Lutsenko goes on trial - The Ukrainian Weekly

2THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MAY 29, 2011No. 22ANALYSISKyiv expels Czech diplomats,jeopardizing talks with EUby Pavel KordubanEurasia Daily MonitorUkraine has expelled two Czech diplomats,explaining that they had gatheredmilitary secrets and hired local assistantswho now face prison sentences.This is an extraordinary event, asUkraine has avoided scandals involvingthe expulsion of Western diplomats in thepast. Moreover, this happened at a crucialmoment when Ukraine and the EuropeanUnion, which admitted the CzechRepublic into membership in 2004, areabout to complete political associationand free trade talks. The scandal mayaffect the outcome of the talks.The Czechs have accused Ukraine oftaking revenge for Prague granting politicalasylum early this year to the formerUkrainian Minister of the EconomyBohdan Danylyshyn.On May 13, the Ukrainian ForeignAffairs Ministry summoned the Czechchargé d’affaires, Vitezslav Pivonka, toannounce that two officials from theCzech military attaché’s office weredeclared persona non grata for gatheringUkrainian state secrets. The ministry’sspokesman, Oleh Voloshyn, said this wasdone at the request of the SecurityService of Ukraine (SBU). He added thatthe expelled Czechs were a colonel and amajor, so they were not career diplomats.The SBU told a briefing later that theexpelled Czech nationals had hired twoUkrainian “accomplices” who gatheredsecret information for them for severalyears. In particular, the spies wanted tolearn more about Kyiv-based aviationplant No. 410, Ukraine’s plans to produceAN-70 and AN-178 aircraft, projects inwhich the Yuzhmash missile manufactureris involved, the Adros jamming systemsdesigned to protect helicopters frominfrared-guided missiles and the satellitenavigation systems with which the T-84U Oplot tanks are equipped. The SBUstressed that it managed to film theexchange of money for secret documentsbetween the foreign spies and theirUkrainian informants (UkrayinskaPravda, May 13).The Czech reaction was immediate.C z e c h F o r e i g n M i n i s t e r K a r e lSchwarzenberg suggested that Ukraineacted in revenge for Prague grantingpolitical asylum last January to formerUkrainian economy minister (UkrainaTV, May 14; Kommersant-Ukraine, May16).CorrectionIn “Radio Banduristan presents another‘remote broadcast’ in NYC” (May 22),Asa Horvitz was mistakenly referred toas Ms. in two references. The musician isa Mr.A must readLast summer, Mr. Danylyshyn, whoserved in the 2007-2010 government ofPrime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, wascharged with abuse of office for awardingcontracts without tenders. He fled to theCzech Republic and was put on the internationalwanted list by Ukraine (EurasiaDaily Monitor, January 14). Ironically, onMay 17, Parliament legalized awardingcontracts without tenders (UNIAN, May17).Mr. Danylyshyn was granted asylumon January 13, and a court in Praguerefused to extradite him to Ukraine lastFebruary, while the European Union andthe United States reacted to theDanylyshyn case and several arrests offormer ministers on corruption chargeslate last year by warning Kyiv againstselective justice. Ms. Tymoshenko, whois an opposition leader now, is also facingsuch charges, and many local and foreignobservers suspect that political motiveslie behind them.Kyiv denied that the expulsion of theCzech diplomats was in response to theDanylyshyn affair, claiming that the twoCzechs had started spying long beforeMr. Danylyshyn was appointed as a minister(Ukraina TV, May 14). Nonetheless,Mr. Schwarzenberg had reason to speakabout links between the spy scandal andMr. Danylyshyn’s asylum.The granting of asylum to him byCzechs has been a huge blow toUkraine’s international image at a timewhen Kyiv is negotiating political associationwith the EU; the two sides say theyplan to complete the process this year.Kyiv wants to avoid similar blows in thefuture by showing Western democraciesthat it can retaliate. Otherwise Kyivmight have settled the spy affair withPrague without any public scandal.The former state reserve chief,Mykhailo Pozhyvanov, who also servedin the Tymoshenko government, appliedfor asylum in Austria early this year andis awaiting Vienna’s decision. Hardly bycoincidence, the SBU mentioned that oneof the local assistants of the spies hadapplied for political asylum in the CzechRepublic and was detained while tryingto leave Ukraine (Ukrayinska Pravda,May 13).Valery Chaly, a senior expert from theKyiv-based Razumkov think-tank andformer vice-minister of foreign affairs,suggested that the spy scandal could sinkthe association talks. He said that anassociation agreement with the EU wouldnot come into force if the CzechRepublic, as an EU member, chose not toratify it (www.liga.net, May 17).The head of the EU office in Ukraine,Jose Manuel Pinto Teixeira, called forcaution, saying that support from all EUmembers would be essential forUkraine’s EU integration.(Continued on page 3)• In “Ukraine’s Party of RegionsVe r s u s Tr u s t , D e c e n c y a n dCompetence” (May 19), on his blog“Ukraine’s Orange Blues,” AlexanderJ. Motyl writes: “Still think thatRegionnaire rule in Ukraine might becompatible with truth, decency andcompetence? Here are four more piecesof evidence that’ll lay to rest whateverresidual hopes you may still possess.”See http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/new/blogs/motyl/Ukraines_Party_of_Regions_Versus_Truth_Decency_and_Competence. A bonus isa link within the article to a YouTubevideo titled “Ukraine. A BananaRepublic Forever?” that focuses on thepractice of one national deputy votingmultiple times on behalf of absent colleaguesin the Verkhovna Rada, somethingobservers have dubbed “pianoplaying.”Biden calls YanukovychNEWSBRIEFSKYIV – The United States hasexpressed strong support for the developmentof relations between Ukraine and theEuropean Union. This was discussed duringa telephone conversation betweenPresident Viktor Yanukovych of Ukraineand Vice-President Joe Biden of theUnited States, which was held on the initiativeof the American side, according tothe press office of the Ukrainian president.During the May 24 conversation, accordingto Mr. Yanukovych’s press office, Mr.Biden expressed its readiness to supportthe successful conclusion of negotiationson an Association Agreement betweenUkraine and the EU and said the developmentof Ukraine under PresidentYanukovych’s leadership is very importantfor the transformation of the country into abridge between Europe and Russia. TheWhite House on May 24 released the followingreadout about the conversation:“Vice-President Joe Biden and UkrainianPresident Viktor Yanukovych spoke todayby telephone. They discussed the stepsUkraine is taking to put its economy on astable path to recovery. They also discussedissues of bilateral and regionalimportance, including Ukraine’s progressin forging closer ties with the UnitedStates and Europe.” (Ukrinform, WhiteHouse)Kyiv withdraws names from wanted listKYIV – Ukraine’s law enforcementagencies have informed Interpol that severalcitizens put on the international wantedlist under Ukrainian President ViktorYushchenko should no longer be listed,said the head of the Ukrainian Bureau ofInterpol, Vasyl Nevolia. According toMay 13 news reports, Mr. Nevolia saidthat three persons were no longer on thewanted list: the former First DeputyChairman of the Security Service ofUkraine (SBU), Volodymyr Satsiuk; theformer Chairman of Naftohaz Ukrainy,Ihor Bakai; and the former mayor ofOdesa, Ruslan Bodelan. “This is notbecause of the change of government [inUkraine]. We are not dividing those on thewanted list in terms of period, positionand influence in society. We have receivedan order from the initiators of the investigationto withdraw [the motions], and wehave fulfilled it,” Mr. Nevolia said. Hesaid that former Economy MinisterBohdan Danylyshyn remains on the internationalwanted list, despite the fact thathe was granted political asylum in theCzech Republic. “The provision of politicalasylum is the sovereign right of anycountry. The Czech Republic decided todo so, while another state may disagree.When Danylyshyn was put on the wantedlist, charges brought against him werealso assessed at the General Secretariat ofInterpol, and they took our arguments intoaccount, putting him on Red Notice,” thehead of the Ukrainian Bureau of Interpolsaid. As previously reported, Mr. Satsiukwas put on the wanted list as part of theinvestigation into the poisoning of Mr.Yushchenko in 2004, during the presidentialelection campaign. Messrs. Satsiuk,Bakai and Bodelan currently live inRussia. (Ukrinform)Rada wants free trade with EUKYIV – On the basis of hearings on thestatus and prospects for development ofUkraine’s economic relations with theEuropean Union and the Customs Union,the Verkhovna Rada adopted a resolutionstating that European integration is one ofthe main foreign policy priorities ofUkraine. The completion of negotiationsand the signing of an agreement on a freetrade zone between Ukraine and the EU asan integral part of the AssociationAgreement with the EU was called animmediate task for the near term, accordingto May 20 news reports about the parliamentaryresolution. At the same time, itwas noted that support for trade, economic,scientific, technical and investmentcooperation between Ukraine and foreigncountries on a reciprocal basis is alsoamong the basic principles of Ukraine’sforeign policy. “This is a strong base forthe development cooperation with thenewly created Customs Union of Belarus,Kazakhstan and Russia, both on multilateraland bilateral mutually beneficial basis,”the recommendations said. The Verkhovna(Continued on page 16)The Ukrainian Weekly FOUNDED 1933An English-language newspaper published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc.,a non-profit association, at 2200 Route 10, P.O. 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