www.ukrweekly.com INSIDE:• Interview: Ukrainian scholars on Ukraine’s future — page 5. • ODUM holds 42nd annual Recreational Camp — page 10. • Travelogue: the Holy Dormition Monastery in Univ, Ukraine — pages 11-12. Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXXII HE KRAINIANNo. 34 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, AUGUST 22, 2004 EEKLY$1/$2 in Ukraine UkrainianT athletesU capture five Russia repealsW VAT on gas and oil to Ukraine gold medals at Athens Olympics and gains long-term use of Brody pipeline by Roman Woronowycz by Roman Woronowycz Repeal of the oil and gas VAT has been held to be a keystone in the devel- KYIV – August 18 turned out to be a KYIV – Russia agreed to cancel an 18 opment of a free trade zone in the region, “golden” day for Ukraine as its Olympic percent tax on the export of gas and oil to a critical first stage in the development of squad captured two additional gold Ukraine on August 18 in exchange for an the SES. President Kuchma had repeat- medals, this time in the men’s shot put agreement on exclusive long-term access to edly stated that without a free trade zone and women’s weightlifting, helping the Ukraine’s oil and gas pipelines to Europe. no SES could exist. team to reach its goal of five gold medals Ukraine’s President Leonid Kuchma Mr. Putin called the decision “a mile- with the 28th Olympic Games in Athens and his Russian counterpart, President stone in forming a single economic space.” less than a week old. Vladimir Putin announced the separate Ukraine took a step in accommodating Yurii Bilonoh and Natalia Skakun were agreements during a one-day summit in Russia as well and announced that it had the latest Ukrainian Olympic heroes. The the Black Sea resort town of Sochi, agreed to allow for the transport of up to 30-year-old Bilonoh, who hails from Russia. 85 million tons of Russian oil over a 15- Odesa, managed to top U.S. shot-putter “For Russia it was a rather difficult year period as part of a comprehensive Adam Nelson by virtue of his claim to the step, but we made it realizing this,” oil and gas agreement signed between second longest toss after the two tied for explained President Putin, according to Ukraine’s Prime Minister Viktor the longest single heave. Mr. Bilonoh won Interfax-Ukraine. Yanukovych and Russian Prime Minister his medal in the first event of the track By revoking the tax, Russia’s budget Mikhail Fradkov. The document noted and field portion of these Games with a would lose approximately $800 million that annual amounts, rates and directions throw of 21 meters, 16 centimeters. The in revenues annually. Mr. Putin said the would be assigned by Ukraine’s Ministry shot put event took place in the town of decision was made on the presumption of Fuel and Energy in cooperation with Olympia, the namesake for these interna- that closer relations and better prices for Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Energy. tional Games, in the reconstructed its neighbor would increase volume and The agreement basically rejected any remains of the thousand-year-old stadium take up the slack. possibility of transporting oil from the Ukraine has long sought the cancella- used by the ancient Greeks. AP Photo/Julie Jacobson Caspian Sea region via the Odesa-Brody Performing earlier in a contemporary, tion of the Russian value added tax to the Yurii Bilonoh reacts after his gold medal line. President Kuchma said that the air-conditioned auditorium, Natalia countries of the Commonwealth of throw during the men's shot put final in Odesa-Brody pipeline would now be uti- Skakun also discovered gold when she Independent States. Yet Russia’s parlia- the ancient stadium where the original lized for the transport of Russian oil. took first place in weightlifting, manag- mentary body, the State Duma, was slow games were played. “Now a line has finally been drawn ing an Olympic record 135 kilograms in in repealing the burdensome value added under all these discussion,” explained tax, even after Ukraine joined Russia, the clean and jerk. in honor of her achievements. A day later Mr. Kuchma. “Long-term prospects are Belarus and Kazakstan in signing a mem- With Ukraine hovering in fifth place President Leonid Kuchma signed an opening up for Ukraine. Its main orandum of intent to form a regional in the medal count, Ukraine’s Prime executive decree conferring on her the pipelines will remain busy for many, common market dubbed the “Single Minister Viktor Yanukovych hosted a designation “Hero Of Ukraine.” She will many years, and we will only have to Economic Space.” The VAT was finally soiree in Athens on August 16 attended also receive $100,000 from the govern- think about developing them further.” by international dignitaries and business- repealed in early August. President Putin men, including Prince Albert of Monaco, (Continued on page 27) signed the bill into law on August 18. (Continued on page 20) in honor of the Ukrainian National Olympic Team. Even though the event was planned a while ago, the 243-member team received acknowledgment for its unex- Batkivschyna captain faces hardship but is undeterred in original quest pected early success at the 28th Olympic by Roman Woronowycz and regroup after a harried experience hostel in New Zealand, who were origi- Games. On that day the team already had Kyiv Press Bureau in trying to reach the Australian coast. nally on a backpacking excursion. two gold medals and a bronze to its cred- The 28-foot, concrete-hull sailing ves- “The sails should have been riffed but it. Yana Klochkova, who had won a gold KYIV – It took Mother Nature to sel, which had aroused so much interests the crew were first-time sailors and they medal in swimming the previous day and bring the extraordinary and determined on both coasts of the United States dur- had a hard time lighting the stove much would take another one the following voyage of the black-bottomed Ukrainian ing its stay there several years ago on its less riffing a sail,” explained the captain. day, giving her four gold medals in her schooner, the Batkivschyna to a halt off way around the world, sustained exten- “They really didn’t have a clue.” two Olympic Games, had thus far been the Australian seacoast in early summer. sive damage to its main mast and its sails After limping into Sydney harbor, the shining star of this surprising team. Winds and waves did what broken com- when it encountered not one but two vio- the captain was confronted by more “It is much harder to retain Olympic munications and navigational gear could lent storms as it attempted to cross the problems. At first he could not find glory than it is to reach it,” explained not in the four years the sailing vessel treacherous Cook Straits on its way to docking and was forced to cruise the Ms. Klochkova during the evening cere- has pursued its project to inform the Australia in early March. harbor for quite some time before one mony, as a host of prominent politicians world about Ukraine. While gale force winds exceeding 70 firm allowed the Batkivschyna to drop and celebrities, including Prince Albert, Now the daunting task of raising sev- miles per hour and 20-foot swells were anchor off shore. Then the people he International Olympic Committee eral tens of thousands of dollars stands the primary reason the vessel barely man- had expected to help his project through President Jacques Rogge, former IOC between Discover Ukraine, the trans- aged to limp into port in Sydney, a no its Australian stage did not come President Juan Antonio Samaranch and global project the schooner has been exe- lesser contributing factor was the lack of through as the captain had expected. Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, cuting, and the completion of the around- an experienced crew, the bane of Captain Captain Biriukovich said he found that looked on, reported Interfax-Ukraine. the-world voyage – the long-held dream Biriukovich since he left Ukraine for his diaspora and expatriate Ukrainians who The “gold fish,” as the Ukrainian of Captain Dmytro Biriukovich. The cap- voyage in the spring of 2000. had so eagerly helped the project move media has dubbed Ms. Klochkova, won tain said he remained optimistic. As the winds gusted and the water in forward over the last four years were not the 400-meter medley on August 15 for “We’ll find the money, it’ll just take the channel churned, Captain so accommodating in Australia. He had her first gold medal. She followed with a some time,” explained the 68-year-old Biriukovich tried to bark orders to his expected help from the Australian victory in the 200-meter medley on Mr. Biriukovich in July in his apart- crew of five – two Americans, a Federation of Ukrainian Organizations. August 17. The Kharkiv native, who ment back in Kyiv, where he and his German, a Russian and a Swiss citizen However, after initially agreeing to offer looked more exhausted than ecstatic after wife, who is also his first mate, – all first-time sailors he had found at a her 200-meter medley win, was presented returned at the beginning of June to rest (Continued on page 8) a Suzuki automobile by the team sponsor 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, AUGUST 22, 2004 No. 34 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFSNEWSBRIEFS Yushchenko begins ‘people’s Troop pullout from Iraq considered soldiers were injured in Iraq on August 15.