Majority Coalition Taps Yanukovych As Presidential Candidate

INSIDE:• Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church begins move to Kyiv — page 3. • Ukrainian DP folklore: researchers needed — page 12. • Canadian educators change teaching of history in Ukraine — page 13. Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXXII HE KRAINIANNo. 16 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 18, 2004 EEKLY$1/$2 in Ukraine TUNA announces U W Majorityby Roman coalition Woronowycz tapsgiven Yanukovych up on political reform as through presidentialUkraine that the executive candidate branch had new member benefit Kyiv Press Bureau constitutional change even after the fail- pushed for several years. ure of the political reform bill on April While some members of the parlia- PARSIPPANY, N.J. – A new UNA KYIV – Leaders of the majority 8. mentary majority have stated they member benefit was launched on coalition of the Ukrainian Parliament The leader of the parliamentary would try to move a version of the Monday, April 12, as announced by and its member political parties voted majority, National Deputy Stepan failed bill onto the fall parliamentary UNA National Secretary Christine E. unanimously on April 14 to support Havrysh, said the matter of Mr. session, just prior to the presidential Kozak. “This is an extremely exciting Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych as Yanukovych’s candidacy did not entail elections, Verkhovna Rada Chairman time for the UNA. In honor of the their candidate for president. The agree- extensive debate. He underscored, how- Volodymyr Lytvyn said the issue is dead UNA’s 110th anniversary, and as always, ment was announced after a closed-door ever, that the majority coalition expect- for all practical purposes until at least keeping the UNA’s membership in mind, session attended by President Leonid ed Mr. Yanukovych to complete the after the October vote because the we are proud to announce the ScriptSave Kuchma. process of political reform that was Constitution requires a year before an Prescription Drug Discount Card.” Later Mr. Yanukovych, who was begun by the current president. issue on amendments to the basic law The ScriptSave Prescription appointed to head the Ukrainian govern- The vote to support Mr. can return for parliamentary considera- Enhanced Discount Card is not a drug ment by President Kuchma in Yanukovych’s candidacy came nearly a tion. insurance card, it is a discount card November 22, said the two major planks week after the parliamentary majority Nobody among Ukraine’s political that is accepted in over 33,000 partici- of his platform would be continued eco- suffered an unexpected – some mass elite immediately expressed any surprise pating pharmacies in the United States. nomic development and a renewed media in Ukraine have suggested it was or reservation regarding the probable can- This card not only offers instant sav- effort towards political reform. a shocking defeat – of its political didacy of Mr. Yanukovych, which had ings on prescriptions, it also offers sav- “We need to continue to work to reform initiative, when it fell six votes long been considered a fait accompli. ings on vision care, hearing care, dia- make sure the economy continues to short of a constitutionally mandated Petro Symonenko, chairman of the betes supplies and health aids. move upward,” explained Mr. two-thirds majority to support amend- This card will be most beneficial to Yanukovych, who said that he had not ments to the current Constitution of (Continued on page 5) those individuals who do not have any prescription cards from their medical insurance company or for people who do not have any medical coverage at all. This card will also be beneficial to Kuchmaby Roman Woronowycz signs watered-downadditional legislation. A law draft bill ondelin- Ukrainiansfit the Ukrainian diaspora abroad and the expa- anyone who may have limited drug Kyiv Press Bureau eating a “Concept of a National Policy triate community could bring the coun- coverage or is reimbursed for his or her Regarding Ukrainians Abroad” is cur- try. KYIV – President Leonid Kuchma prescription expenses by his/her med- rently being completed and should She said that, especially in the West finally signed legislation on March 26 ical insurance company. Members receive the attention of Ukrainian law- the diaspora community was so well ascribing certain rights to those ethnic should call the ScriptSave Customer makers before the summer recess, organized and sufficiently financed that Service 800 number with all of their Ukrainians living abroad who identified it needs to be given a leading role as one themselves as Ukrainians. He did so explained National Deputy Oksana questions. Bilozir in an interview with The Weekly. of the central lobbying arms of Ukraine. Enrollment for UNA members is after some critical aspects of the draft Ms. Bilozir also noted that Ukraine’s bill were dropped by its authors in the “The law that was recently signed by simple. Members call the Home Office the president does not resolve the issues state authorities could not continue to at 800-253-9862 or fill out the bottom Ukrainian Parliament. and the problems of those Ukrainians disregard a recent economic immigra- of the UNA ad in this issue (see page The water-downed version of the who do not live in Ukraine,” explained tion that had left another 7 million 8) and mail it directly to the UNA original draft legislation left national Ms. Bilozir. Ukrainians living abroad – forced to do Home Office. This program is avail- democratic deputies who pushed the bill The head of the recently formed so in order to support their families back able to all UNA members free of through to passage and diaspora leaders home. She explained that the recent Ukrainian Christian Party, which is charge. Whether members have active unsatisfied with the outcome. Most dias- Fourth Wave of immigration was in all associated with the Our Ukraine faction premium-paying policies, paid-up poli- pora leaders agreed it gave them no spe- likelihood the largest current investor in in the Verkhovna Rada, said the presi- cies or annuities, you are eligible to cial status, only the ability to obtain free Ukraine with expatriates sending back receive this card. If a member’s policy five-year visas into Ukraine. dential administration and the govern- to their family members still living there is lapsed, he/she can have the policy Undaunted, however, some lawmak- ment continued to fail to understand – or reinstated and then be eligible for the ers are already preparing to introduce simply did not want to do so – the bene- (Continued on page 19) discount card. Members can begin using their per- sonalized prescription cards as soon as After hostage-taking incident, Ukrainian workers evacuated from Iraq they arrive in the mail. If members have any questions – questions con- by Roman Woronowycz The moves came two days after eight Kostyantyn Gryshchenko, who was to cerning pharmacies, questions about Kyiv Press Bureau workers of the Russian firm meet with newly appointed Russian which medications are or are not cov- InterEnergoService were abducted at Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as the ered, questions regarding coverage for KYIV – Ukrainians working in Iraq gun point from a building in which they vision care, hearing care, etc. – they under contract to a Russian energy com- kidnappings became known, explained were working. The kidnappers, thought can dial the 800 number on their dis- pany have been evacuated from the during a press conference with his to be part of a wider rebellion against count card and speak to a ScriptSave country after five of them were tem- Russian colleague that he was urging all Savings Specialist. ScriptSave offers porarily taken hostage on April 13 by the United States-led Provisional Ukrainian nationals in Iraq to leave the language translation assistance if need- unidentified Iraqi assailants. Authority in the country, released the country. He added, however, that “prac- ed, including Ukrainian. Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Ministry five Ukrainians they had taken along tically no Ukrainian companies” had We certainly hope UNA members will announced on April 15 that the Russian with three Russians, after it was deter- workers in Iraq. take advantage of this great member ben- firm TechnoPromExport had ordered its mined that the workers were employed The kidnapping of Ukrainian workers efit. For anyone who is not a UNA mem- workers, among them 172 Ukrainians, by a Russian firm. Russia is not part of in Baghdad came a week after a ber and is interested in receiving this to board planes supplied by the Russian the stabilization force that many Iraqis Ukrainian soldier was killed and five card, please call the UNA Home Office at Emergencies Service and leave the are increasingly looking at as an occupi- others were wounded when two 800-253-9862 for information on how to country. Workers of another Russian er within the country and had voiced Ukrainian military platoons in the city become a member of the UNA. firm, EnergoMashExport, including 35 strenuous objection to an attack on the of Kut, part of the U.S.-led stabilization Ukrainians, asked to stay on in the Iraqi country prior to the onset of military force, confronted an Iraqi insurgency of – UNA Executive Committee capital after they, too, were ordered conflict a year ago. home. Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Minister (Continued on page 19) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 18, 2004 No. 16 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFS Constitutional reform bill fails to pass: NEWSBRIEFS Debate on pullout from Iraq is rejected tive branches,” Interfax quoted the president as saying. (RFE/RL Newsline) What’s next in the Verkhovna Rada? KYIV – The Verkhovna Rada on April 9 rejected a motion to include the issue of Pensioners demand higher payments by Jan Maksymiuk Socialist Party leader Oleksander Moroz the pullout of Ukrainian troops from Iraq on its current agenda, the UNIAN news KYIV – Some 1,000 mostly elderly peo- RFE/RL Belarus and Ukraine Report stipulating that the legislation will come into ple gathered outside the Verkhovna Rada force only after the 2004 presidential elec- service reported.

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