The head of the state is concerned with the prospect for the next presidential elections

Last Wednesday’s press conference of President Leonid Kuchma was rather optimistic, although it began on a somber note. “Unfortunately, we can’t but dwell on the tragic events with the Ukrainian plane [crash] in Turkey,” he said opening the press conference. “So far it would be premature to make any comment. Today our first goal is to find out the truth.”

The most optimistic part of the head of the state’s presentation concerned the situation in the economy. “Economic growth can be seen in all sectors, and its rates are almost twice as high as last year’s,” the president noted. Among important positive tendencies in industry he specified the fact that growth rates in the manufacturing industry (12%) are six times as high as in mineral extraction. He specially mentioned the attainments of the machine building in general and auto construction in part. According to the head of state, there are distinct positive tendencies in the construction, trade, including foreign, and the budget sphere. “There are no doubts about filling the budget in the first quarter of 2003 and, according to official data, we will definitely execute May budget,” he stated. Simultaneously, he pointed out that there are still many problems in the economic sphere. Among them are concealed income by those carrying on economic activities, pay arrears, and the situation in the fuel and energy sector, which attracted special attention. In part, the president is concerned with the fall in coal production by approximately 10% since the beginning of the year. “And all this was despite the fact that this year the Ukrainian coal industry received UAH 111 million more in revenues than last year,” he said. “This is not the result we expected from the transformation in coal industry so much advertised by the government,” the head of the state told journalists. However, Leonid Kuchma specified that he is not inclined to believe that Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych is directly to blame: “There are shortcomings on various sides.” The president announced that he is against conceding Ukrainian gas lines to the international consortium set up to use the Ukrainian gas transport system for conveying gas to Europe. He stated that Ukraine has “differences” with Germany’s Ruhrgas Company, which insists on the need to give a concession for Ukrainian gas lines to the consortium. “Personally I categorically oppose this,” Mr. Kuchma said. Simultaneously, he noted that Ukraine is interested in speeding up the process of creating the consortium.

In the head of the state’s conversation with mass media representatives on domestic policy, naturally, the problem of political reform dominated. The recently finished nationwide discussion, in which President Kuchma asserted no less than 20% population took part, has demonstrated that “in spite of some opposition members’ pessimism, the political reform in Ukraine proved its viability.” In the immediate future the chief executive intends to meet with faction heads and then go to the parliament with a “more or less coordinated” bill. Answering journalists’ questions on future presidential elections, he admitted that at least from opposition there will be many candidates, but his attitude towards all of them is unbiased. “It doesn’t matter for me who wins. The main thing is that he or she will win in this struggle and his program won’t be a mere declaration like the ones we go on world tours with asking everybody to help Ukraine in conducting the elections.” The president advised candidates to prepare for the elections by everyday work for the good of their country. The head of state also voiced his concern with the prospects of a confrontation between Ukraine’s west and east during the elections: “I’m worried about the future elections from this standpoint,” adding that he hoped the next presidential elections still will be held in a civilized way instead of turning into a “Carnage of Mamai” (a reference to the bloody September 8, 1380 Battle of Kulikovo Pole between Prince Dmitry Donskoi of Moscow and Tatar Khan Mamai, a battle in which both sides lost about half their men — Ed.).

When asked his opinion about the plans to question him in the case of former Premier Lazarenko, Mr. Kuchma said, “I believe this just another political action, though it started too early. The elections will take place in 2004. Why give them a false start?” The president stated that he had not received any requests from the US authorities in this connection. “I’m the president of Ukraine, and if anybody has questions to Ukraine’s president, our Constitution and laws give every opportunity to resolve this issue,” he added, explaining that there is an agreement between Ukraine and the US on legal assistance, and Ukraine is prepared to work in conformity with this document.

Commenting on foreign policy, President Kuchma dwelled on the possibility of sending a Ukrainian contingent to Iraq. According to him, this decision of the National Security and Defense Council should be worked out in terms of defining some specific points. President Kuchma believes that the decision to send Ukrainian soldiers to Iraq could be received by public ambivalence. However, he is firmly convinced that this step is necessary and that Verkhovna Rada will support such a decision. He spoke positively of the recent Salzburg summit, which he believes has brought Ukraine closer to Europe. “They want to see Ukraine in Europe, and I saw proof of this communicating with heads of European states at the summit.”

President Kuchma said that in September 2003 an agreement On a Free Trade Zone would be signed at a CIS summit. Simultaneously, the President, as he put it, cannot claim that this agreement will not provide for any exclusions of commodity groups from the free trade regime. Moreover, creating a single economic space in the CIS and a free trade zone within the Commonwealth framework does not contradict Ukraine’s movement towards the European Union and World Trade Organization, the head of state is convinced. He stressed that Ukraine’s participation in any regional unions would only strengthen its position in terms of European integration and entering the WTO.

President Kuchma also informed journalists that this year he intends to publish his book, Ukraine Is Not Russia. He mentioned that he wrote this book not on his own but with the assistance of historians. “But I will be responsible for the whole thing,” he stressed. In the president’s words, the book contains his thoughts on what is going on today with references to the past. Leonid Kuchma made special mention of the fact that, despite the title, the book by no means opposes Ukraine to Russia. We journalists will simply have to wait until we read it and then write about it.