www.ukrweekly.com INSIDE:• UCCA begins voter education project in Ukraine — page 9. • Uzhhorod hosts Festival of Satire and Humor — page 12. • Fourth annual Lemko Vatra held in Ellenville, N.Y. — page 13. Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXXII No. 30 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2004 $1/$2 in Ukraine ForeignHE policy advisorKRAINIAN to Kerry EEKLY T U Donetsk OblastW mine accident meets with Ukrainian Americans by Yaro Bihun Ukrainian Americans to help convince killsb y31; Vasyl Pawlowsky five minersCommission still investigating missing the disaster, Special to The Ukrainian Weekly the Ukrainian government that it must Special to The Ukrainian Weekly said that 31 bodies had been recovered as act now to counter its AIDS epidemic. of Tuesday, July 20, and five miners were WASHINGTON – Richard Holbrooke, Proportionally, the epidemic in Ukraine KYIV – Emergency crews flooded a still unaccounted for; and as of who held key foreign policy positions in is 30 times worse than in China, which mine shaft with water and 7,000 cubic Wednesday, July 21, there was little hope the Clinton administration and now has been receiving a lot of press cover- meters of nitrogen in order to try to that they would be found alive. advises Democratic presidential hopeful age recently. (This aspect of the briefing extinguish a raging fire caused by a dead- Mr. Kliuyev added that the John Kerry on foreign policy issues, says is covered in a separate story on page 8.) ly explosion of methane on July 19 that Commission had already met with the that it is up to Ukraine itself to decide if left at least 31 miners dead at the its future is within NATO and the Tracing the history of NATO’s expan- victims’ families, and that the Cabinet of sion, Mr. Holbrooke said that then, as Krasnolymansk mine near the city of Ministers has allotted 2.5 million hrv to European Union. That decision, he Rodinske in Donetsk Oblast. However, stressed, should receive the full support now, the admission of Poland, Hungary the survivors of those killed. and the Czech Republic required some even through these efforts the 54 rescue Officials stated that it is still too early of the United States and should not be teams failed to put out the inferno, subject to any kind of a Russian veto. convincing and pressure on the part of to say what caused the blast on the night the U.S. administration to get all of the according to a report from the Ministry of Monday, July 19, though the investi- Briefing a small group of representa- of Emergencies. tives of Ukrainian American organiza- NATO partners to agree. The American gation’s aim was to determine this. foreign policy establishment required Forty-eight miners were in the mine at Authorities proclaimed three days of tions here on July 20, following his brief the time of the explosion; 12 managed to visit to Ukraine earlier in the month, he some convincing as well, he added. mourning for those killed in the disaster, When Washington first asked Ukraine escape. and flags in the capital and Donetsk were stressed that the degree of transparency According to an Associated Press and fairness demonstrated in the in the mid-1990s if it wanted to join adorned with black ribbons. NATO, the administration of President report, the attempts to put out the fire In response to the disaster, condo- Ukrainian presidential elections in were hampered by deadly gases and tem- October will be decisive in determining Leonid Kravchuk declined, saying that it lences were sent by a number of world peratures, which reached as high as 120 its European future. He called on was “a bridge too far” and that it did not leaders, including the Russian Federation degrees (F). Ukrainian Americans to help drive that want to “rock the boat” in the region. President Vladimir Putin and Pope John Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, message home in Ukraine and participate Later, after the Baltic countries joined Paul II. who visited the disaster scene, said that as election observers. NATO, President Leonid Kuchma On behalf of the pope, Vatican Among those participating in the announced in 2002 that Ukraine wanted “everything possible” would be done to Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Washington briefing and the discussion to join as well, Mr. Holbrooke said. rescue the men and promised government Sodano sent a telegram to Bishop Stepan that followed were Michael Sawkiw Jr., “Do you think that Poland, the Czech support for the deceased miners’ families. Meniok, exarch of Donetsk-Kharkiv. It president of the Ukrainian Congress Deputy Prime Minister Andriy Committee of America, and Eugene (Continued on page 8) Kliuyev, who is heading the State (Continued on page 9) Iwanciw, second vice-president of the Ukrainian National Association, who brought up some of the issues in the U.S.-Ukraine relationship that concern Ukrainian Americans. Among these was Ruslan Fedotenko brings Stanley Cup to Kyiv the unwillingness of the past two admin- by Vasyl Pawlowsky announced, with obvious pride: “The win such a coveted award, and to have the istrations to grant Permanent Normal Special to The Ukrainian Weekly collegium of the federation came to a opportunity to bring the cup to Ukraine. Trade Relations status to Ukraine, dwin- unanimous decision and has decided to According to tradition, each player on the KYIV – The most coveted trophy in dling U.S. aid levels to Ukraine and the award you, Ruslan, the title of Merited Stanley Cup-winning team has the oppor- professional ice hockey, the Stanley continued assignment of Russian-speak- Sportsman of Ukraine.” tunity to have the cup for two days. Cup, arrived in Kyiv on July 19 accom- ing foreign service personnel to the U.S. When it came time for Mr. Fedotenko “Everyone strives for the most presti- panied by Kyiv native Ruslan Embassy in Kyiv. to speak, he was clearly at a loss for Fedotenko, who scored both goals for Ambassador Holbrooke made the words in trying to express how it feels to (Continued on page 24) his team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, in point repeatedly that a Kerry administra- the deciding game of the 2004 Stanley tion would serve Ukraine’s NATO and Cup Finals. EU membership plans better than would Tampa Bay had defeated the Calgary a re-elected Bush administration, which, Flames 2-1 in Game 7 of the Stanley he noted, is losing its influence in Cup final. Europe and tends to side with Russian Mr. Fedotenko’s first stop with the interests over those of its neighbors. Stanley Cup was his home rink, the The briefing was organized by the Avangard ice arena in Kyiv, where he UCCA America and McGuireWoods first began his career. There the 25- LLP, an international law firm, in whose year-old right wing met his former Washington offices the event was held. teammates. The briefing was moderated by Mark At a ceremony at the Hall of Columns Brzezinski of McGuireWoods. in Kyiv’s City Hall, Mayor Oleksander In the administration of President Bill Omelchenko offered congratulatory Clinton, Mr. Holbrooke served as assis- words and then presented Mr. tant secretary of state for European Fedotenko, his wife, Debbie, and his affairs during the first expansion of father, Viktor Fedotenko, who both had NATO into Eastern Europe, and later as accompanied the hockey star to the cere- ambassador to the United Nations. mony, with watches. The mayor also Currently he is on the board of the bestowed the city’s highest honor, the National Endowment for Democracy and “Znak Poshany,” or Award of Reverence, heads the Asia Society and the American to the Stanley Cup champion. Academy in Berlin. In addition, Mykola Kostenko, head AP/ Sergei Pashchenko He also serves as president of the of the Ukrainian Sports Federation Global Business Coalition on HIV-AIDS, Ruslan Fedotenko of the Tampa Bay Lightning raises the Stanley Cup in Kyiv. and in this capacity he appealed to 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2004 No. 30 ANALYSIS Will contradictions undermine NEWSBRIEFSNEWSBRIEFS Reforms and Order Party changes name dard of living is measured by gross domes- tic product per capita. (RFE/RL Newsline) Yanukovych’s election campaign? KYIV – A convention of 375 delegates from the opposition Reforms and Order Our Ukraine warns of provocation... by Taras Kuzio Mr. Yanukovych’s candidacy. Although on Party, which is a member of the Our Eurasia Daily Monitor the surface there is unity, underneath there Ukraine bloc in the Verkhovna Rada, on KYIV – The Our Ukraine bloc led by is widespread dismay that Mr. July 18 changed the party’s name to Our presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko When Viktor Yanukovych was appoint- Yanukovych was chosen as their “joint Ukraine, Interfax reported. “Such a move has demanded that President Leonid ed Ukraine’s prime minister in November candidate.” One strike against the current demonstrates our readiness for creating a Kuchma, Prime Minister Viktor 2002, he immediately became the heir- prime minister is his criminal record: he single, united democratic Our Ukraine Yanukovych and leaders of law enforce- apparent for the 2004 presidential election. has been sentenced to prison twice – once party,” said Viktor Pynzenyk, the leader of ment bodies prevent the staging of what He was duly made the pro-presidential can- for robbery and once for violence. Polls the renamed party. He said this step should they termed a potentially dangerous and didate when the campaign season formally indicate that 69 percent of Ukrainians will encourage other democratic forces to con- provocative action by the Ukrainian opened on July 4.