U.S. wants Georgia, Ukraine in NATO; Officials deny Russia veto bid; Europe split over membership

Quote: With Russia opposed and Europe divided, U.S. hopes that its allies in Ukraine and Georgia will be given a clear path to membership at next week's NATO summit in Romania are fading quickly.
U.S. officials deny that Russia has effectively vetoed the membership hopes of the two former Soviet states on its border, but the Bush administration has been unable to overcome doubts in Germany and other Western European capitals over the timing of the offer to join the 26-nation alliance.
"I think there's too much disagreement within NATO right now for Georgia and Ukraine to be offered [a path to membership] at this summit," said James Goldgeier, senior fellow for trans-Atlantic relations at the Council on Foreign Relations.
"What we've seen is a real split between the United States and Germany on this issue," he said.
Georgia and Ukraine, both seeking to break out of Moscow's security orbit, have applied for NATO "membership action plans" - not a direct offer to join, but a critical first step on the path to qualifying for membership. They have been strongly backed by the United States and a number of Central European NATO states led by Poland, which are leery of Russia's recent policy moves.
"I think that Europe and Georgia and Ukraine are prepared like never before for a great geopolitical breakthrough in this direction," pro-Western Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili told reporters in the capital Tbilisi yesterday.
But with Russian President Vladimir Putin set to attend the Bucharest summit and an array of other economic, security and diplomatic issues dividing Russia and the West, many in Western Europe, led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, argue this is not the time to pick another fight.
"We are very reserved when it comes to the issue of deciding now on possible membership of Ukraine and Georgia," deputy German government spokesman Thomas Steg said.
Moscow has threatened to aim its nuclear missiles at sites in Ukraine if it joins NATO. Mr. Putin, President-elect Dmitry Medvedev and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov have all harshly criticized the Georgian and Ukrainian NATO bids.
"NATO's expansion in its current form .. reflects the old logic of preserving
and strengthening divisional lines in Europe," Mr Lavrov said.

Full article: http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100007539&docId=l:767341894&start=2

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Meeting held in Crimea in protest against plans to join NATO

Quote: Participants in a meeting in Simferopol this Saturday express protest against joining of Ukraine to the plan of action for NATO membership.
There are posters in central Simferopol with symbols of the Communist and Socialist parties, the party Union, the Progressive Socialists, Litvin's bloc, the Party of Regions and the Union of Left Forces.
According to various data, from 7,000 to 10,000 people have gathered for the rally. They chant "Sevastopol, Crimea, Russia" and "No to NATO".
Crimean communists' leader Leonid Grach, speaking at the meeting, harshly criticised the policy of U.S. President George Bush who will arrive in Kiev on Monday for a visit. Grach proposed the meeting to make a statement about crimes committed against humanity for the unleashed wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Yugoslavia. The meeting supported the idea.

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=12529151&PageNum=0

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OSCE High Commissioner Vollebaek sees no grounds to claim violation of rights of Russian-speaking population in Ukraine

Quote: OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Knut Vollebaek, currently on a visit to Ukraine, notes there are no grounds and powers to say that rights of the Russian-speaking population are violated in Ukraine, he made the statement in Simferopol where he met Speaker of the Crimean Parliament Anatoliy Hrytsenko.

http://www.kmu.gov.ua/control/publish/printable_article?art_id=121928313

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Gazprom presses to keep RosUkrEnergo in gas supply arrangement to Ukraine - Financial Times

Quote: Alexander Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russian gas giant Gazprom (RTS: GAZP), told the Financial Times that the trading company RosUkrEnergo can not be excluded from the gas supply arrangement between Russia and Ukraine.
He said: "We are not finished with RosUkrEnergo. You see we have a system of long-term contracts with RosUkrEnergo in international legislation." The Financial times quoted him as saying that the companies were working intensively to avoid being in breach the terms of existing contracts.
Swiss-based RosUkrEnergo was registered in July 2004. Gazprom owns a 50% stake in the company. The remaining 50% of shares are held by Austria-based CentraGas Holding, which, in turn, is owned by businessmen Dmitry Firtash with a 90% stake and Ivan Fursin with 10% of shares.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is working towards the quick exclusion of RosUkrEnergo from the bilateral gas trade between Russia and Ukraine.
This week, one of the owners of the major Ukrainian bank Privatbank, Igor Kolomoysky, told the Internet-based publication Ukrainian Truth: "I have started up negotiations to acquire a 50% stake in RosUkrEnergo and have decided to proceed with due diligence with the company." When asked about what was interesting for him in RosUkrEnergo, Kolomoisky said: "Gas contracts." In addition, the businessman attacked Tymoshenko's plans to edge the company out of the Ukrainian market.

http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100007539&docId=l:767112177&start=10

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The hollowing of a hero; Yushchenko of Ukraine

Quote:
Nina L. Khrushcheva - The New York Times Media Group
MOSCOW
Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko never fails to disappoint.
Of course, most successful revolutionaries are later regarded as disappointments, even failures, in one way or another. That's the nature of revolutionary euphoria once it deflates. Yet even in such company, Yushchenko stands out.
America, despairing of Yushchenko's endless dithering and willingness to compromise Ukraine's independence from Russia, abandoned its support for him over a year ago. Recently, the European Union foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, in a brutal session with Yushchenko in Brussels, let him know that the EU, too, had had enough of his temporizing and political machinations.
Neither message, however, appears to have had any effect on Yushchenko, whose only concern nowadays is his own political survival. Thus, he is focused on reaching a deal with his former, pro-Russian opponents to secure a second term as Ukraine's president in 2010 rather than on opinion in the West or among his supporters.
Indeed, it now seems clear that Yushchenko was only a reluctant leader of a democratic revolution. From the moment of his victory in 2005, he sought to distance himself from those who supported him and, instead, to forge an alliance with those who opposed Ukraine's democratic and free-market transformation, preferring the crony capitalism that had developed since Ukraine gained its independence. Now he wants to formalize that alliance.
Yushchenko's plan is breathtakingly cynical. With his popularity ratings having plummeted to around 10 percent, he can no longer command the allegiance of the bulk of Our Ukraine, the party that he created but which now (thanks to his unpopularity) is reduced to junior partner status in the coalition government led by Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
Instead of trying to recover support, Yushchenko and his coterie of advisers want to link the rump of Our Ukraine that they still control with the Orange Revolution's opponents, the Party of the Regions, which would then dump the unelectable Viktor Yanukovich, Ukraine's erstwhile prime minister and Yushchenko's one-time nemesis, as its standard bearer.
Of course, there are problems with Yushchenko's plan. One big hurdle is his support for Ukraine's NATO membership, which he is hoping to push at the alliance's summit meeting in Bucharest next week.
Understanding that NATO is not popular in eastern Ukraine, the seat of support for the Party of the Regions, Yushchenko has been trying to force Tymoshenko, who has been more cautious about NATO because of its current unpopularity, to embrace NATO membership publicly.
Even in a normal democracy, politicians who switch parties are regarded with suspicion. Winston Churchill, for example, found ''crossing the aisle'' a hard act to shake off. Moreover, Yushchenko is no Churchill, and Ukraine is a very young democracy. To be sure, unlike Russia or other parts of the ex-Soviet Union, Ukraine has shown itself capable of handling the tumult of free and fair democratic elections. But is it really ready for the type of political summersault Yushchenko is preparing.

Full article: http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100007539&docId=l:766927105&start=16

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Ukraine May Cut Poland Off Gas

Quote: Poland may experience problems with gas supplies from Ukraine as of April. PM Yulia Tymoshenko's government wants to block the transit of gas from RosUkrEnergo (RUE), which supplies a sixth of the gas used in Poland. The Ukrainian government has forbidden the state-owned Naftohaz from sending gas for RUE. As of 1 April, it can supply gas only on the Ukrainian market. RUE is the second largest gas exporter to Poland. PGNiG signed a contract with RUE for supplies of 2.3bn cubic metres of gas annually, which abides until the end of 2009. The gas passes through Ukraine. The decision could also affect Hungary, Slovakia and Romania. In 2007, Ukrainian gas pipelines delivered 11.6bn cubic metres for RUE. However, the Polish government is of the opinion that Ukraine guarantees stable gas supplies, as stated in a document on economic co-operation signed by Polish and Ukrainian deputy prime ministers. Meanwhile, PGNiG is waiting for RUE and Naftohaz to explain the situation.

Full article: http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100007539&docId=l:766397720&start=49

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Gas from Ukraine Via New Intermediary?

Quote: PGNiG representatives went to Ukraine along with PM Donald Tusk. They are supposed to discuss the issue of gas supplies from Russia to Poland via Ukraine. The Ukrainian government has withdrawn the right for RosUkrEnergo (RUE) to transport gas from Asia via Ukraine to Western Europe. PGNiG Vice-President Miroslaw Dobrut says Poland has guaranteed that gas will continue flowing. However, the Polish gas company wants to discuss the details and resolve any problems. RUE, which is tied to Gazprom, supplies a sixth of the gas to Poland. In the middle of March, Naftohaz came to an agreement with Gazprom that RUE will be pushed out of the wholesale gas market in Ukraine. State-owned Naftohaz will take over transit of gas in Ukraine.

http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100007539&docId=l:766455621&start=47

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Nato tells Putin to talk - not posture

Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Nato's secretary-general, has warned Vladimir Putin that next week's summit of the 26-member Atlantic alliance must not be marred by a new display of "unhelpful rhetoric" from Russia's president, directed at the west.
As the military alliance's national leaders prepare to meet in Bucharest for the annual gathering, tensions between Nato and Russia are running high because of Washington's insistence that Ukraine and Georgia should be allowed to take a significant new step towards joining the organisation.
But while the secretary-general said he was looking forward to frank exchanges between Mr Putin and alliance leaders at a session of the Nato-Russia Council, he said he hoped the discussion would also be constructive.
"The volume of music we get next week will to a large extent depend on the tone that President Putin uses in the NRC," Mr de Hoop Scheffer told the Financial Times in an interview. "I do not know what that tone will be."
However, the secretary-general expressed the hope that Mr Putin, who will be attending a Nato summit for the first time, would not use the occasion to launch another blunt threat to the west.
Mr de Hoop Scheffer said: "Let's try to avoid unhelpful rhetoric, like, 'We will target missiles on nation A, B and C.' That is not only unhelpful. It makes me remember a time when I grew up when there was a Berlin Wall and Iron Curtain. . . So let us refrain from rhetoric."

Full article: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/62b9f89c-fc69-11dc-9229-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1

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100 days of Tymoshenko government mark the beginning of Orange revolution decline, Kost Bondarenko opines

Quote: According to Bondarenko, Yulia Tymoshenko attributed to herself the victory in the gas war with Russia, although not a single supply contract has been signed yet. She is also scoring popularity points by paying compensations to ill-fated clients of Oshchadbank and by railroading the law on the early mayoral elections in Kyiv – despite that fact that the Orange coalition should also be credited. In general, Bondarenko summed up, the Tymoshenko government is the swan song of the Orange coalition.
The main government achievement is the lack of cohesion in the parliamentary coalition. In fact, he opines, there is no coalition of democratic forces, there exists the coalition of BYUT and its rivals.
Summing up, Bondarenko said stability will come to Ukraine only when the present politicos, including Yushchenko, Tymoshenko, Yanukovych, Akhmetov, etc,will disappear from the political scene.

http://zik.com.ua/en/news/2008/03/27/131196

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12 killed as Ukraine helicopter crashes in Black Sea

Quote:
12 killed as Ukraine helicopter crashes in Black Sea Kiev
A Ukrainian helicopter crashed in the Black Sea on
Thursday killing twelve and leaving only one survivor, officials at
Ukraine's Border Troops command said.

It happened in the north-western Black Sea, near the mouth of the
Danube River.

A total 13 persons, 3 flight crew and 10 passengers, had been
aboard the aircraft at the time of the crash. Eleven of the dead were
border security staff, and other person killed was a civilian.

The identity of the single survivor was not immediately made
public.

The Ukrainian border troops Mi-8 helicopter had been carrying
personnel and two tonnes of supplies to Zmeyniy Island, a rocky
outcrop claimed by some 60 kilometres south of the Danube's mouth.

The flight from the mainland to Zmeyniy Island by Mi-8 lasts
approximately 45 minutes. It was not clear when exactly, or for what
reason, the helicopter had crashed.

The downed helicopter was visible in shallow water, and had
apparently almost reached the island before hitting the water,
witnesses said.

Two motor launches and a pair of helicopters participated in a
search of the area.

One of the helicopters carried the single survivor to a hospital
in Ukraine's Odesa province, where he was being treated for multiple
injuries and listed in "very serious condition."

http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100007539&docId=l:766264178&start=8

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Ukraine central bank accuses govt of neglecting economics

Quote: The chairman of the supervisory board of Ukraine's central bank rapped the government of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko on Thursday, accusing it among other things of neglecting structural reforms and "showing it has somewhat other priorities."
"There has not even been any presentation of such strategies on tax and constitutional reforms, reforms of self-government, the housing and utilities sector, and others, least of all their approval by [parliament]," Petro Poroshenko told reporters in Kyiv.
Economics is what the government should focus on, Poroshenko insisted, pointing out the need to fight inflation and achieve economic stability. But "so far the government is showing it has somewhat other priorities," he said.

http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100007539&docId=l:766264195&start=5

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NATO likely to defer Ukraine

Quote: As next week’s NATO summit in Bucharest draws nearer, Ukraine’s chances to be accepted into a Membership Action Plan (MAP) have grown slim, with little time left for NATO member states to reach consensus, experts said.
The likely scenario involves NATO delaying a MAP invitation to Ukraine and Georgia, while reaffirming the alliance’s support for both countries’ integration bids.
“Most NATO members support MAP for Ukraine,” said Oleksandr Sushko, director of the Center for Peace, Conversion and Foreign Policy of Ukraine, a Kyiv-based think tank. “However, there has to be a consensus of all the member states.”
French and German leaders are leading the resistance to a Ukrainian MAP, in what some analysts are describing as the first time a non-NATO state, the Russian Federation, may impede a NATO decision through proxies, violating a key NATO principle of not giving veto influence to non-members.
“That principle could be breached for the first time in the alliance’s history, if Berlin and Paris lead an action to block the Georgian and Ukrainian MAPs at the Bucharest summit in deference to Russia’s opposition,” Vladimir Socor, a senior fellow at the Jamestown Foundation in Washington, wrote for the Eurasia Daily Monitor.

Full article: http://www.kyivpost.com/nation/28695

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Ukraine says Russia wants gas intermediary

Quote: (Reuters) - Ukraine's energy minister said on Wednesday talks with Russia's Gazprom (GAZP.MM) about 2008 gas imports would continue as disagreement persisted over the RosUkrEnergo transit intermediary, which Gazprom wants to keep.

"There is a proposal from the Russian side for RosUkrEnergo to be present," Energy Minister Yuri Prodan told journalists.

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssEnergyNews/idUSL2640228720080326

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Supreme Court Restores Stanik As Constitutional Court Judge

Quote: The administrative cases panel of the Supreme Court on March 25 restored Suzanna Stanik as a Constitutional Court judge.
Ukrainian News learned this from press-service representative of the Constitutional Court.
The judgment of the Court is final without appeal.
As Ukrainian News earlier reported, the Party of Regions considers, that the new judges of the Constitutional Court may take oath only after courts pass judgment on restoration of Suzanna Stanik as a Constitutional Court judge.
The Appeal Court of Kyiv cancelled on October 26 the decision of Kyiv's Shevchenkivskyi district court on restoration of Suzanna Stanik as a Constitutional Court judge.
In July the Shevchenkivskyi district court of Kyiv ordered President Viktor Yuschenko to cancel his decree on dismissal of Stanik.
The president's secretariat appealed at the administration court Stanik's restoration.

http://www.ukranews.com/eng/article/112528.html

I wonder how many judge's PoR have in their pocket's. This is so very obvious.
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Compensations paid out by Tymoshenko government may soon be eaten up by inflation, Taras Statskiv warns

Quote: “The government is doing something wrong. First, this situation hits exporters. Second, it dents the cash flow. In the first two months of 2008 inflation was 5.2%. It is half of the government-set ceiling. If the government doesn’t support the dollar rate, it will be faced with large cash shortfalls at the yearend. If the inflation is not kept in check, Ukrainians will soon forget about Hr 1,000 in compensations for their lost savings which the Tymoshenko government paid them in Q1, Stetskiv warned.

http://zik.com.ua/en/news/2008/03/26/131039

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Govt increases tax returns

Quote: VAT returns got 76 percent bigger. The proceeds from the customs were doubled, totaling UAH 7 bn in February as a result of the "Stop to Smuggling" program, the premier said. The government is determined to legalize real imports and ban simulated exports, she said, pointing out that UAH 4-5 bn used to be paid annually in VAT reimbursements for such exports alone.

http://www.nrcu.gov.ua/index.php?id=148&listid=63155

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America the Beautiful

Quote: It saddens me to see the gradual escalation of anti-American moods in Ukraine. I wonder why some of my fellow Ukrainians don’t bother to figure out where the wind is blowing and who can benefit from this.
Personally, I have a great deal of respect for Americans. Above all, I am very grateful to them. Why? Mostly, perhaps, because the Soviet Union could not have won the Second World War without the Allies, above all, the United States. I remember Nikita Khrushchev saying that Stalin had repeatedly emphasized that the USSR would have never won the war without the US. Molotov once observed that the question of the importance of America’s role in the victory over Nazi Germany had been deliberated by the Politburo.
Actually, I don’t care whether or not Stalin made this fact public. I am neither a politician nor a historian. I am an ordinary citizen of Ukraine, who has lived a rather long life and has a rather long memory.
Some foreigners with whom I have talked have been surprised to learn that people in the post-Soviet countries don’t know much about the history of the Second World War. I would reply with a bitter smile that they don’t even know the history of the Soviet-German War, except from Soviet and Communist Party history textbooks that were revised a dozen times.
A reminder of some facts is in order. The West recently marked the 65th anniversary of the British-American invasion of North Africa. It is a shame that this event passed unnoticed in my country, considering that from September 1940 until May 1943 the Allied forces fought the Wehrmacht in Africa, sustaining heavy losses and valiantly winning battles that resulted in victory, thus preventing countless German troops from being deployed to Russia. We remember the sacrifices and feats of arms of the Allies, particularly the US.
After the United States declared war on Japan and Germany in December 1941, following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, American forces took part in the Pacific campaign. Suffering heavy losses, they managed to draw the huge Japanese army away from the Soviet border. By this time the Japanese had captured Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines and were threatening Australia. It is common knowledge that Stalin was horrified by the threat of Japan’s invasion in the east. When the Japanese ambassador was leaving Moscow, Stalin accompanied him to the railway terminal. As far as I know, this was the first and last time he ever did this.
During the first five days of the Second World War, starting on June 22, 1941, the Germans marched into Ukraine, covering a distance of 200 kilometers. Within two weeks they had established control over half of Ukraine. Even a schoolchild can figure out what would have happened to the Soviet Union if the Americans had not engaged the Japanese army in the east and stopped the formations led by Rommel, the Desert Fox, in Africa. By 1942 not only would the Germans have reached the Caucasus and the Volga River, they would also have behind the Urals.
Some German divisions were moved from the Soviet border in conjunction with the uprising in Yugoslavia. Many US and British pilots died during the bombing raids targeting the Wehrmacht in that country. This helped Tito survive and eventually hold back about as many German troops as during the siege of Stalingrad.

http://www.day.kiev.ua/198794

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Don't recruit Georgia and Ukraine, Dmitri Medvedev warns Nato

Quote: Russia's president-elect adopted a hard line today over the prospect of Nato membership for neighbouring Georgia and Ukraine.
Dmitri Medvedev said that expansion of the Western military alliance to include the two former Soviet republics would be "extremely troublesome" for European security.
Nato members are due to meet in Bucharest, Romania, on April 2-4 to consider whether to offer Membership Action Plans to Georgia and Ukraine. President Bush has said that he supports Georgia's desire for membership, and the US leader is also due to visit Ukraine next week on the eve of the Nato summit.
"We are not happy about the situation around Georgia and Ukraine," Mr Medvedev said. "We consider that it is extremely troublesome for the existing structure of European security... No state can be pleased about having representatives of a military bloc to which it does not belong coming close to its borders."

Full article: http://www.ukrainians.ca/content/view/664/1/

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Yanukovych will be bogus candidate in future presidential election, Mykhailo Syrota opines

Quote: “As soon as the parliamentary crisis turned the corner, the way was clear for presidential campaign to start. There are 2 real contenders for the highest office, Yushchenko and Tymoshenko. Yanukovych has basically an auxiliary role, and he will side with either Yushchwnko or Tymoshenko,” Mykhailo Syrota of Lytvyn bloc and leader of the Labor party of Ukraine, said in his March 25 press conference in Lviv held at the ZIK information agency.
“There were no millionaires in the first Rada, 17 in the second, 200 in the third and 270 in the fourth and fifth. Hence, VR can be describes as a closed joint-stock company for the distribution of property. Now I am often asked “Why do businessmen come to parliament if they do not pass any laws?” My answer is “Just for the purpose of not passing any laws,” Mykhailo Syrota said, reflecting on the role of lawmakers in Ukraine.

http://zik.com.ua/en/news/2008/03/25/130877

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Ukraine Threatens to Turn Off Gas Taps

Quote: Poland may experience problems with gas supplies from Ukraine as of April. PM Yulia Tymoshenko's government wants to block the transit of gas from RosUkrEnergo (RUE), which supplies a sixth of the gas used in Poland. The Ukrainian government has forbidden the state-owned Naftohaz from sending gas for RUE. As of 1 April, it can supply gas only on the Ukrainian market. RUE is the second largest gas exporter to Poland. PGNiG signed a contract with RUE for supplies of 2.3bn cubic metres of gas annually, which abides until the end of 2009. The gas passes through Ukraine. The decision could also affect Hungary, Slovakia and Romania. In 2007, Ukrainian gas pipelines delivered 11.6bn cubic metres for RUE. However,

http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100007539&docId=l:764561830&start=33

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Germany and France to support Ukraine's joining NATO MAP at summit in Bucharest, experts say

Quote: The participants of project "Public support for Ukraine's joining MAP" who visited France and Germany and met there with experts, the leaders of public organizations, and representatives and the authorities and mass media of the two countries came to such a conclusion, the experts said.

http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100007539&docId=l:764981441&start=21

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Ukraine goes under the hammer

Quote:
The Cabinet of Ministers submitted to the Verkhovna Rada bill No. 2143 On the Land Market to regulate the sale of agricultural land.
Drafting and approval of this document is one of the preconditions for lifting the ban on the sale of agricultural land plots, Chair of the VR Committee on Agricultural Policy and Land Issues Mykola Prysyazhnyuk said in an interview with KW. As a reminder, on January 5, the VR extended the moratorium on the sale of agricultural land pending full legal regulation of the issues related the land market, which is projected for the end of 2009. “The government must draft another two bills on the land cadastre and alienation of land for public needs that would supplement this bill,” said Prysyazhnyuk.
Volodymyr Voyevodin, Director of the State Land Resources Agency and one of the authors of the bill, says the aim of this legislation is to regulate on the organization and functioning of the land market in Ukraine. The document envisages that the central governing body is exclusively responsible for land resources during tenders for the sale of agricultural land and leasing rights. Under the bill, only citizens that meet a number of criteria have the right to purchase such land plots.
Specifically, this concens those applicants that by January 1, 2008 were granted land for long-term use (or leasing) for farming purposes, have been farming for the past five years or are experienced young farmers. The term of purchasing land plots should not exceed 20 years. The bill also envisages a 10-year ban on altering the functional purpose of a land plot from the day of purchase or receipt of leasing rights...

Full article: http://www.kyivweekly.com/?art=1206435583
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Small wonder Lviv Mayor Sadovyj supports Chernovetsky: officials in Lviv are as corrupt, Lutsenko claims

Quote: Interior Minister Yury Lutsenko says corruption in Lviv is rampant. “Corruption of Lviv officials hits the eye at once. Probably, Mayor Sadovyj will be hurt by this opinion, but it is not coincidental that he backs Kyiv Mayor Chernovetsky,” Lutsenko said March 24 during his press conference in Lviv. -
Asked about the investigation into money embezzlement accusations against Lviv officials in preparations for the city’s 750-th anniversary,
Yury Lutsenko said the probe is the responsibility of prosecutors. “Frankly speaking, I am glad that the prosecutor’s office in Lviv is now headed by Bahanets. I think, he is a committed and honest prosecutor. I knew him before when he was working in Donetsk and Rivne. I hope the police and prosecution will work in harness in Lviv, as cases of official corruption are too frequent,” the interior minister admitted.
He praised local police for active efforts in uprooting corruption. However, although the police regularly send case materials on official corruption to the prosecution, the latter takes time with bringing corrupt officials to account.

http://zik.com.ua/en/news/2008/03/24/130711
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Envelope with Powder Sent to City Executive Committee in Kharkov. Details

Quote: Today at 09:20 a.m. an envelope addressed to the secretary of city council Gennady Kernes with an unknown powder has been found during mail processing in the office of executive committee at city council in Kharkov.
As press-service of city council reported, officials have been evacuated and services of Emergency Ministry, Interior Ministry, rescue service and sanitary epidemiological station have been called.
Air has been tested on the site of occurrence, radiation background has been checked. It turned out to be normal. The envelope has been seized and sent fir investigation to the laboratory of sanitary epidemiological station.
Commenting on situation, deputy director of office work department at city executive committee Viktor Rohov reported, address “not to open in the office” has been on the envelope. As for return address written in hand writing, it was as following: “Sumska Street, 64, KHODA”. The powder has poured out to the table and to the floor through the envelope’s chink while mail processing.

http://www.mignews.com.ua/en/categ408/articles/296329.html
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SPECIAL! Elections to Kyiv Council to be Sabotaged?

Quote: As MIGnews.com.ua has got to know from reliable sources, the Secretariat of President of Ukraine made a final decision to sabotage elections to the Kyiv city council. Starting from the fact most likely, Leonid Chernovetsky may be re-elected at the post of Kyiv mayor and Kyiv council can be strengthened by Tymoshenkos’ people now (she will try to win), authorities made a decision to sabotage elections to Kyiv city council through the Judiciary. Judiciary have the right to recognize a decision about pre-term elections to Kyiv council invalid. Elections to city council are planned to be sabotaged; as for new Kyiv mayor, Kyivers will elect him, source states.
However, if such plan of Presidential Secretariat is realized, the consequences may be unpredictable – even the Bloc of Yulia Tymsoehnko (Byut) can inspire civil protest actions and finally can dismiss those who tried to prevent sabotage of pre-term elections.

http://www.mignews.com.ua/en/articles/296302.html
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National Bolshevik Bolts for Ukraine

Quote: The fiancee of opposition activist Yury Chervochkin, who died last year of injuries suffered in a murky beating, has fled Russia and requested political asylum in Ukraine.
Anna Ploskonosova, a 20-year-old activist with the banned National Bolshevik Party from Tula, submitted her asylum application to immigration officials in the central Ukrainian city of Vinnitsa on March 9, she said from the city by telephone Friday.
Yelena Mamentova, a spokeswoman for Ukraine's State Committee for Nationalities and Religion, which deals with asylum requests, confirmed that Ploskonosova's application had been received.
Ploskonosova is the latest of the organization's activists to flee to Ukraine to escape what they call fabricated criminal cases against them.
Her fiance, Chervochkin, was an National Bolshevik activist in the Moscow region city of Serpukhov. On Nov. 22, he called a reporter from opposition leader Garry Kasparov's web site, Kasparov.ru, to say he was being followed by local police officers.
Hours later Chervochkin, 22, was discovered unconscious outside his apartment building after apparently having been savagely beaten. He died on Dec. 10 after spending three weeks in a coma.
His fellow activists say he had been promoting an opposition rally to be held on Nov. 24. The opposition coalition The Other Russia has accused officers from the anti-organized crime department of the Serpukhov police of assaulting Chervochkin.
No suspects have been identified or detained in connection with the attack on Chervochkin, "despite very intensive efforts" by investigators, Yelena Zhukova, a spokeswoman for the Moscow region branch of the Investigative Committee, said Friday.
The opposition coalition The Other Russia has accused investigators of dragging their feet in the case.
Ploskonosova, meanwhile, had been facing charges of assaulting a police officer in Tula before she fled the country -- allegations she said were trumped up.
"They are saying that I punched a policeman in the eye," Ploskonosova said. "It was made clear that if I deny it in court, the punishment would be a long prison sentence."

Full article: http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100007539&docId=l:763992616&start=27
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One third of Ukrainians believe Crimea may separate from Ukraine like Kosovo

Quote: One third of polled Ukrainians believe that a situation similar to Kosovo may arise in Crimea following the unilateral declaration of the independence of Kosovo.
Asked whether a situation similar to Kosovo may arise in Ukraine 33% said it can arise because of Crimean Tatars and 11% that it may arise due to the Russian-speaking population. In addition 4% said that there may be such a problem in Transcarpathia due to Rusyns while 2% felt this may happen in eastern Ukraine.
In contrast 24% said it is impossible, 8% were indifferent and 18% were undecided.
In addition, 11% said the country is facing the threat of separatism following the proclamation of the independence of Kosovo, 21% think such threats are possible, 23% think they unlikely, 25% categorically denied such threats and 20% were undecided.

http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100007539&docId=l:764337194&start=11
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The plane crashed near Kyiv. Among the killed there is Chernovetsky’ assistant

Quote: Per preliminary data, the reason could be the technical failure or the pilot’s mistake.
At the same time, the source in the central administration of the urban construction, architecture and design office informed the agency that on board of the crashed plane was the first deputy head of the administration, acting deputy head of Kyiv city state administartion Edward Leschenko. There was also the architect Tatyna Dotsenko.

http://ostro.org/shownews_ks.php?id=47178&lang=en

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Where Europe draws the line

Quote: Mikheil Saakashvili kicked off the second wave of freedom movements in formerly Communist Europe in 2003 when he strode into the Georgian Parliament, rose in hand. Now he`s president, and his country and his revolution are in danger of being stranded between a weakening West and a surging Russia. Last week he came to Washington in the somewhat desperate hope that President Bush would spend some of his last diplomatic capital to defend the two European democracies born on his watch.
Georgia`s was the first of the "color revolutions"; the second was in Ukraine, which in 2004 shook off an attempt by Vladimir Putin to install a satellite autocracy. Now, like the first wave of post-Communist democracies in Central Europe, Georgia and Ukraine are trying to consolidate their liberal regimes, and their independence, by joining NATO. Both have formally asked NATO to choose them for a "membership action plan" at a summit two weeks from now in Bucharest. That would inaugurate a process of monitored reforms that could lead to full membership in a few years.
It`s a logical step that already has allowed 10 European countries, from Poland to Romania, to adopt the institutions and receive the protection of the democratic West -- arguably the greatest achievement in NATO`s history. But the alliance and its leaders are weaker than they were a decade ago -- and more susceptible to intimidation by Putin. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who grew up in Soviet-dominated East Germany, has taken a public stand against membership plans for Georgia and Ukraine. The French government of Nicolas Sarkozy is also resistant. Even the U.S. bureaucracy has been lukewarm; support for Georgia and Ukraine has ranked below missile defense and Kosovo`s independence in Washington`s dealings with both Europe and Russia.

More: http://www.unian.net/eng/news/news-242701.html

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Lukashenka’s Potemkin good will

By Tammy Lynch

Quote: On 26 February, Belarus President Alyaksandr Lukashenka approved a three-day furlough from prison for opposition activist Alyaksandr Kazulin, an Amnesty International-recognized prisoner of conscience. The furlough allowed Kazulin to attend the funeral of his wife, Iryna, who died of cancer on Sunday. (1)
The furlough request originally was denied, but Lukashenka appears to have reversed his decision after a torrent of international criticism. Just months ago, this reversal likely would not have happened, but in recent weeks, President Lukashenka has been making a very public show of reaching out to the West for improved relations. The question is how many of the overtures are just that – a show.
The grandest gestures from Lukashenka lately have concerned the release of numerous individuals classified as “political prisoners” by international organizations and governments. The US State Department this week welcomed the recent releases of opposition activist and former parliament member Andrei Klimau; journalist Alyaksandr Sdvizhkau; “Youth Front” leaders Zmitser Dashkevich and Artur Finkevich, and leaders of the Movement of Entrepreneurs, Nikolay Avtukhovich and Yuriy Leonov. (2) Several had been in prison or hard labor camps for more than two years.
The US and European Union also have welcomed the news that Kazulin would be allowed to attend his wife’s funeral, but have called for the furlough to be altered to a full unconditional release. “Should Mr. Kozulin’s [sic] release be made permanent, all internationally recognized political prisoners would have been released,” State Department Spokesperson Tom Casey said, “and we would be prepared to begin a dialogue with Belarus on further steps to improve bilateral relations.” (3)
Prior to Lukashenka’s reversal, the EU’s External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said a decision to allow Kazulin’s furlough would be “an important signal.” (4)
Clearly, Lukashenka hopes that this “signal” will prompt Western countries to lift travel and banking bans on members of his regime, and to open negotiations over improved trade relations. He has called his recent actions “an unprecedented step of good will toward the West,” and noted his interest in “cooperation with Western countries.” (5)

Full article(bottom of page): http://www.bu.edu/iscip/news.html#western
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