INSIDE: • Ukraine and the Second Cold War — page 2. • The Chornobyl disaster’s 20th anniversary — pages 6-13. • Interview: Ambassador Roman Popadiuk — page 14. HE KRAINIAN EEKLY T PublishedU by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profitW association Vol. LXXIV No. 17 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 23, 2006 $1/$2 in Ukraine Orange coalition stalled Ukraine prepares to mark Chornobyl’s 20th anniversary by Zenon Zawada on issue of prime minister Kyiv Press Bureau by Zenon Zawada KYIV – At 1:23:47 a.m. on April 26, Kyiv Press Bureau 1986, the fourth reactor at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant in the Ukrainian KYIV – Hopes for an Orange coali- Soviet Socialist Republic exploded. tion regressed after Our Ukraine’s lead- Radiation more than 18 times the ership voiced its opposition to a provi- amount of the Hiroshima nuclear bomb sion in the coalition-forming procedure escaped into the earth’s atmosphere, con- agreement that allows for the bloc that taminating people and land throughout won the most votes in the parliamentary Europe and the Soviet Union. election to select the prime minister. The Chornobyl nuclear catastrophe is The Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc, which widely believed to have accelerated the won the most votes of the three Orange demise of the Union of Soviet Socialist political forces to qualify for the Republics, and it forever altered views Verkhovna Rada, inserted the provision on nuclear energy. as the procedure agreement’s sixth and An independent Ukraine this week final point, with support from the began commemorating the 20th anniver- Socialist Party of Ukraine. sary of the Chornobyl nuclear catastro- Though Our Ukraine Political Council phe, the repercussions of which remain Chair Roman Bezsmerntyi knowingly elusive to those trying to assess its dam- signed the agreement on April 13 with age to Ukraine, its neighbors and the rest the sixth point included, the Our Ukraine of the world. Cutty Sark Co. People’s Union Political Council voted First Vice Prime Minister Stanislav U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst (left), Children of Chornobyl Relief and on April 19 to support the agreement Stashevsky told an international audience Development Fund founder Zenon Matkiwsky and Ukraine’s First Lady Kateryna without the sixth point. assembled at the Chornobyl Museum at Yushchenko announce the arrival on April 20 of an airlift bringing $1.7 million in While citing a lack of clarity as its Kyiv’s Kontraktova Square that coping medicine and supplies to Ukraine to mark Chornobyl’s 20th anniversary. reason, Our Ukraine’s disapproval of the with Chornobyl’s aftermath remains a sixth point essentially stalled the coali- heavy burden for Ukraine to bear, demand- “Ahead of this sad date, in the name of understanding and cooperation.” tion-forming process and sent a clear ing further international cooperation. the Ukrainian government, I want to turn Five million Soviet citizens suffered as message to Ms. Tymoshenko that Our “Humanity must be convinced that the to the governments of the world, the Ukraine isn’t supportive of her candida- a result of the Chornobyl catastrophe, sad, painful and tragic lesson of world citizenry, our countrymen overseas, either through harmful health effects or cy for the prime minister’s post. Chornobyl will never repeat itself,” Mr. with the proposition of active cooperation Earlier in the week, President Viktor Stashevsky said on April 18. in resolving problems and hope for a new (Continued on page 3) Yushchenko had criticized the provision, stressing that the coalition’s partners must formulate and agree on a detailed program of political activities before Tymoshenko tries to change her anti-business image anyone is nominated to a government post. by Zenon Zawada American Chamber of Commerce that her Ms. Tymoshenko claimed she never “We are creating the coalition not Kyiv Press Bureau highest ambition is to eliminate corrup- even used the term “re-privatization” when assigning someone to a position,” Mr. tion and make Ukraine business-friendly. she served as prime minister and has been KYIV – In a direct attempt to combat “My higher ambition is to build the unfairly smeared by her political enemies. Yushchenko said on April 15. “We are an anti-investment image festering in creating the coalition to achieve some- type of Ukraine that will be a diamond in “Through a very well organized propa- Western business circles, former Prime the civilized world,” Ms. Tymoshenko ganda system, a terrible, horrible, scary thing.” Minister Yulia Tymoshenko told the Ms. Tymoshenko, who has made very said to applause. “That’s my ambition, re-privatizer has been made of me, who clear she wants to become Ukraine’s and who will stop me in my ambitions? walks around with a scythe and hacks off next prime minister, again accused Our Show me one such person!” honest private owners,” Ms. Tymoshenko Ukraine leaders of deliberately stalling Addressing more than 250 businessmen said. talks in order to buy time to form a on April 17, Ms. Tymoshenko outlined sev- Western businessmen are concerned majority coalition with the Party of the eral initiatives she would take as prime min- about re-privatization because they per- Regions. ister, including reforming the courts, hold- ceive it as a threat to their private proper- Specifically, Prime Minister Yurii ing judges accountable for unlawful rulings, ty rights and investments in Ukraine. Yekhanurov, presidential confidante creating a stock exchange, opening Ms. Tymoshenko and President Viktor Petro Poroshenko and Our Ukraine par- Ukraine’s market to foreign banks and mak- Yushchenko launched one large-scale re-pri- liamentary faction leader Mykola ing non-agricultural land easier to purchase. vatization effort, involving the Kryvorizhstal Martynenko are laying the groundwork Since her bloc’s surprisingly strong per- steel mill in Kryvyi Rih, in order to resell the for an Our Ukraine-Party of the Regions formance in the March elections, Western plant at its true market value. coalition, said Ms. Tymoshenko, citing businessmen and investors have expressed Former President Leonid Kuchma had several Our Ukraine members as the concern over Ms. Tymoshenko’s possible sold Kryvorizhstal to his son-in-law, source of her information. prime ministership. Viktor Pinchuk, and industrial magnate “The first part of this plan is to create “As prime minister last year, she sur- Rynat Akhmetov for $804 million. At the a positive image in the mass media of a prised us negatively by focusing on re- October auction last year, multinational broad coalition between Our Ukraine and privatization, which had not been part of Mittal Steel Co. bought a 93 percent the Party of the Regions, including a her government program,” wrote Anders stake for $4.8 billion. large number of politicians, citizen Aslund, a senior fellow at the Institute The government is attempting to re-priva- activists and journalists who have as for International Economics and Ms. tize a second enterprise, the Nikopol their goal creating an image of stability Tymoshenko’s most vocal critic. Ferroalloy Plant in the Dnipropetrovsk Zenon Zawada and unity between the east and the west,” “Now she has received a greater popu- Oblast, which also is owned by Mr. Pinchuk. Ms. Tymoshenko said. Yulia Tymoshenko addresses the lar mandate than ever before, so we can A lawyer from the Baker McKenzie American Chamber of Commerce in only wonder how she will amaze us this (Continued on page 21) Kyiv on April 17. time,” he noted. (Continued on page 30) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 23, 2006 No. 17 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFSNEWSBRIEFS Ukraine and the Second Cold War Greenpeace on Chornobyl’s toll the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the by Roman Kupchinsky appropriate to remind ourselves that: Chornobyl disaster, the director of the • 1) Europeans, for understandable KYIV – The global environmental group Ukrainian Foreign Ministry’s Economic Ignore the broad smiles, firm hand- reasons, are not ready to admit Ukraine Greenpeace said in a report unveiled on Cooperation Department, Viktor Mashtabei, shakes, cheerful backslapping and toasts into their club. April 18 that the health effects of the 1986 told a press club briefing on April 13. He raised to “everlasting friendship” • 2) The shadier elements of Ukraine’s Chornobyl nuclear accident have been said that various foreign international between well-dressed, smiling Russians, elite are still at liberty, living very com- “grossly” underestimated, international organizations are to send medicines, med- intense Germans, glib Americans and fortably in penthouse suites. news agencies reported. According to ical equipment and other humanitarian gifts deceptive Brits. Furthermore, it should be very clear Greenpeace, more than 93,000 people – to Ukrainian children who suffer from The Second Cold War has already that Ukraine is not only a victim of its mostly in Belarus, Ukraine and Russia – are Chornobyl’s effects. Many children are sup- begun. If forced to be perfectly frank, geographic location but of its inability to likely to die from cancers caused by radia- posed to undergo rehabilitation abroad, in every diplomat, spy or banker from conceptualize what is in its own national tion connected with the accident. Last year’s such countries as the United States, Spain, Boston to Baku would acknowledge this. interests. Apparently, each section of the report by an expert panel comprising the the Netherlands and Slovakia. According to Anyone who reads the press or watches country cares more about its own region- International Atomic Energy Agency and the Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry offi- television must have noticed by now that al interests than the well-being of the several other United Nations groups said cial, on April 21 one of the papal universi- the most dynamic, aggressive and self- nation as a whole. This will not do.