www.ukrweekly.com INSIDE: • “2003: THE YEAR IN REVIEW” – pages 5-46 Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXXII HE KRAINIANNo. 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JANUARY 11, 2004 EEKLY$1/$2 in Ukraine Newspaper publisherU T Ukraine’s minister of Wthe economy resigns by Roman Woronowycz is arrested in Lviv Kyiv Press Bureau by Roman Woronowycz KYIV – Minister of the Economy and European Kyiv Press Bureau Integration Valerii Khoroshkovskyi, the political boy wonder who became a national deputy at 29 and a KYIV – State Tax Administration officials arrested Cabinet minister at 33, resigned his post on January 3, cit- Markian Ivaschyshyn, co-founder of the oppositionist ing his inability to work in the current government. newspaper Lviv Hazeta, on December 30, 2003, on Mr. Khoroshkovskyi blamed First Vice Prime Minister three charges of failing to declare income. Mykola Azarov, who also holds the post of finance minis- Mr. Ivaschyshyn’s friends and colleagues said the ter, with shackling his ability to work successfully by charges were part of a continued, wider effort by state forcing all the government ministries to concentrate their authorities to intimidate and curtail activities of the efforts on fulfilling budget requirements rather than on political opposition as the election year begins. the development of longer term strategies and goals. The newspaper publisher, who was released immedi- “The post of minister of finance in the new govern- ately after being charged, was a leading figure in the ment structure has become the dominant one,” explained student hunger strikes of 1990 in Kyiv. Since then he Mr. Khoroshkovskyi in an open letter announcing his had been an entrepreneur, an art and music promoter, departure. He added that the current situation in the and a civil protest leader in Lviv. Mr. Ivaschyshyn said Cabinet of Ministers had not allowed the Ministry of the the charges were groundless, simply an effort to intimi- Economy to “properly execute its policies regarding the date him and restrain the anti-government stance of his development of free markets and the need to increase the Yaro Bihun newspaper. competitive level of the domestic economy.” “They are politically motivated,” Mr. Ivaschyshyn Mr. Khoroshkovskyi had waged a political battle over Valerii Khoroshkovskyi told The Weekly. “Authorities want to pressure me into the last year with Mr. Azarov on how to develop the submission by bringing these charges against me.” Ukrainian economy. While Mr. Khoroshkovskyi, a with the three countries would bring Ukraine. Mr. Lviv Hazeta Editor-in-Chief Yurii Nazaruk was more Western-oriented businessman who has interests in Khoroshkovskyi also was one of three ministers who specific as to why his publisher has come under attack. Mercks Furniture and UkrSocBank, wanted to develop voted against the government resolution authorizing In quotes in the few Ukrainian mass media outlets that European markets, Mr. Azarov, a remnant of the Soviet President Kuchma to sign the document that began the ran the story, Mr. Nazaruk stated that he believed the law era and ex-director of Ukraine’s State Tax Administration, country’s march into the SES. enforcement action against Mr. Ivaschyshyn came as a believed strong economic ties with Russia were in Ironically, Mr. Khoroshkovskyi came to the Ministry result of articles printed in Lviv Hazeta that negatively Ukraine’s best interest. of the Economy from a position as first deputy chief of portrayed Lviv Oblast Tax Administration director Serhii Mr. Azarov played a key role in the development of the staff of the presidential administration. Many political Medvedchuk and his more famous older brother, Viktor, Single Economic Space, the agreement proposed by pundits believe his downfall was his failure to support the President Leonid Kuchma’s chief of staff. Ukraine’s President Leonid Kuchma and Russia’s SES plan after Mr. Kuchma made it clear he wanted gov- The charges against Mr. Ivaschyshyn came several President Vladimir Putin, along with the state leaders of ernment authorization to sign a SES agreement in some months after his partner and financial backer, Lviv busi- Kazakstan and Belarus, to organize their countries into a form in Yalta during an annual summit of leaders of the nessman Yaroslav Ruschyshyn, owner of one of common market. Commonwealth of Independent States, which Ukraine Ukraine’s largest clothing manufacturers, charged that The extent of the disagreement between the two gov- hosted in October. the local tax police were harassing his businesses too. ernment officials came to a head during parliamentary While Mr. Azarov did not respond to Mr. Mr. Ivaschyshyn said the offices of his newspaper floor hearings on the SES, during which Mr. Khoroshkovskyi’s explanations for his departure, Prime and the entertainment club and art center he also runs, Khoroshkovskyi openly criticized his elder colleague for called Dzyga, had received unscheduled visits by tax inaccurately portraying the benefits that economic union (Continued on page 55) authorities since June. At that time the authorities accused him of doctoring his books by claiming to take ads for entertainment events at his club that were never Cardinal Lubomyr Husar visits Washington held. However, the tax inspectors failed to file formal charges at the time. by Serhiy Zhykharev Husar, “and through our council, not only do we Mr. Ivaschyshyn said such charges did not violate the Ukrainian National Information Service respond to various needs, but we bring forth mutual Ukrainian tax code in any case. He said the tax police trust within our respective communities.” had specifically questioned him about an entertainment WASHINGTON – Traveling the world to minister to Mr. Levin briefed Cardinal Husar on the role of event that was to occur in August 2002, just days after his flock as an emissary of peace, Cardinal Lubomyr NCSJ, especially during Soviet times, as well as their the Sknyliv air show disaster. “After the Sknyliv disas- Husar, considered Patriarch of the Ukrainian Catholic work and projects in Ukraine and other newly independ- ter we pulled the show even though we had advertised Church, visited Washington, on December 10, 2003. ent states following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. it,” explained the Lviv Hazeta publisher. “This is one of The Ukrainian National Information Service (UNIS), “Our goal is to educate people about tolerance,” the bases for the charges.” which is the Washington office of the Ukrainian Congress explained Mr. Levin, referring to anti-Semitism State Tax Administration officials in Lviv Oblast Committee of America (UCCA), arranged meetings with throughout the world. Cardinal Husar spoke of anti- were not available for comment as The Weekly was NCSJ (formerly known as the National Council on Soviet Semitism in Ukraine in relation to historical episodes going to press. Most government offices remained Jewry) and Mykhailo Reznik, Ukraine’s newest appoint- versus modern society and how the Soviet government closed throughout the country as New Year’s and ed ambassador to the United States. had antagonized various groups to cause disunity and Christmas observations continued. Participating in an hour-long meeting at NCSJ were fear. Patriarch Husar and the NCSJ agreed to remain in Mr. Ivaschyshyn asserted his absolute innocence and Mark Levin, NCSJ executive director; Shai Franklin, contact, especially concerning the restitution of religious said he would not compromise in the battle he now NCSJ director of governmental relations; Lesley Weiss, property in Ukraine. faces to clear his name of the allegations leveled against NCSJ director of community services and cultural The Ukrainian Catholic primate also met with him. He said he also would not cave to pressure to cur- affairs; Bishop Walter Paska (emeritus); and Michael Ukraine’s new ambassador to the United States, tail his outspoken criticism of both local and state lead- Sawkiw Jr., UCCA president. Mykhailo Reznik. During the meeting, the Church ers. He explained that when he founded the newspaper At the NCSJ Cardinal Husar elaborated on the degrees leader spoke of the need to present a more balanced and in the 1990s as an oppositionist news source, he accept- of cooperation that exist among various major religions in positive picture in the Western media regarding reform ed that he would have to deal with the consequences. Ukraine. A special council was formed by officials of the efforts in Ukraine. “As we have successfully done before, we will use Ukrainian Catholic, Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish Ambassador Reznik reflected upon Ukraine’s posi- lawyers and go through the courts to resolve the prob- and Muslim faiths to represent their interests before the tive contributions to global security: peacekeeping lems, but we are ready to go the political route as well, Ukrainian government, as well as to discuss issues forces in Iraq; a nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) with meetings and demonstrations,” said Mr. regarding restitution of former religious properties. battalion deployed in Kuwait during the Iraqi war; assis- Ivaschyshyn. “We want to understand each other,” stated Cardinal tance in the fight against international terrorism, etc. 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JANUARY 11, 2004 No. 2 NEWS ANALYSIS Regional Center for Social Adaptation Ukraine faces radical changes strivesby Ilona to Lewyckyjgive formerinmates. inmates The majority hopeof the residents are people whose only method of survival in its constitutional system LVIV – The hardships of her life were during Ukraine’s difficult economic tran- carved into the creases of her face. A sition was through petty crime. Many of Editor’s note: The analysis below was the Verkhovna Rada wants to apply new homemade tattoo of an eagle, scrawled them served disproportionately harsh written before the Verkhovna Rada on rules to the October 2004 presidential crookedly on her shoulder, spoke to the terms in Ukrainian prisons, which are December 24, 2003, passed in its first election, it must endorse either the rawness of her life in prison.