Ukraine's Citizen and Student Activists Continue the Revolution on Local Level
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INSIDE:• Will the Gongadze case open a Pandora’s box? — page 2. • Ukrainian Institute of America honors Klitschko brothers— page 9. • Carpathian Ski Club holds 51st races — page 10-11. Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXXIII HE KRAINIANNo. 12 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 20, 2005 EEKLY$1/$2 in Ukraine RelationsT with majorU economic partners Ukraine’s foreignW minister visits D.C.; a priority for Yushchenko administration by Zenon Zawada joint committee in order to begin work on Yushchenko visit slated for early April Kyiv Press Bureau extending the Odesa-Brody pipeline to the cities of Plotsk and Gdansk in Poland. KYIV – During his first two months in Ms. Tymoshenko also suggested to office, President Viktor Yushchenko and Mr. Belka the possibility of Ukraine his Cabinet have made it their serious exporting gas to Poland, and they dis- priority to improve Ukraine’s relations cussed diversifying gas delivery from with its major economic partners. underground sources. In their public appearances, Mr. The agreement also states that Ukraine Yushchenko’s crew has echoed a com- will remain an important economic part- mon theme: Ukraine wants to start anew. ner with Poland, even after it would join “We are a team that can achieve an the European Union (EU) because it is absolutely new level of quality,” Prime within the framework of the EU and Minister Yulia Tymoshenko told the World Trade Organization obligations. Polish delegation of ministers visiting While Ms. Tymoshenko was reaching Kyiv in early March. consensus with the Poles, President President Yushchenko and his team Yushchenko paid a 48-hour visit to have already secured new economic pacts Germany on March 8, where he was given with the leaders of Poland and Germany. the rare honor of addressing the Bundestag, Ms. Tymoshenko’s meetings with Polish the nation’s parliamentary body. Prime Minister Marek Belka resulted a pact Mr. Yushchenko witnessed the signing creating a committee on economic cooper- of a significant pact between Naftohaz Embassy of Ukraine ation that will consist of Polish authorities Ukrainy and Deutsche Bank, which and Ukrainian Cabinet Ministers. extended a 2 billion euro line of credit Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (left) meets with Ukraine’s foreign affairs This agreement will be favorable that would enable the Ukrainian energy minister, Borys Tarasyuk. toward the economic development of behemoth to bring its gas division up to both nations, particularly the entrance of European standards. by Yaro Bihun Describing his March 11 meeting with Polish companies into the Ukrainian mar- Naftohaz chairman Oleksii Ivchenko Special to The Ukrainian Weekly Secretary of State Rice as “extremely ket and strengthening their position, accompanied President Yushchenko on constructive and positive,” Minister Polish officials said. WASHINGTON – Ukrainian President Tarasyuk said they discussed such issues the trip. Viktor Yushchenko and U.S. President The main priority of Ms. Building on Ms. Tymoshenko’s accom- on the bilateral agenda as granting Tymoshenko’s talks with Mr. Belka was George W. Bush are scheduled to hold Ukraine market economy status, getting plishments with the Poles, the Deutsche talks at the White House on April 4, creating the broadest possible coopera- Bank pact also included funds to help Ukraine into the World Trade tion with fuel and energy projects, partic- strengthening what both sides are now Organization and graduating Ukraine extend the Odesa-Brody pipeline to Plotsk. calling a U.S.-Ukrainian strategic part- ularly pumping oil through the Odesa- Agreements were reached to bring from the restrictions of the Jackson- Brody pipeline as originally planned. nership and discussing important interna- Vanik amendment to the U.S. Trade Act Mr. Belka said he is ready to form a (Continued on page 3) tional issues of mutual concern. of 1974. The White House announcement about On the previous day he discussed the the meeting was made on March 11, the Jackson-Vanik amendment, among other Ukraine’s citizen and student activists second day of Ukrainian Foreign Affairs issues, in Congress, where he said he was Minister Borys Tarasyuk’s talks here assured “that this issue will be resolved with senior administration officials and very soon.” Indeed, two of the lawmak- continue the revolution on local level congressional leaders, preparing the ers he met – Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.), groundwork for the presidential visit and who heads the House Foreign Affairs focusing on some of the issues that will by Zenon Zawada versial mayoral elections of 2002 that Committee, and Sen. John McCain (R- be discussed. Kyiv Press Bureau involved alleged voting fraud and result- Ariz.) – introduced bills in mid-February Calling President Yushchenko’s elec- ed in the victory of the city’s current that would get Ukraine out from under tion “a victory for democracy and a land- KYIV – For most Ukrainians, the mayor, Ruslan Bodelan. Jackson-Vanik and normalize bilateral mark event in the history of liberty,” the Orange Revolution ended in late January, The complaint was filed by his chal- trade relations. White House statement noted that the on the Sunday afternoon that President lenger, Eduard Hurvits, who was sup- While on Capitol Hill, Mr. Tarasyuk presidents will discuss how the two Viktor Yushchenko took his official oath ported by hundreds of protesters outside also met with Senate Majority Leader countries “can intensify our work as of office in the Verkhovna Rada. the Prymorskyi regional courthouse Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and Senate Foreign strategic partners on a broad range of By then, all tents were folded and wearing orange clothes and flying yellow Relations Committee Chairman Richard issues, including supporting the advance Khreschatyk was once again Kyiv’s Pora flags throughout the hearings. Lugar (R-Ind.), as well as with members of freedom and democracy in eastern bustling business center. As a result, the same court began of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus, Europe and the broader Middle East, and In the weeks since, however, thou- reconsidering Mr. Hurvits’ complaint of including two of its co-chairpersons, cooperating on non-proliferation.” sands of citizen and student activists fraud the day after the March 16 ruling. Reps. Kurt Weldon (R-Pa.) and Sander Foreign Affairs Minister Tarasyuk was throughout Ukraine have shown they are If it decides that the mayoral vote was Levin (D-Mich.) not entirely satisfied with the revolution’s falsified, the judge may declare Mr. the first top-level Ukrainian government During his two days in Washington the results and are determined to ride out its Hurvits Odesa’s new mayor or call for a official to visit Washington since the Ukrainian foreign affairs minister visited momentum to the fullest extent. new vote, according to the Ukrainska changeover in administrations in Kyiv in two organizations that had worked for They continue to protest, hold hunger Pravda website. January. He had meetings with top U.S. democratic reforms in Ukraine – the strikes and demand that corrupt govern- Another regional court in Odesa had administration officials – Vice-President International Republican Institute and the ment and university officials resign their sealed Mr. Bodelan’s victory in May Richard Cheney, Secretary of State National Democratic Institute – as well posts, particularly those who violated 2002, and the new ruling prompted out- Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of Defense as the Center for Strategic and election laws and persecuted Yushchenko rage among Mr. Bodelan’s supporters, Donald Rumsfeld, National Security International Studies. He also addressed supporters. who responded to his call. Advisor Stephen Hadley and Secretary of a large gathering at George Washington The most visible conflict erupted in “Don’t hide your head in your shoul- Commerce Carlos Gutierrez – as well as University. Odesa this week, after a regional court with congressional leaders, foreign poli- ruled it would review the city’s contro- (Continued on page 32) cy think-tanks and the press. (Continued on page 3) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 20, 2005 No. 12 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFS Gongadze case could open NEWSBRIEFS Gryndzholy changes lyrics is that today there is a need not to engage in politics but to give professionals the possi- Pandora’s box in Ukraine KYIV – The Ivano-Frankivsk group bility to conclude the [Gongadze] investi- Gryndzholy, whose entry into this year’s gation,” Mr. Lytvyn said. President by Roman Kupchinsky meet with prosecutors – and the possible Eurovision song contest was rejected by Yushchenko and Procurator General RFE/RL Newsline inclusion of Mr. Melnychenko’s record- organizers as too political, has changed the Sviatoslav Piskun recently announced that ings as evidence is a dramatic escalation lyrics to “Razom Nas Bahato” (Together the Gongadze murder case was solved. Ukrainian Procurator General in the search for who ordered the killing We Are Many), considered the unofficial (RFE/RL Newsline) Sviatoslav Piskun’s press conference in of Gongadze in September 2000. If the anthem of the Orange Revolution. Kyiv on March 2 revealed a number of recordings are found to be genuine, they Eurovision’s executive producer, Svante Communists want parade on Victory Day new developments in the rapidly widen- could open a Pandora’s box and have a Stockselius, disqualified the song on the ing investigation of the slaying of far-reaching impact. grounds that the song contest is “non-politi- KYIV – The parliamentary caucus of Internet journalist Heorhii Gongadze. The Melnychenko tapes contain hun- cal.” The BBC reported that Gryndzholy, the Ukrainian Communist Party has called Mr. Piskun began by announcing that dreds of hours of conversations that were whose English-language name is on the president and the government to cel- secret recordings made by former presi- recorded on digital audio files, most of Greenjolly, has written new lyrics to the ebrate the 60th anniversary of the victory in dential security guard Mykola which have not been transcribed due to hip-hop song.