The Ukrainian Weekly 1998, No.45
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www.ukrweekly.com INSIDE:• Follow-up on the 19th conclave of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress — pages 3-4. • Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A. holds its 15th Sobor — page 5. • 150th anniversary of the national awakening in Halychyna — page 12. Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXVI HE No.KRAINIAN 45 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1998 EEKLY$1.25/$2 in Ukraine CongressT approvesU Ukraine marks 80th anniversary of WesternW Ukrainian National Republic $195 M for Ukraine by Michael Sawkiw Jr. Ukrainian National Information Service WASHINGTON – Following lengthy negotiations between Democratic and Republican members of Congress, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed several appropriations bills, which were combined into one large omnibus bill. Titled “H.4328 – Conference Report Making Omnibus Consolidation and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for FY 1999,” the bill encompasses several funding bills for agricultural programs, foreign assistance, judiciary programs, Commerce Department spending, Treasury Department programs, as well as other spending measures. Amounting to over $500 billion, the bill was adopt- ed by the House of Representatives on October 20, and by the Senate the following day. Of the $13.2 billion in funds available for U.S. for- eign assistance programs in the overall omnibus bill, $801 million was provided under the Freedom Support Act (FSA) for assistance to the new inde- pendent states. Twelve countries of the NIS will divide the available funds, with Ukraine receiving a $195 million earmark for 1999. Funds for Ukraine have been designated for Roman Woronowycz nuclear safety programs and personnel security initia- Women veterans of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army gathered on Freedom Square awaiting the arrival of President tives at nuclear plants. However, a provision in the bill Leonid Kuchma. withholds the amount of aid granted to Ukraine “until the secretary of state reports to the Committee on by Roman Woronowycz Kuchma. He called the declaration of the WUNR in the wake Appropriations that Ukraine has undertaken signifi- Kyiv Press Bureau of the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s collapse “the revival of Ukrainian national statehood after a break of many cen- cant economic reforms additional to those achieved in LVIV – The Ukrainian government officially acknowl- fiscal year 1998.” The proviso refers to specific turies.” edged for the first time the legitimacy of the 1918 Western In more than seven years of independence, no Ukrainian reforms of commercial and tax codes in Ukraine, as Ukrainian National Republic (WUNR) with a visit here by well as the continued resolution of U.S. business com- government leader had officially acknowledged the existence President Leonid Kuchma on November 1 to celebrate the of the Western Ukrainian government, which lasted for less plaints that must be reported 120 days after the enact- 80th anniversary of the formation of the short-lived state. ment of the bill. than three months before it willingly united with the govern- Appearing before a packed auditorium of political, cultural ment of the Ukrainian National Republic in Kyiv on January The FY 1999 foreign assistance bill also effects and business dignitaries at the Lviv Opera House, President programs in Russia and other former republics of 22, 1919, although it did keep its own governmental structure. Kuchma made it clear that his government now recognizes The president brought along a large political contingent to the Soviet Union. U.S. aid to Russia is to be pro- the contributions of the western Ukrainian state toward vided if the president certifies that “a) it is vital to this city, often called the western capital of Ukraine. With Ukraine’s democratic development. him for the one-day visit were: Second Vice-Chairman of the the national security interests of the United States; “In its significance, political ramifications and impact on and b) that the government of Russia is taking Verkhovna Rada Viktor Medvedchuk, Vice Prime Minister of the future development of Ukraine, the establishment of the meaningful steps to limit major supply contracts WUNR foretold of the coming freedom,” said President (Continued on page 14) and to curtail the transfer of technology and techno- logical expertise.” No more than 30 percent of the funds available under the Freedom Support Act will be distributed to any country in the region, excluding earmarks of Security chief rejects sabotage in Zenit explosion assistance to Ukraine and the Southern Caucasus by Roman Woronowycz space industry that there was no sabotage,” said the secre- region. Kyiv Press Bureau tary of Ukraine’s National Defense and Security Council, The Southern Caucasus region, which includes the Volodymyr Horbulin, on October 28. Mr. Horbulin is a KYIV — Ukraine’s national security chief said he countries of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbijan, has mechanical engineer who has headed Ukraine’s National been provided $228 million in U.S. foreign assistance. rejects the notion that the explosion of a Ukrainian Zenit Space Agency and once worked at the PivdenMash rock- Funds are to be available for “reconstruction and other 2 rocket in September was the result of sabotage. et factory that designed and produced the Zenit II. activities relating to the peaceful resolution of con- Russian experts said two weeks ago that a malfunction According to Mr. Horbulin, the control system of the flicts within the region, especially those in the vicinity in the Russian-built control system of the Ukrainian-built Zenit II had a fatal design flaw that did not allow it to rocket, which was carrying 12 U.S. satellites, caused the of Abkhazia and Nagarno-Karabakh.” recognize a malfunction in the system’s operation, explosion that destroyed the rocket and the payload min- Of the funds provided under this section of the which it mistook for a malfunction in the engine. It then utes after launch. Freedom Support Act, 37 percent will be made avail- gave an emergency destruction order that downed the The computer control system that malfunctioned was able for Georgia ($84.4 million) and 35 percent for rocket. produced by the Russian Automation and Instrument Armenia ($79.8 million). Further assistance will also Mr. Horbulin called the accident tragic but understand- Research and Production Center in Moscow. be provided for an endowment for the American able. “There have always been and will continue to be Rumors had circulated widely in Ukraine that the University in Armenia. unsuccessful launchings because that type of technology explosion was a result of sabotage by political forces in The Central and East European countries also is at the horizon [of innovation] and even beyond it,” said Russia who had wanted to discredit Ukraine’s space pro- received U.S. foreign assistance within the Support Mr. Horbulin. for East European Democracy (SEED) Act in the gram. amount of $430 million – $200 million of which has “I can judge on the strength of all my experience in the (Continued on page 20) been designated for Bosnia and Herzegovina. 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1998 No. 45 Canadian PM, rebuffed by Russia, NEWSBRIEFSNEWSBRIEFS still eagerly awaited by Ukraine, Poland IMF approves loan tranche to Ukraine crisis much better than Russia, but he also by Andrij Kudla Wynnyckyj Mr. Trickey wrote, “and Mr. Yeltsin sent noted that a number of problems still exist Toronto Press Bureau word he was not interested in hosting Mr. KYIV – The International Monetary in relations between the two countries, since Chrétien unless trade was part of the Fund on October 29 approved a $78 million payments from Russia have been virtually TORONTO — In a fit of pique over visit.” tranche of the $2.2 billion three-year credit suspended. (Eastern Economist) Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien’s The Canadian prime minister put a to Ukraine, Ukrainian News reported on decision to downgrade the planned Team brave face on the situation in a press November 2. The IMF had planned to pro- Hungary, Ukraine strengthen bilateral ties Canada trade visit to Russia, Ukraine and release issued by his office on October 27, vide Ukraine with the tranche by the end of BUDAPEST – Ukraine hopes that once Poland to a series of three political sum- in which he is quoted as saying, “In con- October, but it had been postponed. Valerii Hungary is admitted into the European mits, on October 26 Russian President sultation with President Yeltsin, I have Lytvytskyi, aide to the Ukrainian president, Union and NATO, it will be more effective Boris Yeltsin told Mr. Chrétien not to decided to postpone my visit to Russia, in said the postponement of the tranche is due in helping Ukraine’s quest for Euro-Atlantic come at all. light of the current international economic to an “exclusively technical reason” con- According to a front-page report by situation. I look forward to rescheduling nected with the repayment of Ukraine’s integration, visiting Ukrainian President Mike Trickey in the premiere issue of the my trip, perhaps later in 1999.” $109 million loan to the Chase Manhattan Leonid Kuchma told his Hungarian coun- Toronto-based National Post daily of The press release also mentions that Bank in Luxembourg. A statement issued terpart, Arpad Goncz, on October 27. At a October 27, Mr. Yeltsin’s office made the “the prime minister’s plan to conduct his by the IMF’s Kyiv office on October 30 joint news conference President Kuchma announcement together with a cancellation first official visits to Ukraine and Poland said the Ukrainian government remains accused the EU of discriminating against of the Russian leader’s own visit to a remains unchanged.” committed to the IMF’s loan program and his country by barring it from associate European Union ministers’ meeting in Sophie Galarneau, a press relations offi- that the recent restructuring of Ukrainian membership.