CRIMEAN YOUTH GROUP GETTING MORE RADICAL

Crimean youth organization Proryv (Breakthrough) embarks on a new activity that will be much more radical and even more aggressive. Leaders of the group, set up this fall, held a press conference in Simferopol Monday to denounce the Yushchenko regime in the Ukraine pointing out that orange politicians are getting more and more cynical. They say that Yushchenko and his people are acting on instructions of those who are waging a war against the Slavic people. “Today, there’s no need to send tanks or aviation to take over and enslave a country, leader of the Proryv Alexei Dobychin said. Today, the West can simply put a puppet regime where it needs and hidden masters will pull the strings”. Until recently, the Proryv militants have taken part in many street protest against today’s Ukrainian rulers. The group is planning to send its members to Kiev to join a rally against the upcoming Forum of the leaders of democratic states in Central and Eastern Europe dubbed in the Crimea as “Summit of anti-Russian dwarfs”.

US GIFT TO ANTI-SEMITES

The United States made a gift to the Ukraine on the first anniversary of the Orange Revolution. It is not a generous sum of money, the penniless regime of Victor Yushchenko needs so desperately, but only a vote in the Senate, of great significance to Kiev. Last Friday, the Upper House of US Congress exempted the Ukraine from the 1974 Jackson-Vanik amendment to the Trade Act adopted to punish the nations who restrict free emigration of their citizens. The amendment stipulates that the abusers should be deprived of the most favoured nation’s status in trade with the US. This measure had been introduced in 1974 to pressure the Soviet Union to let Soviet Jews emigrate to Israel. Though both the Ukraine and Russia abandoned the practice of keeping their citizens travel under strict control long ago American lawmakers kept the amendment in place. The White House routinely waives it every year on the grounds that both nations respect the right to free emigration.
The Senate vote last Friday also pursued another goal. The US lawmakers sent a message to Moscow implying that her former dependent territory got a privilege that herself will not receive at least in the near future. Russia is used to humiliation and patronage of Americans, always eager to show off their alleged superiority, and Moscow will take the beating as it did in the past. On the other hand, American senators made a very stupid and serious mistake. If in 1974 they had voted for the Jackson-Vanik amendment to support Soviet Jews, now they have revoked it to support Ukrainian anti-Semites. During a recent visit to Paris president Victor Yushchenko and his wife laid flowers at the grave of Ukrainian nationalist leader Simon Petliura often accused of fomenting pogroms in the Ukraine in the short period of his regime in 1919. Quiet recently, Ukrainian chargé d'affaires in Israel was summoned to the Department of External Affaires in Jerusalem and had an unpleasant talk with its official on an incident in Kiev. On November 2, the Interregional Academy of Personnel Management issued a statement in support of the appeal by the president of Iran “to erase Israel from the map of the world”. The Israelis expressed their concern and requested the Ukraine to finally rein in the militant advocates of her statehood at the Interregional Academy. This institution is notorious for other anti-Semitic outbursts, like Jew-bashing articles in its periodicals, and Kiev ignored previous Israeli protests.
It would be naïve to assume that the US will reverse its decision because of the above mentioned episodes. On the contrary, president Bush welcomed the first anniversary of the revolution and said: “America is proud to call Ukraine a friend”. The Interregional Academy of Personnel Management might be happy to hear it.

PAID CROWDS AT RALLY IN KIEV

The URA-INFORM agency reports from Kiev that many participants in a rally to mark the first anniversary of the Orange Revolution came to the downtown square for money. The most generous was the Bloc of Yulia Timoshenko. This political party paid its crowd 10 grivnas an hour or 120 grivnas a day. ($1.00 = 5.35 grivnas). The Bloc also provided its people with hot tea and later in the day it served refreshments and alcoholic drinks. The pro-Yushchenko Our Ukraine Party turned out to be the most stingy in gratifying its supporters. It paid its extras 50 grivna a shift (hours not specified) or five grivnas an hour. The other group that loosened its purse strings for celebrations of last Tuesday was the Party of Industrialists and Businessmen. It paid its supporters 30 grivnas an hour. The agency’s informer got a request from representatives of the three political parties to bring to the central square 500-1000 students. A good fee was apparently promised.

One-year anniversary of Orange Revolution protests turns bittersweet

Natasha Lisova
Canadian Press
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Supporters wave orange flags as they listen to Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko's address in Independence Square in Kiev, Ukraine Tuesday. (AP/Sergei Chuzavkov)
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - It was a far cry from last year when the hero and heroine of Ukraine's Orange Revolution stood arm-in-arm on the Independence Square stage before hundreds of thousands protesting election fraud. The slogan then was: Together We Are Many And We Can't Be Defeated.
On Tuesday, tens of thousands flooded Kyiv's main square, many hoping, even pleading, for a reconciliation between President Viktor Yushchenko and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko on the first anniversary of the revolution that propelled the one-time allies to power.
But Yushchenko lashed out at Tymoshenko after she used her time to make what sounded like a political stump speech. Tears rolled down her cheeks.
"I swear to each of you, I am ready to do everything to restore our unity," a clearly frazzled Yushchenko told the crowd after a lengthy speech in which he criticized Tymoshenko's economic policies.
Some in the crowd responded with whistles, a sign of disapproval, and chants of "Yulia! Yulia!"
Yushchenko's government had billed Tuesday's festivities as a day to celebrate the freedom they claim was the biggest achievement of their first 10 months in power. But the celebrations were tinged with disappointment for many who expected the country to make a dramatic turnaround out of poverty and corruption.
"We thought the revolution was a fight we'd win at once, but it turned out to be only the first assault," said Tymoshenko, who split with Yushchenko after he fired her in September.
Yushchenko again slammed her policies, which he claims brought this former Soviet republic to the brink of economic collapse. But he also told the crowd that Ukraine had accomplished much to be proud of during his time in office.
"My friends, as president, I maintain that we are on the right path, a path of justice, a path of freedom. . . . We achieved things which no one before us had, and I am proud of this," said Yushchenko, who was inaugurated in January after winning a court-ordered rerun election.
In an interview with The Associated Press hours before the rally, Yushchenko acknowledged there was still more work to be done but said "10 months is not enough to change the country."
"To be in opposition against somebody and . . . make good speeches is one thing," he told AP.
"To enter office and do what is sometimes a rather grey job is another issue, but it is important this work be effective and professional."
Yushchenko insisted that tasks remaining to be done, such as judicial reform and eliminating corruption, involved problems he inherited.
"They were not created by Independence Square," Yushchenko said.
Last year's Independence Square protests, which broke out after election officials in the previous pro-Moscow government robbed Yushchenko of his victory, helped usher the opposition leader into power. Yushchenko rewarded Tymoshenko for her help with the No. 2 job.
On Tuesday, wet snow fell heavily on the crowds, bundled up in orange scarves as they listened to an array of pop groups and waited for Yushchenko to make a speech, much as they had a year ago.
Chants of "Yu-shchen-ko! Yu-shchen-ko!" greeted the president, as he stepped onto the stage surrounded by his family, all dressed in orange.
Yushchenko, whose speech followed Tymoshenko's, greeted his former ally with a kiss on the cheek. But when the crowd broke into chants of "Yulia" as Yushchenko began speaking, he stopped and said: "Keep chanting 'Yulia' again, I will listen, then I will start my speech." When they persisted in chanting her name, Yushchenko snapped: "Be polite" and the crowd temporarily grew silent.
Many in the crowd had hoped for a reconciliation. Politician after politician called on the pair to reunite.
"Throw away your personal ambitions and interests, the people and Ukraine must come before everything," said Vitali Klitschko, a newly retired world heavyweight boxing champion and a possible Kyiv mayoral candidate.
All to no avail. Tymoshenko made a stump speech, her eye on regaining the prime minister's job after March elections. Yushchenko responded with criticism. A crying Tymoshenko stood behind him, her arms crossed.
Yushchenko, who defeated Kremlin-favoured Viktor Yanukovych in the election, had promised to bring Ukraine closer to the West and restore trust in government. But a corruption scandal that touched some of his most senior aides has left many Ukrainians feeling disenchanted.
"They didn't justify people's hopes, that's true, but we do have more democracy now," said teacher Iryna Rytikova, who held an orange balloon.
Others were not so forgiving, and some left during Yushchenko's speech.
"The impression is that he's trying to persuade everyone and particularly himself that everything is not so bad as it looks," said Dmytro Kundin, 34, a businessman.
Interior Minister Yuriy Lustenko pleaded with the crowd not to feel disillusioned.
"Let all the disappointed remember why we stood here a year ago . . . not for salaries, pensions or a piece of sausage, not even for the person whom we made a president - but for freedom," he said.
© The Canadian Press 2005