The Ukrainian Weekly 2009, No.12
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www.ukrweekly.com INSIDE: • NATO resumes full relations with Russia – page 2. • Nalyvaichenko at the helm of Ukraine’s SBU – page 3. • Gateways to the afterlife – page 16. THEPublished U byKRAINIAN the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profitW associationEEKLY Vol. LXXVII No.12 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 22, 2009 $1/$2 in Ukraine Ternopil Oblast Council elections Experts focus on U.S. relations held despite attempts to derail them with Russia and Ukraine by Zenon Zawada PARSIPPANY, N.J. – A bipartisan Gary Hart (D-Colo.) and Chuck Hagel Kyiv Press Bureau commission of experts on March 16 (R-Neb.). Members of the panel include: released a report recommending that the Brent Scowcroft, national security adviser KYIV – In defiance of attempts by Prime new U.S. administration review its rela- to Presidents Gerald Ford and George Minister Yulia Tymoshenko to derail the tions with Russia and reconsider its sup- H.W. Bush; Robert C. McFarlane, nation- March 15 pre-term elections to the Ternopil port of NATO membership for Ukraine al security adviser to President Ronald Oblast Council, a majority of eligible voters and Georgia. Reagan; former Sen. Sam Nunn, a came to the polls and cast the most votes, or The report came a little over two weeks Democrat; and Lee H. Hamilton, a 35 percent, for the Svoboda All-Ukrainian before President Barack Obama prepares Democrat and former chairman of the Union, Ukraine’s leading nationalist force. to meet with Russian President Dmitry House Foreign Affairs Committee. Though the election held minimal conse- Medvedev on April 2 in London, during a “Engaging Ukraine” quences, even on a local level, it carried summit of the Group of 20 industrialized enormous symbolic value, drawing compar- and developing states. At about the same time, the Brookings isons with the 2004 Mukachiv mayoral elec- Brian Knowlton of The International Institution issued a report titled “Engaging tion in which the presidential administration Herald Tribune wrote on March 16 that Ukraine in 2009.” Its authors are: Steven of Leonid Kuchma sabotaged the vote as the commission recommended the Obama Pifer, visiting fellow in foreign policy at part of a dress rehearsal for the presidential administration “reach out to Russia in a Brookings’ Center on the United States election that year. number of ways, putting NATO member- and Europe; Anders Åslund, senior fel- The chaos surrounding the Ternopil elec- ship for Georgia and Ukraine on hold and low, Peterson Institute for International tion, provoked by the Tymoshenko Bloc, not taking ‘a new look’ at the planned missile Economics; and Jonathan Elkind, non- only reflected its desperation amidst falling shield in Eastern Europe, possibly even resident senior fellow on energy security popularity to win at all costs – particularly Zenon Zawada collaborating with Moscow on it.” issues at Brookings. Mr. Pifer is also a by trying to cancel the vote just 12 days Oleh Tiahnybok, leader of Svoboda. former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. Dr. before it was to take place – but also signi- Not ready for NATO Aslund has served as an economic advi- fied the potential for similar mayhem in the ry election last year, but it didn’t work this Significantly, the report recommended sor to the government of Ukraine in January 17, 2010, presidential election. time because they were alone and practically that the Obama administration should 1994-1997 and has written extensively “It was a whole series of mistakes for the had no allies,” he added. “accept that neither Ukraine nor Georgia about Ukraine. Tymoshenko Bloc – starting from provoking Despite denials from the Tymoshenko is ready for NATO membership” but that The policy paper – No. 13 in the the election by blocking the work of the Bloc of the election’s legitimacy and court it should also work with NATO allies to Foreign Policy Paper Series – was pre- [Ternopil] Oblast Council, and then trying to decisions in its favor, most influential insti- find other ways “to demonstrate a com- sented on March 17 at the Washington- based public policy organization. cancel the election unsuccessfully,” said tutions have recognized its results, including mitment to their sovereignty.” It said the In its introduction and summary, the Volodymyr Fesenko, board chairman of the the Presidential Secretariat, the Verkhovna U.S. does not now have “a compelling Penta Center for Applied Political Research security interest” in NATO membership paper notes: “Ukraine and Ukrainians Rada, the Party of Regions and the will be tested over the course of 2009. in Kyiv, which is financed by political cli- Committee of Voters of Ukraine, the coun- for either country. ents. The 30-page report was pepared by a The global financial and economic crisis “They stopped the pre-term parliamenta- (Continued on page 18) panel headed by two former senators, already has provoked a deep recession and falling living standards. Kyiv will need to make a real effort to strike a bal- ance between integration into Europe and the Euro-Atlantic community and main- Yushchenko nominates Shamshur as foreign affairs minister taining stable relations with Russia. by Zenon Zawada “The coalition deputies are con- Doing so will not be easy, as Russia Kyiv Press Bureau cerned that Bankova [the presiden- regards Ukraine’s pro-Western policy as tial administration] expresses its bla- inimical to Russian interests, and KYIV – President Viktor tant disrespect to the nation’s highest Ukraine’s politics are subject to influence Yushchenko on March 17 nominated legislative organ, elected by the from Moscow. In particular, Ukraine must Ukraine’s Ambassador to the U.S. Ukrainian people,” said a March 17 address its energy security situation, Oleh Shamshur to replace the ousted coalition statement, issued after where it remains vulnerable to Russian Volodymyr Ohryzko as Ukraine’s President Yushchenko ignored the pressure.” foreign affairs minister, rejecting the nomination of Mr. Tarasyuk without The paper points out that “Ukraine is de facto parliamentary coalition’s offering an explanation. the most democratic state in the post- support for Borys Tarasyuk. President Yushchenko is unlikely Soviet space, and its domestic debate is Just hours after President to nominate Mr. Tarasyuk because vibrant and open, but its politics are high- Yushchenko announced the nomina- he led the majority of the Our ly dysfunctional.” It goes on to urge the tion of Dr. Shamshur, a diplomat Ukraine parliamentary faction in Obama administration to resist the temp- who favors Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic breaking allegiance with the tation “to wait for the leadership in Kyiv integration, the pro-Russian Party of Presidential Secretariat in December to get its act together, given how divided Regions of Ukraine declared its and aligning with Prime Minister it is,” adding “Washington does not have opposition. Tymoshenko to form the de facto the luxury of waiting; absent strong U.S. It remained unclear whether Coalition for National Development, engagement, the situation in Ukraine will Ambassador Shamshur’s nomina- Stability and Order. likely worsen and require greater tion would eventually gain the sup- The coalition doesn’t have a American attention at a future point.” majority and exists only because the The paper’s authors write that port of the de facto coalition – con- president still chooses not to enforce “Washington should focus on four areas.” sisting of the Yulia Tymoshenko his September 2008 decree dismiss- Following are excerpts of the report’s Bloc, the Volodymyr Lytvyn Bloc ing Parliament. outline of those areas. and a slight majority of Our Ukraine Meanwhile two days after Yaro Bihun • Structure a bilateral dialogue to have deputies – which submitted its nomi- Ambassador Shamshur’s nomina- maximum influence with Ukraine’s lead- nation of Mr. Tarasyuk, who once Ambassador Oleh Shamshuk, President Viktor held the post, on March 6. (Continued on page 19) Yushchenko’s nominee for minister of foreign affairs. (Continued on page 19) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 22, 2009 No. 12 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFS NATO resumes full-fledged relations SBU director cites priorities Ukraine-U.S. consultations slated KYIV – Reporting to the Verkhovna KYIV – Ukraine-U.S. consular consul- with Russia after nine-month suspension Rada on March 17, Valentyn tations will be held on March 24 in Nalyvaichenko, the chief of the Security Washington. The Ukrainian delegation by Vladimir Socor European governments have developed sep- Service of Ukraine (SBU), said prevent- will be headed by Vice Minister of arate bilateral relations with Russia that Eurasia Daily Monitor ing offenses against Ukraine’s sovereign- Foreign Affairs Oleksander Kupchyshyn, often enfeeble allied policies, particularly in ty, territorial integrity and independence the ministry’s Press Secretary Vasyl The ministers of foreign affairs of Europe’s East. A group of five countries – NATO’s 26 countries held an informal meet- are the top priorities of the SBU. The Kyrylych told a briefing on March 16. He said to be Germany, France, Italy, Spain and said the event is significant because these ing on March 5 in Brussels, following the SBU has fulfilled dozens of actions over Norway – took the lead in pushing for full consultations will be the first for the new defense ministers’ meeting in Krakow on the past two and a half years aimed at resumption of relations with Moscow (AFP, U.S. administration. Among the topics February 19 and 20 (see Eurasia Daily preventing such activities. Another priori- February 26, March 4). Meanwhile, both the planned for discussion are the state of ful- Monitor, February 23-24). Both were prepa- ty for the SBU is combating xenophobia, new U.S. administration and NATO sought fillment of provisions of existing bilateral ratory to NATO’s April 3-4 summit. The with growing urgency Russian “coopera- racism and extremism, said Mr.