INSIDE:• Is Russia fit to head the Group of Eight? — page 3. • Jackson-Vanik Graduation Coalition lobbies House of Representatives — page 4. • News from the ongoing archeological excavations at Baturyn — centerfold. Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXXIV HE KRAINIANNo. 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JANUARY 8, 2006 EEKLY$1/$2 in Ukraine YushchenkoT journeysU to Iraq on eve Intricate dealW ends gas crisis of Ukrainian peacekeepers’ pullout between Russia and Ukraine by Zenon Zawada ty, on the other hand, will be a harder Kyiv Press Bureau task at this point as European leaders clearly read President Vladimir Putin’s KYIV – The Ukrainian government political motive of destabilizing the finally resolved its natural gas conflict Ukrainian government ahead of March with the Russian Federation, but not elections, preferring to lay blame for the without throwing Europe into a brief crisis with him. New Year’s crisis with countries such as Moscow is “using political brute force France and Italy suffering cuts to their on countries that are moving outside its supplies. sphere of influence, and this risks creat- The intricate deal struck between ing instability,” said Walt Patterson, an Europe’s bickering eastern neighbors energy expert at the Royal Institute for enabled both sides to declare they got the International Affairs in London, as quot- price they wanted. ed by the International Herald Tribune. Gazprom, the Russian state-owned As promised, Gazprom cut natural gas monopoly, will sell natural gas to a trad- supplies on January 1 because Ukraine ing company, RosUkrEnergo, for $230 refused a fourfold increase in price. As a per 1,000 cubic meters, the price it insist- direct result, Italy lost 25 percent of its ed Ukraine pay. natural gas supply, France lost 30 percent RosUkrEnergo will then combine the of its supply that day and Poland lost Russian natural gas with cheaper gas one-third. mostly from Turkmenistan and then Official Website of the President of Ukraine Europe was still coping with reduced charge Ukraine $95 per 1,000 cubic supplies on January 2. The continent At the airport in Baghdad (from left) are: Lt. Gen. Valerii Frolov, President meters, the price Ukrainian officials had obtains a quarter of its natural gas supply Viktor Yushchenko, Foreign Affairs Minister Borys Tarasyuk and National sought. Ukraine had been paying $50 per from Russia, of which 90 percent crosses Security and Defense Council Secretary Anatolii Kinakh. 1,000 cubic meters. Ukraine by pipeline. “The Ukrainian economy is well Russian leaders aimed to pin the KYIV – President Viktor Yushchenko foundation of political government in enough prepared to operate in new mar- blame on Ukraine as Gazprom Exports traveled on a one-day working visit to Iraq.” ket conditions,” said President Viktor Director Alexander Medvedev accused Iraq on December 26, 2005, and visited President Yushchenko honored the Yushchenko, adding that he was satisfied. Ukrainian authorities of siphoning off the Delta base in Al-Kut, where he noted memory of 18 Ukrainian soldiers, who “Ukraine is a reliable and stable partner 100 million cubic meters of natural gas that Ukrainian peacekeepers had com- died in Iraq since August 2003, and he both for the European Union and the worth $25 million from the pipeline in Russian Federation.” pletely fulfilled their mission. The fol- (Continued on page 10) Convincing Europe of Russia’s stabili- (Continued on page 10) lowing day, the last of Ukraine’s troops left Iraq. “Two and a half years ago we pre- dictably appeared in Iraq. Today, the Bishop Basil Losten retires, successor is named Ukrainian troops are leaving the country, having adjusted their withdrawal with all STAMFORD, Conn. – Pope Benedict Ternopil region of Ukraine, while his Columbia. Both of his parents passed partners,” President Yushchenko said, XVI has informed the Ukrainian mother, Jessie Delawski, was born in away in 1996. according to the Ukrinform news serv- Catholic Eparchy of Stamford that he has Musidora, Alberta. The bishop has a twin After graduating from the University ice. accepted the resignation of Bishop Basil sister, Patricia, who is an elementary The last mechanized column of mili- H. Losten from office, as he has reached school teacher in Maple Ridge, British (Continued on page 11) tary vehicles of the Ukrainian peace- the mandatory age of retirement. In the keeping contingent arrived in Kuwait on same announcement, dated January 3, December 27, having left Iraq. The col- Bishop Paul Patrick Chomnycky, umn consisted of eight vehicles and 44 OSBM, currently the apostolic exarch of servicemen. Great Britain, has been appointed as Ukraine’s military presence in Iraq is Bishop Losten’s successor as the fourth now limited to some 50 military person- Bishop of the Eparchy of Stamford. nel, councilors and instructors, who will In accordance with the provisions of train the Iraqi military. The group arrived canon law, all bishops must offer their at the Delta Camp on December 20, resignation to the holy father upon reach- 2005. ing the age of 75. On May 11, 2005, President Yushchenko noted that the Bishop Losten was compliant with the Ukrainian contingent “is leaving a law and sent the Holy Father his letter of friendly country” and underscored that resignation, along with a copy to “the big mission” of Ukraine in Iraq had Cardinal Lubomyr Husar. He continued attained its political purpose. “During the as bishop until the pope formally accept- Ukrainian mission stationing in Iraq the ed his resignation and he now becomes two countries established economic, bishop emeritus with a residence in the trade and political relations,” he added. city of Stamford. He will continue to be The president praised the activities of the administrator of the Stamford the Ukrainian peacekeepers in Iraq, not- Eparchy until the arrival of his successor. ing that they had assisted in staging the Bishop Chomnycky, age 51, was born referendum on the adoption of the Iraqi in Vancouver, British Columbia, on May Constitution and the December 15, 2005, 19, 1954. His father, Stephan, had immi- parliamentary elections. These events, grated to Canada in 1948 from the vil- Mr. Yushchenko said, “have laid the lage of Wilchiwchyk, Husiatyn County, Bishop Basil Losten Bishop Paul Patrick Chomnycky, OSBM 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JANUARY 8, 2006 No. 2 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFS A closer look at the disturbing solution NEWSBRIEFS Yavlinskii: Putin manipulates tensions… least some time. In any case, [the authori- ties] have succeeded so far because they to the Ukrainian-Russian gas conflict M OSCOW – Prominent Russian politi- have all possible instruments of propaganda cian Grigorii Yavlinskii told RFE/RL’s at their disposal.” (RFE/RL Newsline) by Roman Kupchinsky Europe at substantially higher prices. Russian Service on January 3 that RFE/RL ETG soon came under suspicion in the President Vladimir Putin has “created Questions arise about G-8 leadership January 4 media of being involved with Russian antagonism between Russia and Ukraine” organized crime figures and in July 2004 in order to “unite the people around the MOSCOW – On January 1 Russia The solution to the ongoing gas con- during the Ukrainian-Russian business government.” The leader of the liberal assumed the rotating presidency of the flict reached between Russia’s Gazprom forum in Yalta, Vladimir Putin and Yabloko Party stressed that “the principal Group of Eight (G-8) leading industrial and Naftohaz Ukrayina, the Ukrainian Leonid Kuchma announced that ETG mistake of ... Putin’s current policy is [to countries, to which it was admitted in an state oil and gas company, announced on would be replaced by a new company, forget] that Russia’s [prospects] in the 21st effort to promote free market reforms in the morning of January 4 raises more RosUkrEnergo. century are good only if it becomes inte- the 1990s and help ensure the safety of the questions than it answers. RosUkrEnergo was touted as a “totally grated into European structures and gener- former Soviet Union’s biological, chemi- According to Interfax, Aleksei Miller, transparent” successor to Eural and was ally redirects itself towards Europe.” Mr. cal, and nuclear stockpiles, mosnews.com the head of Gazprom, announced that an registered in Zug, Switzerland, on July Yavlinskii added that he is “not talking reported. President Putin reportedly intends to use the upcoming G-8 summit off-shore company, RosUkrEnergo, will 22, 2004. It consisted on the Russian side about Brussels, but about European civi- in St. Petersburg to focus attention on be the middleman for gas sales from of Arosgas Holdings AG, named in the lization in its entirety. Right now, instead Russia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and energy security in an effort to parlay its oil founding documents as a company “affil- of helping Ukraine move along and mov- Kazakhstan to Ukraine and sell a mixture and gas reserves into political power and iated with GazpromBank” and ing along with it, Russia is uselessly trying of gas from these countries to Ukraine at influence. International media noted on GazpromBank, a wholly owned to not let her do so, and is itself trying to a price of $95 per 1,000 cubic meters. January 3 that Russia’s behavior in the dis- Gazprom subsidiary. pursue some sort of ‘third way’ [in politi- Earlier, RosUkrEnergo had acted as the pute with Ukraine over gas prices has On the Ukrainian side, RosUkrEnergo cal development]. In reality, there is no intermediary for Turkmen gas sales to prompted some countries like Poland, the was represented by a company called ‘third way’; there is only the Third World” Ukraine. Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary to Reiffeisen Investment AG, a member of as an alternative. Mr. Yavlinskii noted that RosUkrEnergo is the company that take steps to reduce their dependency on the Reiffeisen Zentral Bank Group.