U.S. Defense Secretary Visits Kyiv
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INSIDE:• Lviv Theological Academy seeks Kyiv’s accreditation — page 3. • Ukraine may face constitutional crisis — page 6. • Hockey great Terry Sawchuk honored on philatelic releases — page 9. Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXIX HE KRAINIANNo. 23 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JUNE 10, 2001 EEKLY$1/$2 in Ukraine HelsinkiT CommissionU chair ties U.S. aid U.S. defenseW secretary visits Kyiv to countries’ efforts to clean up corruption by Roman Woronowycz Kyiv Press Bureau by Ben Anderson “Instead of jumping on the bandwagon KYIV – U.S. Secretary of Defense to pump millions of additional American Donald Rumsfeld promised on June 5 WASHINGTON – United States tax dollars into countries which are hos- Helsinki Commission Chairman Sen. that the Bush administration would tile to U.S. businesses and investors, we include Ukraine in all international nego- Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo.) has should be working to root out the kinds introduced legislation tying U.S. finan- tiations on a U.S. missile defense system. of bribery and corruption that have an “I can’t speak for Russia, but I can cial assistance to corruption-fighting overall chilling effect on much-needed efforts in countries around the world. assure you that the U.S. intends to con- foreign investment,” Sen. Campbell said. sult fully with Ukraine as we proceed,” The International Anti-Corruption Act “Left unchecked, such corruption will of 2001 addresses the growing problem said Mr. Rumsfeld, who has spent a good continue to undermine fledgling democ- portion of his first months on the job of official and unofficial corruption racies worldwide and further impede abroad. assuaging foreign governments – and moves toward a genuine free market especially Russia – that the U.S. missile “The time has come to stop providing economy,” he added. aid as usual to those countries which line defense system is not a threat and is not a The legislation provides an exception reason to abandon earlier anti-ballistic up to receive our assistance, only to turn for continued support in cases where dis- missile treaties with the U.S. around and fleece U.S. businesses con- continued U.S. assistance would jeopard- The U.S. defense secretary was on an ducting legitimate operations in these ize humanitarian assistance or the nation- overnight stay in Kyiv before flying to countries,” Chairman Campbell said. al interests of the United States. Greece and then on to a NATO meeting “Ironically, in some of the biggest recipi- In 1999, Sen. Campbell launched an in Brussels. ents of U.S. foreign assistance – coun- anti-corruption initiative to raise the visi- The United States and Ukraine signed tries like Russia and Ukraine – the cli- bility of this growing problem in the no significant agreements during the mate is harmful and outright hostile to region covered by the 55-state defense secretary’s short stay in the American business.” Organization for Security and Ukrainian capital, but the meeting was The International Anti-Corruption Act Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The Efrem Lukatsky significant in that it was the first personal of 2001 would require the State OSCE has since committed to step up U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald contact between a high-level official in Department to submit a report and the efforts to combat corruption and promote Rumsfeld during a meeting with his the new administration of U.S. President president to certify by March 1 of each the rule of law. Chairman Campbell counterpart in Kyiv. year that countries receiving U.S. foreign recently urged Secretary of State Colin George W. Bush and Ukraine’s President aid are, in fact, conducive to the well-being Powell to build upon these efforts within Leonid Kuchma. of American businesses and investors. the framework of the OSCE. Ukraine’s Minister of Defense If a country is found to be hostile to The Helsinki Commission, created by Oleksander Kuzmuk said during a press American businesses, aid from the Congress in 1976, consists of nine mem- conference with Mr. Rumsfeld that Kuchma decree adds United States would be cut off. The certi- bers from the United States Senate, nine Ukraine has no firm stance on the missile fication would be specifically based on members from the U.S. House of deployment, except that it must be done state secretaries whether a country is making progress in, Representatives, and one member each in full cooperation with the Russian and is committed to, economic reform from the Departments of State, Defense Federation. He added that he also aimed at eliminating corruption. and Commerce. expects Ukraine to be included in talks at to Cabinet structure all levels. by Roman Woronowycz “Ukraine, as a country that is a suc- Kyiv Press Bureau cessor state to the Soviet Union and a Demjanjuk goes on trial once again country that willingly gave up nuclear KYIV – On the day the Ukrainian arms, must be invited to all further dis- Parliament confirmed Anatolii Kinakh as cussions on the subject,” explained Gen. the new head of government, President Defense attorney calls it “trial by archives” Kuzmuk. Leonid Kuchma quietly issued a presi- Mr. Rumsfeld emphasized that the dential decree that changes the structure PARSIPPANY, N.J. – John alleges that Mr. Demjanjuk was trained U.S. is not yet locked into a specific plan of the Cabinet of Ministers the prime Demjanjuk, the former Cleveland for that service at the Trawniki camp. and is willing to listen to proposals from minister will lead – a move that has autoworker once thought to be “Ivan the At the time the new charges were filed all friendly parties. caused more friction between the execu- Terrible” of the Treblinka death camp, is two years ago, Mr. Demjanjuk’s attorney, “The administration is looking at the tive and legislative branches of govern- on trial once again in the United States as Michael E. Tigar, told The New York subject in the broadest way,” stated Mr. ment. the Justice Department seeks to prove Times: “Twenty-two years ago they Rumsfeld and later added, “Our intention In what the presidential administration that he was a guard at several other Nazi sued,” he said. “After 21 years of litiga- is to develop discussions with countries is calling administrative reform, Mr. camps. tion it was determined not only that they such as Russia as well as with Ukraine.” Kuchma ordered on May 29 that the The U.S. Justice Department com- had the wrong guy but that they had He said the Bush administration’s prime minister and all Cabinet ministries plaint, filed on May 19, 1999, seeks to defrauded the courts. We hope it doesn’t plans would include a reduction in the now will have state secretaries assigned once again revoke Mr. Demjanjuk’s U.S. take that long to demonstrate once again U.S. nuclear arsenal. to them at a position one notch below the citizenship on the grounds that he illegal- that the Justice Department is wrong.” While the missile defense plan was a ministerial level. The secretaries will ly gained entry into the United States and “This is a trial by archives,” The New key component of discussion between have subordinates answerable only to illegally gained U.S. citizenship because York Times quoted Mr. Tigar as saying at Mr. Rumsfeld and Mr. Kuchma, the two them, chiefly a first deputy and two he had concealed his service as a camp the start of the new trial. The defense also discussed the state of Ukraine’s deputies. The new positions will be pres- guard. attorney noted that there are no living democratic and free market reforms. He idential appointments not subject to The trial got under way on May 29 in eyewitnesses left in the government’s 24- said one of his central purposes as the changes in ministerial portfolios for a Cleveland before Judge Paul R. Matia of year-long investigation of Mr. first representative of the Bush adminis- five-year term to coincide with that of the Federal District Court. Demjanjuk. tration to visit Kyiv was to express its the president. Federal prosecutors allege that Mr. “We will show the court a scenario interest and support for the development The state secretaries will exercise Demjanjuk served as a guard at the that explains how it is that the govern- of democratic and economic institutions administrative responsibility, including Sobibor extermination camp and the ment once again has got it wrong,” Mr. and a free press. The secretary of defense the daily bureaucratic and financial func- Majdanek concentration camp, both in Tigar argued before the court. also expressed satisfaction with what he tions of the Cabinet of Ministers and its Poland, and at the Flossenberg concentra- tion camp in Germany. The lawsuit also (Continued on page 25) (Continued on page 21) (Continued on page 21) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JUNE 10, 2001 No. 23 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFSNEWSBRIEFS Ukrainian president reasserts control Kuchma assigns more ministers 30 presented his credentials to President by Jan Maksymiuk about-face change in Ukraine’s economic Leonid Kuchma, Interfax reported. Mr. RFE/RL Newsline or political course, as postulated in the KYIV – President Leonid Kuchma on Chernomyrdin told journalists after the Communist Party’s program. June 5 reappointed Education and Culture ceremony that he is not going to force the The appointments made by Ukrainian President Kuchma has managed to Minister Vasyl Kremen and Fuel and payment of Ukraine’s gas debt to Russia, President Leonid Kuchma to the new tighten his grip on the government follow- Energy Minister Stanyslav Stashevskyi to adding that he prefers to resolve the prob- Cabinet of Prime Minister Anatoliy ing the “tape scandal” and Mr.