www.ukrweekly.com Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXXIII No. 18 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2005 $1/$2 in Ukraine HE KRAINIANSenate approvesEEKLY $60 million EmbattledT ministerU speaks for the record W in supplemental aid to Ukraine about his academic résumé, experience by Zenon Zawada “I never finished my doctoral studies PARSIPPANY, N.J. – The United In passing its version of the bill, the Kyiv Press Bureau and I never completed my studies which States Senate approved $60 million in Senate Appropriations Committee said it I began in 1976 [at Columbia],” Mr. assistance to Ukraine last week, though a “recognizes the historic achievements of KYIV – In an exclusive interview with Zvarych told The Weekly. “And I never similar bill that passed the House of the Orange Revolution and believes that The Ukrainian Weekly, Ukraine’s Justice completed the process of acquiring some Representatives earlier gave Ukraine additional funding will help promote and Minister Roman Zvarych acknowledged kind of higher education degree on the $33.7 million. The amounts budgeted consolidate vital political and economic that he does not have a master’s degree in level of doctor.” appeared in the supplemental appropria- reforms in that country.” philosophy or any other subject from It remains unclear whether Mr. Zvarych’s tions bill for 2005. The Senate committee went on to say Columbia University. lies will cost him his job as justice minister. The two bills must now pass through a that it “strongly supports programs to Instead, he claimed to have an aca- At a press conference held after a conference committee composed of strengthen Ukrainian civil society organi- demic degree “equivalent to that of a Cabinet of Ministers meeting on April 27, members of both houses of Congress. It zations, which play a key role in the con- master’s,” or a degree “of higher aca- after several news organizations had already is a process designed to reconcile the two solidation of democracy. The committee demic learning,” as he put it. reported Mr. Zvarych’s lies, President differing bills and one that could change believes that support for these organiza- The convoluted, partial admission Viktor Yushchenko declined comment on the amount awarded to Ukraine. tions should be increased, and recom- comes after The Weekly confirmed with the scandal surrounding his justice minister. Because both the Senate and House mends not less than $3,650,000 for these Columbia University last week that Mr. Mr. Zvarych’s chances of staying on versions come as portions of larger, con- programs.” Zvarych did not complete any degree there. as justice minister are aided by the fact tentious bills, it is believed that the com- The Senate bill stipulated that $70 mil- Mr. Zvarych spoke with The Weekly that the Ukrainian media have largely promise bill will be changed significant- lion be made available until September on Thursday, April 28 – 10 days after the steered clear of reporting his deceit, with ly. For this reason, it is also difficult to 30, 2006. But it added that, of the total, newspaper first called his office at the the notable exception of the Internet establish a timetable on final passage of $5 million “shall be made available for Ministry of Justice in an attempt to get newspaper Ukrainska Pravda, whose the bill. democracy programs in Belarus, which his side of the story. Washington correspondent Luba Shara The Senate version of the bill awarded shall be administered by the Bureau of Ever since 1998 Mr. Zvarych has claimed broke the story on April 14. Ukraine the full amount of money that Democracy, Human Rights and Labor” at in the annual editions of Who’s Who in Seated in his carpeted office and light- U.S. President George W. Bush first the State Department. Ukraine that he earned a master’s degree in ing one Marlboro Light cigarette after requested. The Senate bill passed on April It also stipulated that “not less than $5 philosophy from Columbia University. another, Mr. Zvarych calmly made con- 21 by a vote of 99-0 and was the last million shall be made available through He repeated that claim to Ukrainian sistent eye contact as he began to untan- action Congress has taken on the matter. the United States Agency for media as recently as April 19, and he gle his web of lies and embellishments. The House version of the bill, the International Development for humani- made similar claims in campaign fliers Outside, loud drumming reverberated Emergency Supplemental Appropriations tarian, conflict mitigation, and other distributed when he ran for the position off the Justice Ministry’s walls as Pora sup- Act for Defense, the Global War on relief and recovery assistance for needy Terror and Tsunami Relief, 2005 (H.R. families and communities in Chechnya, of national deputy. One such campaign porters banged large metal tubs in protest flier, printed sometime in 1995-1996, 1268), passed the House on March 16 by Ingushetia and elsewhere in the North states “finished Columbia University.” (Continued on page 8) a vote of 388-43. Caucasus.” NEWS ANALYSIS: Kyiv continues to redefine relations with Russia by Taras Kuzio ty crisis and a threat to its security. Moscow his April 19 state of the nation address, coincidental that, on the heels of the Eurasia Daily Monitor fears that “Russian national sacred places” Belarusian President Alyaksandr NATO summit, Ukraine took the lead at and “its national roots” in Ukraine will be Lukashenka described the post-Soviet the GUAM summit in Chisinau, while While Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia “torn away” (RIA-Novosti, April 19). democratic revolutions as “sheer banditry Mr. Lukashenka joined Mr. Putin in Tymoshenko canceled her visit to Russia The leaders of Russia and Ukraine base disguised as democracy.” Visibly angered Moscow (see Eurasia Daily Monitor, this month, Defense Minister Anatolii their respective statehoods on two clash- by this claim, Ukrainian Foreign Affairs April 25). Hrytsenko and National Security and ing ideological views. As Russian Minister Borys Tarasyuk praised his Defense Council Secretary Petro “Lost” Ukraine President Vladimir Putin declared in his country’s non-violent protests and added Poroshenko did make it to Moscow March 25 state of the nation address, the Ukraine’s concerns to those of the inter- The Yushchenko-Tymoshenko team is (Ukrainska Pravda, April 23). Despite the not naïve enough to believe that Russia exchange of diplomatic pleasantries, disintegration of the multi-national Soviet national community over human rights will accept the “loss” of Ukraine, as Ukraine is attempting to re-negotiate the Union was a “geopolitical catastrophe.” abuses in Belarus (Interfax-Ukraine, Moscow interprets Mr. Yushchenko’s parameters of Russian-Ukrainian rela- Meanwhile, Ukraine’s statehood, as out- April 21). During the White House press presidential victory. The editor of tions in seven areas. lined in its 1996 Constitution, is a major conference held by Presidents George W. beneficiary of the collapse of the USSR. Bush and Viktor Yushchenko in early Russia’s Profil magazine pointed out, Perceptions Russia is also insensitive to Ukraine’s April, Belarus was mentioned as a coun- “For the Kremlin, the khokhol [a deroga- tory name for Ukrainians, pronounced First, exactly what are “anti-Russian” perspective on Soviet history. While a try ripe for democratic revolution. new Stalin cult is being revived in Russia, On April 20 U.S. Secretary of State “khakhol”] state has become, if not the policies? Mr. Poroshenko was at pains in biggest nightmare out there, then definite- Moscow to persuade his hosts that Ukraine blames Stalinism for the 1933 Condoleezza Rice met with seven Famine that led to millions of deaths Belarusian oppositionists at the NATO ly an obsessive one” (gazetu.ru, April 20). Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration and Ukraine now has Russia on the defen- the GUAM (Georgia, Ukraine, (Guardian, April 20). Russia’s ambassa- summit in Vilnius, where she described dor to Ukraine, Viktor Chernomyrdin, Belarus as “the last dictatorship in sive, and Moscow does not know how to Azerbaijan, Moldova – Uzbekistan has respond to Kyiv’s desire to join NATO. suspended its membership from what was suggested that perhaps Ukrainians should Europe” (Washington Post, April 21). instead blame Georgia, Stalin’s birthplace Thus, Ukraine’s views on Belarus resem- “The possibility of Ukraine eventually known GUUAM) group are not “anti- joining NATO is of great concern to Russian.” Mr. Poroshenko explained: (MosNews, April 20). ble those of the United States and the EU. Russia, however, criticized Dr. Rice and Russia,” observed Viktor Kremeniuk of “Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration can Belarus the U.S.A. and Canada Institute, as “that backed the Lukashenka regime. in no way carry an anti-Russian compo- would spell the end of Russian domi- Ukraine and Russia are increasingly at nent” (Associated Press, April 21). CIS rivals nance in the post-Soviet sphere” But Russia is unlikely to believe such odds over U.S. and Western policy (Christian Science Monitor, April 21). explanations, as it views Ukraine’s move- toward Belarus and over election-moni- Ukraine offers Commonwealth of According to Sergei Markov, one of the ment toward the European Union and toring missions of the Organization for Independent States members an alterna- NATO as leading to a severe national identi- Security and Cooperation in Europe. In tive to Russian leadership. It was not (Continued on page 3) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2005 No. 18 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFS Kyiv demands respect from Moscow, NEWSBRIEFS Ukraine’s leaders remember Chornobyl Belarusian people at all those who have helped Belarusians.” (RFE/RL Newsline) seeks withdrawal of Black Sea Fleet KYIV – President Viktor Yushchenko, Verkhovna Rada Chairman Volodymyr Russian activists recall Chornobyl by Taras Kuzio designation.