8 February 23, 2004
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INSIDE:• Experts offer assessments of Ukraine-U.S. relations — page 3. • Congressman faults Washington, and Kyiv, for mistakes — page 5. • Weekly’s 2002 issues now available online — page 7. Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXXI HE No.KRAINIAN 8 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2003 EEKLY$1/$2 in Ukraine U.S. seeks to rebuild relationship with Kyiv DemonstratorsT Uin Kyiv protest W in the aftermath of the Kolchuha impasse possible U.S. military action in Iraq by Roman Woronowycz The various speakers, including by Yaro Bihun Kolchuha affair, Mr. Pifer said Washington Kyiv Press Bureau Communist Party leader Petro Symonenko Special to The Ukrainian Weekly is convinced that President Kuchma and Progressive Socialist leader Natalia authorized the transfer of the Kolchuha KYIV – Nearly 2,000 Ukrainians Vitrenko demanded that the United WASHINGTON – The United States system to Iraq but cannot prove that it marched in Kyiv on February 15 as part of Nations recognize the United States as a will not allow the Kolchuha impasse to put actually happened. worldwide demonstrations to protest possi- terrorist state and insist on its de-milita- U.S.-Ukrainian relations into a “deep Ukraine’s ambassador to the United ble U.S. military intervention in Iraq. rization. They called on the U.N. Security freeze” as it seeks to rebuild the relation- States, Kostyantyn Gryshchenko, who was About 300 demonstrators also gathered in Council to resist pressure by the Bush ship after what a senior State Department present at the briefing, presented the Symferopol, located on the Crimean administration for a war resolution and to official described as “the most difficult and Ukrainian position: “Essentially we don’t Peninsula. resolve the Iraq crisis by peaceful means. complex period” since Ukraine regained see how they can be in Iraq, or how they The marches were part of a series of They also exhorted Ukraine’s leadership to independence in 1991. could have been sent there, when we know anti-war rallies held in major world capi- break diplomatic ties with Washington. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for where all of them are,” he said. tals in which millions of people took part. Ms. Vitrenko, bombastic as ever, told European and Eurasian Affairs Steven Among the review’s conclusions was In London some 900,000 peace activists the crowd that only the U.S. wanted war Pifer said that after a three-month funda- that Ukraine “still matters” to the United and anti-globalists gathered on the streets, against Iraq. “Today there are Marches for mental review of U.S. relations with States, Mr. Pifer said, and that it’s impor- while the U.S. saw the largest anti-war Peace on all continents. No one wants ban- Ukraine, the administration decided “to, tant that Ukraine succeed in developing as demonstrations in Washington, New York dit law,” exclaimed Ms. Vitrenko, waving basically, disagree” with Kyiv on whether a stable, democratic country, with a strong and San Francisco since the Vietnam era. a Ukrainian Kozak mace (bulava), a sym- Ukraine sold a Kolchuha air defense sys- market economy and increasing links with Kyiv also saw plenty of young anti- bol of authority. tem to Iraq, as is alleged, or not. Europe and trans-Atlantic institutions. To globalists and peace activists costumed in The former lawmaker said she would “I don’t think we’re going to be able to that end, he said, Washington is deter- skeleton outfits and caricature masks of present the mace to Iraqi President find a way where we can come in the near mined to stay engaged, to help it reform its U.S. President George W. Bush, as has Saddam Hussein when she visits Baghdad future to a common view as to what hap- economy, improve its investment climate, become their tradition. They began gather- in a few days. (The week of February 17 pened with regard to Kolchuha,” he said join the World Trade Organization and ing at noon for a “Rock Against War” con- she traveled to Iraq as part of a delegation during a seminar at the Center for Strategic take the necessary steps to have the cert held prior to the demonstration. But led by Russian Communist Party leader and International Studies here February 13. money-laundering sanctions imposed by even on a frosty Saturday afternoon, old- Gennadii Zyuganov). “So maybe that’s an issue we put in a box the international Financial Action Task time Communists came out in even larger Meanwhile Communist Party Chairman and we kind of leave it aside,” he said. Force lifted. (FATF announced it was lift- numbers to fly their red banners and chant Symonenko said that not only those gath- Ambassador Pifer, who prior to his cur- ing its sanctions on the following day.) anti-American slogans. ered for the demonstration, but all of rent assignment served for two years as “We’re also going to engage more The protesters, representing up to 35 Ukraine stands united against a war in ambassador to Ukraine, discussed some of actively with the broad political spectrum” mostly nondescript political parties, but Iraq. the conclusions of the policy review, in Ukraine, he said, explaining that this also including members of several Arab An opinion poll released by the respect- which was completed in mid-January. and Kurd groups, gathered in European ed Razumkov Center for Economic and Explaining the U.S. position on the (Continued on page 5) Square for the beginning of the Ukrainian Political Studies the previous week seemed “March of Peace.” Wearing stickers that to support Mr. Symonenko’s words. It read “No Blood for Oil” and waving plac- found that 73 percent of Ukrainians did not Ukraine and Poland agree on liberal visa policies ards bearing messages such as stated, support a war against Iraq. “U.S.-Evil Empire” and “No War Against There were those in Kyiv, however, by Roman Woronowycz sible duration of such an agreement, he Iraq,” they first walked down the who demonstrated that same day in sup- Khreschatyk before proceeding uptown to Kyiv Press Bureau admitted that the situation would become port of the contrary viewpoint and more uncertain in a few years, when the United States Embassy, where they KYIV – Ukraine agreed on February held a rally. (Continued on page 8) Poland became eligible for inclusion in 13 to a cost-free visa regime for its citi- the Schengen Accord. zens who will travel to Poland after it That agreement allows unlimited, visa- enters the European Union next year. In free travel among several country-signato- return, Ukraine said it would allow Poles ries within the EU and would force Poland to continue entering the country freely, to develop a much stricter visa regime without the need for an official permit. with Ukraine. The Polish ambassador The proposal, put forward by Polish diplomatically put the problem on the President Aleksander Kwasniewski after back burner by explaining that no specific extensive discussion on the subject with date had been set for accession to the European Union leaders, came during a Schengen Accord and perhaps by the time meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Poland joined there would be no need to Leonid Kuchma, in the Ukrainian village show visas at the Ukrainian-Polish border. of Huta, located near Ivano-Frankivsk. The two presidents also seemed to Poland is required under its obligations resolve a heated historic debate that has as a future member-state of the European raged on both sides of the border regard- Union to develop visa regimes and strict ing the deadly battles between Poles and border controls with all neighboring Ukrainians in the Volyn region of countries that are not EU members. Ukraine in 1943. Messrs. Kwasniewski The two sides offered backslapping and and Kuchma issued a joint statement in upbeat appraisals of their agreement, with which they agreed that all the victims of President Kuchma stating that the decision the tragic events that occurred in Volyn was “Mr. Kwasniewski’s personal achieve- should be commemorated. The docu- ment,” according to Interfax-Ukraine. ment also noted that commemorations Nonetheless, an assessment by Polish of the 60th anniversary of the tragic Ambassador to Ukraine Marek events must pave the way for overcom- Ziolkowski was a bit more reserved. ing disagreements between Ukrainians AP/Efrem Lukatsky Asked by journalists during a Kyiv press and Poles on their common history. Demonstrators in Kyiv protest the possible U.S.-led war against Iraq. conference a few days later about the pos- (Continued on page 4) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2003 No. 8 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFS Does Ukraine now return NEWSBRIEFS FATF withdraws call for sanctions have suggested that President Kuchma recently adopted a more pro-Washington to younger-brother status? PARIS – The Financial Action Task stance with regard to Iraq. (RFE/RL Force on Money Laundering (FATF) has Newsline) by Taras Kuzio of States, the first non-Russian to hold decided to withdraw the recommendation RFE/RL Poland, Belarus and Ukraine Report this position. Although the position is of countermeasures against Ukraine for Leftists protest possible war on Iraq supposed to be rotated among CIS lead- that country’s insufficient efforts to com- The well-known American Sovieto- ers each year according to the Russian bat money laundering, the FATF website KYIV – Some 1,500 Kyiv residents on logist John Armstrong wrote that in the alphabet, it has always been held by (http://www1.oecd.org/fatf/) reported on February 15 took part in a “March for post-Stalin era Ukrainians became Russia. February 14.