www.ukrweekly.com Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association j crainian Weekl V Vol. LIX No. 46 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17,1991 50 cents Ukraine's army takes beginner's stepsTravel to Ukraine despite difficulties and criticism Visas now issued at Boryspil JERSEY CITY, N.J. - Although lagging behind. The U.S. response to a by Marta Kolomayets vention on Consular Relations, ex­ Soviet Defense Minister Yevgeny Ukrainian army was more or less plained the various types of visas Shaposhnikov has recently announced negative, perhaps because of "an NEW YORK - Tourists and busi- available and their costs. He reported that he supports a Ukrainian army, the unspoken desire to support Gorba­ nesspeople traveling to Ukraine no that a 12-hour transit visa will cost perceptions of it in the West are still chev," as one U.S. official in Kiev put it. longer have to undergo the, at times, about S25 (U.S.); a 24-hour transit visa, largely negative, as reported recently in The U.S. also has valid worries about excruciating experience of getting a visa about S30 (U.S.) a transit visa for 72 the Christian Science Monitor and The how Ukraine will pay for a 400,000 at the Soviet embassies or consulates in hours will cost about S40 (U.S.) New York Times. person army in the midst of an the West. The cost of an entry/exit visa will run Although as late as October 20, Gen. economic crisis and restructuring. According to Viktor Kyryk, chief of about S50 (U.S.). The cost is established Shaposhnikov said that he would not A major reason for all of the fuss is the consular department of the Foreign by the commercial rate of the ruble. allow Soviet forces or weapons to be that Western nations are nervous about Ministry of Ukraine, effective Novem­ Since November 1, officers from the divided, in a November 1 meeting he the nuclear arms on Ukrainian territory, ber 1, the Foreign Ministry has esta­ consular division have been meeting every agreed "in principle" to a bilateral reported the Western media. A flurry of blished a service at the Boryspil Airport incoming flight from the West. If for agreement that will be worked out by rumors was started recently when near Kiev to issue visas to incoming some reason, there is no one from the representatives from both the Soviet and various newspapers erroneously re­ Westerners. Foreign Ministry at the airport, when Ukrainian ministries, said Ukrainian ported that Russian President Boris Representatives from the consular travelers arrive they are advised to call Defense Minister Konstantin Morozov Yeltsin was considering a nuclear strike department have the authority to issue the visa support division of the Foreign during an interview. This would clear against Ukraine, and that Ukraine was visas to foreigners arriving from the Ministry in Kiev at 293-0066, or the the way for a Ukrainian army. thinking of taking control of its nuclear West, if the travelers possess a valid consular division information number Part of the future agreement will weapons, passport, two black and white photos, at 293-4488. entail the "resubordination" of some Ukraine's ^Parliament stated that it an invitation from a private individual However, Mr. Kyryk cautioned that Soviet troops to the Ukrainian Defense had no intention of taking over the or a registered organization, and appro­ due to technical problems at the airport, Ministry. Gen. Morozov said that Gen. nuclear arms on its territory, but did ximately S50 (U.S.) for an entry/exit lack of space and outdated equipment, Shaposhnikov had already decided to reserve the right to veto their use. visa. as well as a small staff at the consular "order...the commanders of three At a meeting at the main naval base of Not only is this process less frustrat­ division, it will be difficult and time- military districts deployed here... to the Black Sea Fleet in October, Leonid ing than awaiting an answer from the consuming to issue visas to planeloads give up some officers to staff the Kravchuk, chairman of Ukraine's Par­ Soviet Embassy, it also benefits U- of passengers. He hopes that with time, Defense Ministry of Ukraine." liament, said that there are 1,330 kraine's economic growth, he said. The these difficulties will be overcome; there However, according to the draft law .military industrial enterprises in hard currency for the visas will be is talk of building a new airport or passed by the Ukrainian Parliament, Ukraine. He said that Ukraine deposited into Ukraine's account — not expanding the present facilities. no Soviet troops, whether stationed on maintains 176 rocket launching into a Moscow-centralized budget. The Foreign Ministry hopes to ex­ Ukrainian land or not, would be forced installations and producers about 40 Mr. Kyryk, who is currently in New tend this visa service to other cities, for to join a Ukrainian army. percent of the Soviet Union's nuclear York with a delegation to the U.N, exar ueT Lvif and Odessa, but until it Now that the Soviet position has weapons. Central Assembly exploring issues and can afford to man stations in these undergone a turnaround, the West is (Continued on page 6) adding resolutions to the Vienna Con­ (Continued on page 16) 7 An interview with Defense Minister Morozov: building an independent army by Chrystyna Lapychak tal, on Sunday morning, November Ukraine) structure with personnel, Kiev Press Bureau 3. that we should also reach an agree­ In your recent meeting with Soviet ment over the preparation for the KIEV - After capping a success­ Defense Minister Yevgeny Shapo­ creation of armed forces in some real ful career by rising to the highest shnikov, during his November 1 visit terms. military post in an independent to Kiev, were there any changes in his We agreed that the general concept Ukraine, Gen. Konstantin Morozov attitude toward the establishment of of this should be divided into two faces a contradictory, yet fundamen­ a Ukrainian armed forces? steps, two stages, At the first stage we tal task as Ukraine's new defense should create a defense ministry. At minister. Yes, I felt some differences from the second stage we should create the Along with Ukraine's Parliament, the time we started to implement our actual armed forces or combat forces, Gen. Morozov must establish an idea of creating a Ukrainian national themselves. independent Ukrainian armed forces armed forces. I felt that for the first We can say that we are now be­ while presiding over Ukraine's de­ time, our talk with the defense militarization and disarmament. ginning the fulfillment of the first minister was...well, he expressed stage. With 1.2 million troops, a for­ some interest in that idea as well, for midable military-industrial complex, the first time. The most difficult questions, the a significant stockpile of nuclear We talked about recent changes in most complicated questions are weapons on its soil, Ukraine Ukraine and their irreversible cha­ ahead. We agreed, in principle, to j must work out the mechanisms for racter, their irreversible nature, and have groups of experts from both j reducing all three and technically we recognized that we do not have ministries sit down to one table and I taking contra! of the first two with any reasons to hope that the charac­ work out an agreement, which would \ the cooperation of a hesitant Soviet ter of these changes could change. satisfy both sides. Defense Ministry. For the first time, our (Ukraine's) As you could mention, during the \ With these tasks in mindt U- opinion that we should look for some past two months we (Ukraine) I kraine's new defense minister gave common ways to resolve this pro­ haven't taken any illegal steps and we \ this reporter an interview in his new- blem was met with understanding. are hoping now that our treatment of \ office on the newly-renamed Bank We agreed mat r^ow we start this problem \i's3! be ачч ^dh die : Gen. Konstantin Morozov Street, no. 6, in the Ukrainian capi­ staffing ine d^ieuse mini^ny (of (Continued m page 3) THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17.1991 No. 46 Ukraine, the Kremlin, Newsbriefs and the Russian White House by Dr. Roman Solchanyk The tension surrounding the question from Ukraine RFE/RL Research Institute of nuclear weapons was only partially relieved by the statement adopted by the CONCLUSION Ukrainian Supreme Council on October 24 reaffirming Ukraine's non- ^ MOSCOW - An opinion poll nian Greek-Catholic Church represen­ When the USSR Supreme Soviet nuclear status, which maintained that: conducted by the military information tatives, led by Msgr. Iwan Dacko, opened on October 21, Ukraine was not (Voenno-informatsionnoe agentstvo) returned to Lviv on September 7 follow­ ^ 1 the presence of nuclear weapons agency was published by the agency's represented. Mr. Gorbachev's address of the former USSR on Ukraine's ing a series of meetings in Kiev with in essence repeated the main points 1991 bulletin. Only three percent of the government representatives. Of greatest territory was temporary; Soviet population see foreign aggres­ outlined in his television appearance on t 2 these weapons were currently priority was resolution of the issue of a October 12, adding that the draft of the sion as the main threat to the USSR, church for the Ukrainian Greek-Catho­ under the control of appropriate struc­ down from six percent in 1990. union treaty could be made public in tures of the former USSR, but Ukraine lic community in Kiev.