was St. Nicholas Day on efforts. The Agreement’s Deep and ties as servants.(The populist Front for The letter came amidst growing divi- December 19 but the European Union (EU) Comprehensive Free Trade Area (FTA) was Change party is widely viewed as the suc- siveness throughout opposition forces that offered no presents, abstaining from initial- completed in October after almost four cessor to the pro-NATO, pro-EU Our will likely lead to the Party of Regions of ing its Association Agreement with Ukraine years of negotiations. Ukraine-People’s Self-Defense Bloc.) Ukraine retaining power. That would also – an event that had been hoped for months The politically motivated imprisonment Indeed it’s the widely held view among imply Ms. Tymoshenko staying in prison and whose failure was deemed by the of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko pro-Western Ukrainians that the parlia- longer, hurting not only her political pros- opposition as a foreign policy catastrophe had derailed the Ukraine-EU Association mentary opposition – consisting of the pects but also those of her Batkivschyna for the Ukrainian government. Agreement, as confirmed in a communiqué issued in Brussels on December 19 by the party, experts said. (Continued on page 22) Ukrainian diplomats had spent nearly Europe on Council and the European Commission. “EU leaders underline the necessity of all-encompassing reforms of Ukraine’s Weekly TV program in Ukraine to focus on diaspora communities judicial system and measures against a politically motivated and selective judicia- TORONTO – On December 17 in Toronto, ry,” the communiqué stated. the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) Ukrainian diplomats held out hope the signed a memorandum with Ukraine’s pact could be initialed as early as January. Channel 5 TV in Ukraine and IMB+ Records Yet that’s not nearly as important has getting in Canada to launch a new weekly television it signed, which would require far greater news journal, “Ukrayinska Hromada” concessions from the administration of (Ukrainian community). President Viktor Yanukovych, namely, the The program, to be aired on Channel 5, release of imprisoned opposition leaders will showcase the activities of Ukrainian Ms. Tymoshenko and Yurii Lutsenko, the for- communities beyond the borders of mer internal affairs minister. Ukraine, as well as world events directly In the same December 20 statement, affecting Ukrainians. Vice-Minister Foreign Affairs Pavlo Klimkin In the early stages of the project, claimed the initialing was delayed for tech- Channel 5 will broadcast video footage nical reasons and required linguistic and under the heading “Ukrayinska Hromada” legal review, avoiding the primary reasons during its daily news programming courte- offered by the EU communiqué the prior sy of the UWC and its member-organiza- UWC day. tions. Ultimately, the intent is to produce a At the signing of a memorandum about the launch of a new weekly television pro- The avoidance of an initialing ceremony separate program under the same name. gram called “Ukrayinska Hromada” (from left) are: Channel 5 Editor-in-Chief confirmed that EU leaders were left with a Volodymyr Mzhelskyi, Ukrainian World Congress President Eugene Czolij and IMB+ (Continued on page 6) Records President Bohdan Mouzitchka. (Continued on page 20) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2011 No. 52 ANALYSIS Ukraine loses fight against corruption Yanukovych says he wants to release Yulia Ms. Tymoshenko’s arrest was illegal and that it should be cancelled. “If this decision KYIV – President Viktor Yanukovych said by Pavel Korduban marked for retraining the unemployed have remains valid, it will be a crime,” he said. A been routinely stolen. Funds disappeared on December 21 at his yearend press con- Eurasia Daily Monitor state procurator, in turn, said that, according last year that were intended to help ference that he is interested in the release of to the current Criminal Procedure Code, it is The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Ukrainians launch their own businesses former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko not illegal to choose another measure of has detained a fire inspector for soliciting a after losing their jobs, and it has been virtu- like no one else. “I would not mind if Ms. restraint for a person against whom several $44,000 bribe from a company that was ally impossible for companies to qualify for Tymoshenko was released under certain criminal cases were opened. On December 8 involved in the construction of a new stadi- compensation for creating jobs without conditions stipulated by law. Moreover, I the Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv um for the Euro-2012 soccer championship kickbacks. Mr. Halytsky has been charged would like this case to be completed as soon concurred with a motion by an investigator in Kyiv (www.ssu.gov.ua, November 24). with embezzling money from a fund which as possible. I’m interested as no one else. I of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) to Just two days later the chief of the State was set up to help companies create jobs for want it to happen,” Mr. Yanukovych empha- arrest Ms. Tymoshenko, who was already sized. “I became a hostage of this situation Employment Service, Volodymyr Halytsky, former coal miners. The companies in ques- arrested in the gas case and has been held in and when the Europeans came to us – Jose and several of his subordinates were tion reportedly had to pay 15 percent to 20 prison since August 5, as part of the UESU Manuel Barroso and Herman van Rompuy – detained on suspicion of corruption. Cash percent kickbacks. The newspaper alleged case. (Ukrinform) I said, if you know what is the way out of and valuables totaling $7.5 million were that Mr. Halytsky paid protection money to this situation, tell me, what is the practice, confiscated during a search of their offices national deputies from the Popular Party European court to fast track Yulia’s case but the investigation cannot be stopped, and homes (www.zn.ua, November 26). which is part of the ruling coalition and is legal proceedings cannot be stopped, they KYIV – The European Court of Human The two arrests have been the most headed by Rada Chairman Volodymyr will be considered, and no one has the Rights decided on December 14 to fast track recent manifestations of the scale of klep- Lytvyn (Zerkalo Nedeli, December 2). authority to influence them,” Mr. an application from Yulia Tymoshenko, for- tocracy in Ukraine. Several former top officials have been Yanukovych said. He added that he was mer Ukrainian prime minister and Viktor Yanukovych, upon his election as arrested and jailed for corruption since Mr. ready to support the decriminalization of Batkivschyna party leader. “The court took president in February 2010, like all his pre- Yanukovych’s election as president. Many of articles on which Ms. Tymoshenko has been the decision to give priority to the case ...in decessors proclaimed the fight against cor- them are his political rivals, like former convicted, if the Parliament makes that deci- view of the serious and sensitive nature of ruption as one of his priorities. However, he Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, which sion. He said the idea was to decriminalize the allegations raised,” reads a statement has failed to improve the situation. raises legitimate doubts about their guilt certain articles of the Criminal Code, includ- posted on the court’s official website. Ms. Corruption permeates all walks of life, from both in Ukraine and internationally.