www.ukrweekly.com INSIDE:• Competition announced for design of Famine-Genocide memorial — page 3. • Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro for a cause — page 4. • Victor Malarek’s “The Natashas” set for international publication — page 13. Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXXII HE KRAINIANNo. 6 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2004 EEKLY$1/$2 in Ukraine Verkhovna Rada withdraws provision LawT on legal statusU of Ukrainians abroad W for parliamentary election of president suffers setback due to Kuchma’s veto by Roman Woronowycz attained the status of Ukrainians from by Roman Woronowycz Speaking in a separate interview, Our Kyiv Press Bureau abroad. While explaining that the presi- Kyiv Press Bureau Ukraine coalition leader Viktor dent’s remarks were not clear on an alter- Yushchenko added: “The danger is that KYIV – National Deputy Ihor Ostash native to the Verkhovna Rada’s proposal, KYIV – Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada when the process is carried out illegally, said on February 4 that the presidential the lawmaker said he would try to stand retreated on January 3 from an initiative the content becomes illegal as well.” veto of the long-awaited law on the legal firm on the five-year, cost-free visa to give itself the authority to elect the The day was to have begun as the status of Ukrainians abroad was merely a because he believes it is necessary to president on behalf of the nation and opening of the fifth session of the current temporary setback. The lawmaker, who entice ethnic Ukrainian students to study amended a draft bill on political reform convocation of the Parliament. However, introduced the bill and moved it to in Ukraine. that had come under intense European Chairman Lytvyn shocked many onlook- approval through the Verkhovna Rada, The parliamentarian also explained criticism. ers and riled the opposition forces when said the draft law will be reworked and that the president had expressed dissatis- “In 2004 and thereafter, Ukraine’s he announced that within the hour he critical remarks made by President faction with the definition identifying a president will be elected to a five-year would open an extraordinary session of Leonid Kuchma will be taken into Ukrainian abroad, which would be the term by a nationwide vote,” explained the Parliament under authority given him account. basis upon which the special status Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada in Article 83 of the Constitution. “I can promise you that it will be would be extended. Volodymyr Lytvyn during a lull after Sixty minutes later he reappeared and approved and signed during this session While the bill passed by the presiding over a short but stormy formally announced that a special vote of the Verkhovna Rada,” said Mr. Ostash, Parliament defined such a person as “one extraordinary session of Ukraine’s would take place on draft law 4105, the who explained that he believed none of who identifies himself as Ukrainian,” Mr. Parliament. political reform bill. As Our Ukraine the obstacles presented by the president Kuchma noted that such wording would Responding to a critical evaluation by lawmakers rushed the rostrum – one in his comments attached to the veto reduce the rights of legitimate Ukrainians the Parliamentary Assembly of the shoved a large bound copy of the were insurmountable. living abroad who are not ethnically Council of Europe (PACE) – which had Constitution into Mr. Lytvyn’s chest The Ukrainian Parliament finally Ukrainian, such as the Crimean Tatars questioned the validity of amending the while others threw paper and whatever approved the bill, one of several diaspora who live in Uzbekistan, having been Constitution of Ukraine to change the else was at hand, including the contents rights bills that moved slowly through forcibly exiled there by Stalin in 1946. powers of the president and the of a soda pop container his way – the the Verkhovna Rada for most of the year, Mr. Ostash said he was inclined to agree Parliament during a presidential election chairman called for the playing of the on November 20, 2003, after the best fea- that a change in the wording is needed. year and, also, the way in which the bill national anthem to open the session. tures of several editions were combined. “I think we can go another route and passed its initial reading – the Parliament Then, as the chaos continued, he read However, President Kuchma change the terminology to show that the voted to retain the stipulation in the aloud the change to the draft law and expressed several reservations regarding requirement is to be able to prove the Constitution that the president must be then called for a vote, receiving 304 aye the form and the manner in which the person’s ties to the Ukrainian political elected by direct popular vote. votes to pass the measure. Within min- law was to be implemented, and returned nation, that is, one could be a Crimean The approval of the first reading of utes one account has it that it took seven it on December 13, 2003, to the Tatar or a Russian Ukrainian or a the bill, which would have given the Verkhovna Rada for rework. Canadian Ukrainian,” explained Mr. Parliament the right to elect the president (Continued on page 17) Mr. Ostash, who is the chairman of the Ostash. and appoint the prime minister, produced Parliament’s Committee on Foreign President Kuchma also suggested the an outcry from opposition forces in the Relations, explained that the presidential elimination of a statement in the pream- country when it was passed on administration had rejected a cost-free, December 24, 2003, by a hand vote – a U.S. drastically cuts five-year multi-entry visa for those who (Continued on page 12) method of voting unforeseen either in the Constitution or the procedural rules of international broadcasts the Verkhovna Rada. Opposition factions in the Verkhovna PARSIPPANY, N.J. – Major cutbacks Rada, led by the Our Ukraine coalition, Ukrainian parochial school in Northampton, Pa., to international broadcasts of the United which called the manner in which the States to Central and Eastern Europe first vote took place “a constitutional were announced this past week in keep- may be forced to close at end of school year coup d’état” and had strenuously fought ing with the federal budget for Fiscal against transferring the right to elect the Year 2004 and proposals of the Bush by Roma Hadzewycz president to the Parliament, nonetheless “After extensive consultation regarding administration’s proposals. Voice of protested the latest parliamentary vote – the finances of St. John’s Parish, America announced that programs in 10 PARSIPPANY, N.J. – Another what should have been a political victory Archbishop Stefan Soroka has given his languages will be cut by the end of this Ukrainian parochial school may be for them – on the grounds that it was permission to close the school. I share month, while Radio Free Europe/Radio forced to close its doors soon due to procedurally illegal. with you in the sadness of such a decision Liberty announced the cessation of financial considerations. Teachers and In a confusing series of events that and its necessity, given the tremendous broadcasts in six languages. parents at St. John the Baptist marked a chaotic day, the Our Ukraine financial burden on the parish.” On February 3 the director of Voice of Ukrainian Catholic School in faction and the Yulia Tymoshenko fac- The general public learned of the America, David Jackson, announced that Northhampton, Pa., were informed in tion, two of the four parliamentary fac- school’s imminent closing from the VOA will end regularly scheduled pro- January that the school will close at the tions that are in opposition to the February 3 issue of The Morning Call grams in Bulgarian, Estonian, Czech, end of the current academic year. Kuchma administration, refused to take of Allentown, Pa., which carried a Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Teachers were called to a meeting on part in the vote because, in their estima- story by Kathy Lauer-Williams head- Romanian, Slovak and Slovenian, along January 6, after Epiphany services, by tion, it was simply an amendment to the lined “Northampton parish shocked with many of its broadcast feeds to affili- December 24, 2003, bill, which they the Very Rev. David Clooney and told that school is closing this year; ate stations in Central and Southeastern assert was passed illegally – a notion of the closing. Faculty, staff and parents Ukrainian Archdiocese of Philadelphia Europe effective February 27. supported by a PACE resolution from also received a brief three-sentence let- cites financial reasons.” In addition, VOA’s Ukrainian radio January 29. ter from the pastor of St. John’s Church. The 52-year-old school, which service, is to reduce its daily broadcast “PACE said that the vote of December “It is with regret that I have to encompasses preschool through grade from two hours to one hour per day, 24 didn’t happen, this is the gist of the announce that St. John the Baptist School 8, currently has 90 elementary stu- beginning March 1. problem. We should have begun from will not be able to continue in operation dents, plus 10 in preschool. Thirty per- According to the VOA director’s mes- point zero,” explained National Deputy beyond the end of this school year (2003- sage to personnel, “VOA Ukrainian will Yurii Kostenko, chairman of the National 2004), that is June 9, 2004,” the Rev. (Continued on page 12) retool its programming and expand its Clooney wrote in the January 6 letter. Party and a leader of the Our Ukraine coalition.