1 January 4, 2004

ïêàëíéë êéÑàÇëü! CHRIST IS BORN! Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXXII HE KRAINIANNo. 1 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2004 EEKLY$1/$2 in Ukraine RadioT Canada International’U s Ukrainian ConstitutionalW Court of Ukraine service faces possibile cuts or elimination rules that Kuchma can run in 2004 by Christopher Guly The Winnipeg-based Ukrainian by Roman Woronowycz ly presidential candidate, called the court’s Special to The Ukrainian Weekly Canadian Congress has already contact- Kyiv Press Bureau decision proof that the 18 judges were ed Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham merely the president’s stooges. OTTAWA – Radio Canada and RCI director Jean Larin and asked KYIV – Ukraine’s Constitutional “This is more proof of the level of International’s Ukrainian-language serv- them to ensure that the Ukrainian service Court ruled on December 30 that President democracy [in the court] and the level of ice could face having its air time reduced “remains intact.” Leonid Kuchma can run for a third term in democracy in Ukraine in general,” said Mr. by half to 15 minutes or cut completely. In a letter to Mr. Graham, UCC office even though the country’s Ostash according to Interfax-Ukraine. A highly placed source told The Executive Director Ostap Skrypnyk said Constitution limits a state leader to two The lawmaker added that the court had Ukrainian Weekly that a decision to the Ukrainian section “plays an impor- terms. “delivered a serious blow to Ukraine’s make any changes or not is expected by tant role in projecting Canadian values to The 18 members of Ukraine’s highest authority.” Mr. Ostash explained that while mid-January. Eastern Europe and in creating civil soci- constitutional authority decided that Mr. Mr. Kuchma and the pro-presidential forces The 51-year-old Ukrainian-language ety in Ukraine,” and is “an integral Kuchma, who was first elected in 1994, has could be satisfied that the court had recent- service has been under review since aspect” of Canada’s assistance to the exclusive right to an additional term ly decided in their favor on three important September when RCI officials began Ukraine “and should be viewed as part because he was elected prior to approval of issues – the election of a president by the looking at ways to “reposition” Canada’s and parcel of Canada’s diverse relation- the Constitution in 1996. parliament already in 2004; the matter of publicly funded international radio net- ship with Ukraine.” The decision in part reads: “One must criminal immunity of the president and the work. To Mr. Larin, Mr. Skrypnyk wrote: understand that the provision applies only difficult standard for impeachment; and “They’re rethinking to which regions “Cutting back or eliminating the to people who are elected to the post of now his right to another term in office – the they should broadcast and to which they Ukrainian language section at RCI would president of Ukraine after the 1996 rulings would hurt relations with the should not,” said the source. be a mistake and would go against the Constitution came into force.” Council of Europe and its Venetian RCI officials said there would be goals that the Canadian public wishes After reading the decision, Justice Vasyl Council, which reviews major court rulings changes in the sections, though it’s RCI to pursue.” Nimchenko explained that the court ruled in Europe. unclear how this would affect the Supporters of RCI’s Ukrainian service only after extensive consultation with legal One noted political analyst, who some Ukrainian service. say it provides Ukrainian listeners with scholars at the country’s leading law critics call a presidential mouthpiece, said Though one of the oldest RCI servic- programming they might not otherwise schools. He said that with the enactment of the court’s decision should not be construed es, the Ukrainian section is the only one hear. For instance in 2003, the Ukrainian the Constitution in 1996 President Kuchma to mean that Mr. Kuchma has changed his of the seven (which also includes became an acting president fulfilling his mind after several times announcing he English, French, Spanish, Arabic, section featured interviews with former Ukrainian prime minister Viktor authority as state leader under the terms of would not consider running for office Chinese and Russian) that is not an offi- the old Constitution. Therefore the time again. cial United Nations language and which Yushchenko and Yulia Tymoshenko, Ukraine’s former deputy prime minister period between 1996-1999 cannot be con- Mykhailo Pohrebynsky, director of the has a narrow geographic reach in target- sidered a full term in office under the new Kyiv Center for Political Research and ing one country, namely Ukraine. and now one of the country’s leading opposition leaders, both of whom find it Constitution. The Constitutional Court Conflict Studies, said it was unlikely that “But every time the question comes grounded their reasoning in Part 3 Article President Kuchma would run in 2004. up, ‘Why Ukrainian?’ ” said the source, hard to get on the Ukrainian airwaves at home. 103 of the 1996 Constitution, which states “With regard to the political conse- it’s explained that Canada has a very spe- that the new Basic Law could not be quences of this decision, Kuchma has cial relationship and partnership with Though the future of RCI’s Ukrainian service remains uncertain, the section applied retroactively. clearly stated that he is not going to take Ukraine that it doesn’t have with other The reaction of Ukraine’s political oppo- part in the presidential elections in 2004. I countries, that the Canadian government has already shrunk in size over the past decade. sition to a ruling they long warned about cannot see a scenario in which Kuchma is committed to help Ukraine establish a was muted inasmuch as the court’s decision organizes a campaign. There are no such democratic society, as well as the fact Ten years ago, the Ukrainian news and current events program had four full- came as the country, including its politi- scenarios,” explained Mr. Pohrebynsky. that Canada has over one million resi- cians, were well into the holiday spirit. The court’s ruling came in response to dents who are of Ukrainian descent. time employees and 45 minutes of daily air time. It briefly expanded to five staff However, National Deputy Ihor Ostash, petitions filed separately by both the oppo- Among the RCI’s five foreign-lan- a member of the Our Ukraine political bloc sition and pro-presidential forces in guage sections (excluding English and (Continued on page 3) whose leader, Viktor Yushchenko, is a like- Ukraine’s Parliament. French), each of which has 30-minute broadcasting blocks daily, the Ukrainian section is perceived to have a good dis- tribution system. Its twice-daily information program is Olympic champion Petrenko returnes for pro skate in Ukraine broadcast at 6:30 p.m. (only on short- by Roman Woronowycz Mr. Petrenko has been very active. He wave, Ukrainian time) and repeated at 7 Kyiv Press Bureau turned professional, went amateur again before going back, married his teen-age p.m. (Ukrainian time) also on the third KYIV – Leading a coterie of entertain- channel of Ukraine’s national radio net- sweetheart, become a father and built a ers on ice, including six Olympic medal- home in Simsbury, Conn. He has also work, reaching all together a potential lists, on December 13 Viktor Petrenko, audience of two million listeners. given financial and moral support to former world men’s skating champion The RCI Ukrainian service has also upcoming Ukrainian skating stars – and Olympic gold medal winner, put on collaborated with its Ukrainian radio including future Olympic champion his first professional show in Ukraine partner on programs, including a six- Oksana Baiul – while skating with sever- part, 20-minute series on Canadian since leaving his homeland 11 years ago al ice shows. International Development Agency to work in the United States. The results In the last several years, he has organ- (CIDA) federal government-funded ini- were impressive in an event that is a nov- ized his own shows, including several tiatives in Ukraine – projects that get lit- elty in Ukraine. fundraisers for the Children of Chornobyl tle attention in either Ukraine or Canada. “I grew up in Ukraine, I learned to Relief Fund, inviting his wide circle of Ironically, it will now be up to the skate in Ukraine, it was time to show skating friends to perform. The last one, Department of Foreign Affairs, which Ukraine what I learned,” explained the held in October 2003, netted the charita- oversees CIDA’s budget and shares an 34-year-old former resident of Odesa in ble organization some $50,000. administrative role with the Department an interview with The Weekly several Now he has taken his show to of Canadian Heritage over RCI, to deter- days before the show. Ukraine. mine the ultimate fate of the Ukrainian Since winning the gold medal at the service. Albertville, France, Olympics in 1992, (Continued on page 20) Viktor Petrenko 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2004 No. 1 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFSNEWSBRIEFS Conflict grows between Our Ukraine Kuchma signs political-finance bill December 23 that Poland’s involvement in stabilization efforts in Iraq might be KYIV – President Leonid Kuchma gradually reduced beginning in 2005, and Social Democratic Party United signed a bill into law on December 22 that Polish TV reported. 2004 will be a year by Taras Kuzio Medvedchuk from the post of Rada first introduces the state funding of political of high activity in Iraq, according to RFE/RL Poland, Belarus and Ukraine Report vice-chairman, and in return Mr.

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