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UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT REFUSES TO DISCUSS RESIGNATION... Leonid Kuchma does not intend to discuss with the opposition his resignation or the transformation of Ukraine into a parliamentary-presidential republic with the opposition, Interfax reported on 29 March. "How can I sit at a negotiation table with those who demand my resignation by taking [only] 3,000 people to the streets? What, should I spit upon the 16 million people who voted for me during the elections?" Kuchma told journalists in Donetsk. Kuchma said the preparation of talks with the opposition is handled by Anatoliy Kinakh, head of the Ukrainian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs; former Premier Valeriy Pustovoytenko; and Yevhen Marchuk, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council. Marchuk told the agency that so far there have been no talks with the opposition, only consultations with "some representatives of the National Salvation Forum" on the possibility of such talks. JM

...CRITICIZES DRAFT OF POLITICAL ACCORD BETWEEN PARLIAMENT, GOVERNMENT... Kuchma said he is unhappy with the draft of a political accord that is currently being prepared by the parliament and the government. "[The draft] speaks about the creation of a parliamentary republic. Should the president sanctify this? No," Interfax quoted Kuchma as saying. He also said it is necessary "to reregister" the parliamentary majority because it is unclear which parliamentary groups are supporting the government. Kuchma noted that now the majority formally includes the Fatherland Party and Reforms-Congress caucuses that support the opposition. He added that he would readily disband the current legislature if the results of last year's constitutional referendum had been reflected in the constitution. JM

...WARNS AGAINST 'CRIMINAL' FOREIGN CAPITAL IN PRIVATIZATION. Addressing a congress of the Ukrainian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs in Kyiv later the same day, Kuchma said he is concerned about "the strengthening of interclannish confrontation [and] the activation of shadow capital" in a "new stage" of privatization in Ukraine. According to Kuchma, the privatization process in Ukraine is increasingly threatened by "foreign financial capital of a criminal origin." He blamed "some homespun political associations" for promoting interests of that "criminal capital" in Ukraine. Kinakh told the congress that the union will support Kuchma's measures to prevent "illegal actions in order to change the constitutional system in the state." Kinakh appealed to Kuchma and Premier Viktor Yushchenko, who also attended the congress but made no speech, to find "mutual understanding" and work "in tandem." JM

YUSHCHENKO PLANS TO MEET WITH TYMOSHENKO. Premier Yushchenko has said he plans to meet with Fatherland Party leader Yuliya Tymoshenko in order to discuss ways to avoid social unrest in society, the "Eastern Economist Daily" reported on 30 March. Tymoshenko, who was deputy premier in charge of the fuel and energy sector in Yushchenko's cabinet, was released from jail this week and is now recovering in a Kyiv clinic. Oleksandr Turchynov, head of the Fatherland Party parliamentary group, said Tymoshenko is working on a "serious, constructive program" that will address, among other issues, the problem of extending opposition activities beyond Kyiv and into the regions. JM

BULGARIA POSTPONES VISA REQUIREMENT FOR SOME EASTERN TOURISTS. The government on 28 March decided to postpone until 1 October the introduction of visa requirements for tourists traveling to Bulgaria on organized package tours from Russia, Ukraine, and Georgia, Reuters reported. An official statement said the government "expects substantial revenues from tourism this year and the introduction of the requirement at the beginning of the summer season could have hindered bookings." The requirement remains in place for citizens of the three countries traveling to Bulgaria privately and will come into force as of 14 June. MS

UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT REFUSES TO DISCUSS RESIGNATION... Leonid Kuchma does not intend to discuss with the opposition his resignation or the transformation of Ukraine into a parliamentary-presidential republic with the opposition, Interfax reported on 29 March. "How can I sit at a negotiation table with those who demand my resignation by taking [only] 3,000 people to the streets? What, should I spit upon the 16 million people who voted for me during the elections?" Kuchma told journalists in Donetsk. Kuchma said the preparation of talks with the opposition is handled by Anatoliy Kinakh, head of the Ukrainian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs; former Premier Valeriy Pustovoytenko; and Yevhen Marchuk, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council. Marchuk told the agency that so far there have been no talks with the opposition, only consultations with "some representatives of the National Salvation Forum" on the possibility of such talks. JM

...CRITICIZES DRAFT OF POLITICAL ACCORD BETWEEN PARLIAMENT, GOVERNMENT... Kuchma said he is unhappy with the draft of a political accord that is currently being prepared by the parliament and the government. "[The draft] speaks about the creation of a parliamentary republic. Should the president sanctify this? No," Interfax quoted Kuchma as saying. He also said it is necessary "to reregister" the parliamentary majority because it is unclear which parliamentary groups are supporting the government. Kuchma noted that now the majority formally includes the Fatherland Party and Reforms-Congress caucuses that support the opposition. He added that he would readily disband the current legislature if the results of last year's constitutional referendum had been reflected in the constitution. JM

...WARNS AGAINST 'CRIMINAL' FOREIGN CAPITAL IN PRIVATIZATION. Addressing a congress of the Ukrainian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs in Kyiv later the same day, Kuchma said he is concerned about "the strengthening of interclannish confrontation [and] the activation of shadow capital" in a "new stage" of privatization in Ukraine. According to Kuchma, the privatization process in Ukraine is increasingly threatened by "foreign financial capital of a criminal origin." He blamed "some homespun political associations" for promoting interests of that "criminal capital" in Ukraine. Kinakh told the congress that the union will support Kuchma's measures to prevent "illegal actions in order to change the constitutional system in the state." Kinakh appealed to Kuchma and Premier Viktor Yushchenko, who also attended the congress but made no speech, to find "mutual understanding" and work "in tandem." JM

YUSHCHENKO PLANS TO MEET WITH TYMOSHENKO. Premier Yushchenko has said he plans to meet with Fatherland Party leader Yuliya Tymoshenko in order to discuss ways to avoid social unrest in society, the "Eastern Economist Daily" reported on 30 March. Tymoshenko, who was deputy premier in charge of the fuel and energy sector in Yushchenko's cabinet, was released from jail this week and is now recovering in a Kyiv clinic. Oleksandr Turchynov, head of the Fatherland Party parliamentary group, said Tymoshenko is working on a "serious, constructive program" that will address, among other issues, the problem of extending opposition activities beyond Kyiv and into the regions. JM

UKRAINE

GERMAN RADIO BROADCASTS UPPED. Interfax-Ukraine reports that Deutsche Welle announced on 28 March that it is increasing its broadcasts to Ukraine by 30 minutes a day because of "massive limitations on freedom of the press."