The Ukrainian Weekly 2001, No.50
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www.ukrweekly.com 1NS1DE: ^ Cardinal Lubomyr Husar: candidate for pope? - page 6. e Congress of Ukrainian Canadians urges unity - pages 8-9. - Exhibit of folk icons from Ukraine - page 11. THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY Published by the Ukrainian National Association inc., a fraternal non-prof it association vol. LXIX No. 50 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16,2001 $v$2 in Ukraine Parliament passes 2002 budget Schroeder underscores German support by Roman Woronowycz While various national deputies demand- Kyiv Press Bureau ed that defense, education and medicine for Ukraine's entry into European Union obtain more funding, President Leonid KYiv - Ukraine's Parliament approved Kuchma criticized the lack of support for the parameters of a budget document on the coal industry in the government's budg- December 13, after finding an additional 1 et plan. billion hrv in revenues for budget enhance- ments demanded by4 national deputies The legislatures haggled over how to before they would approve the bill. proceed for several days before deciding at By a vote of 241-122, the national a meeting of the parliamentary leadership deputes voted to cap spending at 44.3 bil- on December 10 that five additional rev- lion hrv (S8.44 billion) and to establish a enue bills would be introduced, which debt ceiling of 4.3 billion hrv. The figures would raise the necessary money through are based on expected revenues of 48.6 bil- additional taxation. lion (S9.26 billion) hrv in 2002. One of the bills elicited an outcry from The Communist faction provided 106 of small-business representatives, some 2,000 the 122 nay votes, while the Left-Center of whom demonstrated before the faction abstained from the vote, and the (Continued on page 15) right-leaning Reforms and Order and Batkivschyna factions did not vote at all. Prime Minister Anatoli і Kinakh, who was present for the vote, praised the law- makers for their cooperation and particular- verkhovna Rada ousts ly for an increase in the minimum wage, which came prior to the budget vote. vice-Chair Medvedchuk "Tie increase of the minimum wage is lJAP7Efrem Lukatsky needed to rid Ukraine of its poverty," by Roman Woronowycz Ukraine's Finance Minister lhor Mitiukov (right) and his German counterpart, explai oed Mr. Kinakh. Kyiv Press Bureau Hans Eichel shake hands after signing bilateral agreements, while German The deputies removed 40 of the more Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder applauds. controversial line items from the budget bill KYiv - Five factions of the national for additional consideration, including democratic center-right in Ukraine's by Roman Woronowycz end speculation that the West was ostraciz- defense spending, highway funding and Parliament successfully joined with the ing Ukraine over the unresolved disappear- coal sector financing, to be addressed on Communist faction on December 13 to Kyiv Press Bureau ance of the Ukrainian journalist Heorhii December 20 after the Cabinet of Ministers oust First vice-Chairman viktor KYiv - German Chancellor Gerhard Gongadze and the related tape scandal. massages the numbers. Medvedchuk from his post. Schroeder said on December 6 that his gov- Mr. Schroeder had no qualms about say- Only a week earlier the budget process The unexpected vote came after the ernment would continue to strongly support ing that relations were good when he and appeared stalled and even paralyzed when right-center factions, including Reforms- Ukraine's entry into the European Union, the legislative body fell 15 votes short of Mr. Kuchma met with journalists at the end Congress, Batkivschyna, Ukrainian but that there would be "a lengthy process" of the day. the 226 majority needed to approve an ini- National Rukh, National Rukh of before that final outcome was reached. tial second reading of the bill, which estab- "We not only do not have any problems Ukraine and Yednist, had garnered the Mr. Schroeder, who spent a day in Kyiv, in our relations, they are very good," lishes the revenue and outlay sides of the where he held talks with Ukraine's budget, as well as the debt ceiling. (Continued on page 15) - explained Mr. Schroeder as a satisfied President Leonid Kuchma and visited the President Kuchma looked on. German Embassy under construction, was Responding to a question on his estima- the first major Western leader to visit here tion of the state of human rights in Ukraine this year. Chancellor Schroeder was origi- and the problems surrounding the First meeting of Congress-Rada group nally scheduled for a two-day visit in the Gongadze investigation, the German chan- second half of September, but that was can- cellor diplomatically downplayed any dis- celed after the terrorist attacks on the United agreemerits with Ukraine on these matters. is conducted via video teleconference States on September 11. While explaining, "1 don't think things by Andrew Nynka the U.S. Congress-Rada Parliamentary The cordial words spoken by the Exchange (CRPE) established in German chancellor during his visit should (Continued on page 15) PARS1PPANY, N J. - Speaking from November 1999, and originally intended the U.S. Congress' Rayburn House to help resolve issues of economic and Office Building by way of video telecon- political cooperation; establish discussion ference, Reps. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), topics between the legislatures of the two Kyiv requiem recalls events of 9І11 Bob Schaffer (R-Colo.) and Curt Weldon governments pertinent to the promotion (R-Pa.) held the first meeting of the of bilateral ties; and to convene semi- by Roman Woronowycz organized as a result of a request from Congress-fverkhovnaj Rada Working annually in the United States and Kyiv Press Bureau U.S. President George W. Bush to "not Group on November 29. forget what took place." Ukraine for a formal exchange of view- KYiv - U.S. citizens, members of According to Rep. Kaptur's office, the points. it came from a speech delivered the international diplomatic corps, from the White House on December 5 video teleconference was the first-ever Participating from the Ukrainian Ukrainian government officials and in which Mr. Bush called on nations done between the U.S. Congress and par- verkhovna Rada were Bohdan Hubskyi, residents of Kyiv filled St. Alexander's "to play their own national anthems liamentarians of the former Soviet chair of the Rada group on U.S.-Ukraine Roman Catholic Cathedral on and7or appropriate tunes at about the Union. Topics ranged from Ukraine's inter-parliamentary ties and vice-chair of December 11 for a memorial service same time" as the first of the tragic current investment climate, privatization the Finance and Banking Committee; marking three months since the terror- events occurred, to send a clear signal and intellectual property rights, to discus- valerii Alioshyn, chair of the Rada's ist acts of September 11. to the terrorists that the world will not sion on Ukraine's graduation from the Finance and .Banking Committee; Lev forget what took place and that those Jackson-vanik amendment - a means to Hlukhivskyi, chair of the Subcommittee The requiem was one of hundreds, responsible will be brought to justice. constrain funding for a country that on innovation and Protection of and perhaps thousands, in scores of either limits or denies its citizens emigra- intellectual Property Rights; Hryhorii capitals around the world and in towns in Kyiv, more than 300 people lis- tion rights. and cities throughout the United States (Continued on page 16) Th,e working group is an extension of (Continued on page 16) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2001 No. 50 ANALYSIS^^^^^^^^^- One year after "Kuchmagate'': Crackdown decreed on money laundering priate explanations should come from those departments." The same day, Russian crisis has long-term implications KYiv - President Leonid Kuchma has Ambassador to Ukraine viktor Cher- signed a decree on combating money nomyrdin dismissed Mr. iliukhin's charges byTarasKuzio in a February 15 statement, President laundering, interfax reported on as "nonsense," New Channel television RFEfRL Newsline Kuchma, Parliament Chairman ivan December 10. The decree, which will take reported. (RFEZRL Newsline) Pliushch, and Prime Minister viktor effect on January 1,2002, introduces oblig- Exactly one year ago, on November 28, Yuschenko accused those demonstrating atory control over all financial transactions US. trains Ukrainian election officials 2000, Socialist leader and former against the president of posing a threat to that are termed as "considerable" or "dubi- Parliament Chairman Oleksandr Moroz "national security" and claimed that their ous." The decree will remain in force until KYiv - U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine released to a stunned verkhovna Rada tape actions could lead to "anarchy." State tele- an appropriate law is passed. (RFE7RL Carlos Pascual told the UN1AN news recordings made illicitly by a former presi- vision poured scorn on the protesters in a Newsline) agency on December 11 that the United dential guard, Mykola Melnychenko, with- manner not seen since the anti-"bourgeois States has provided technical experts for in President Leonid Kuchma's office. Mr. nationalist" campaigns of the Soviet era. New evidence on Soviet executions Ukraine's Central Election Commission Melnychenko, an expert in counter-surveil- President Kuchma resorted to Soviet-era to train and teach members of local elec- lance, had regular access to Mr. Kuchma's Lviv - Officials have found evidence language, describing "Kuchmagate" as a tion commissions "to understand their office over many years. that Soviet forces executed 513 people role and functions better." Mr. Pascual "conscious provocation and clearly The tapes contain what appear to be dis- whose bodies are found in a mass grave said the experts will hold training ses- planned" campaign led by "pseudo-opposi- cussions of many illegal acts, including near Lviv. The bodies were buried in July sions for some 25,000 members of elec- tionists" and "professional revolutionaries," undeclared sales of weapons abroad, rig- 1941.