UKRAINE: IN FAR WESTERN ZAKARPATTYA, LOCAL LEADERS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KIEV 001111

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL
SUBJECT: UKRAINE: IN FAR WESTERN ZAKARPATTYA, LOCAL LEADERS
EXPECT "OUR UKRAINE" TO WIN ELECTIONS


(U) Sensitive but unclassified. Please handle accordingly.
Not for Internet.


1. (SBU) Summary. In March 9 meetings in the far western
oblast capital Uzhhorod, local government, party and NGO
representatives noted the relative peace between political
factions in the oblast and attributed it to Zakarpattya's
long history of political, cultural, and ethnic diversity.
All seemed to agree that Our Ukraine would win upcoming local
elections by a plurality, and that the once-dominant SPDU(o)
was in decline. Local government and NGO officials outlined
the challenges of border security in an oblast that borders
four nations. Ambassador raised concerns about alleged
abuses at the Pavchino illegal migrant detention facility
with the head of the western division of the State Border
Guard Service. Ambassador also toured the Journalism
Department at Uzhhorod National University, participated in a
press roundtable with local media, met with representatives
of a refugee law clinic, and visited a local Windows on
America center. End summary.

Governor says democracy live and well
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2. (SBU) Zakarpattya Oblast State Administration Head Oleh
Havashi was sanguine in his expectations for democratic
elections in March. He highlighted that in Zakarpattya a
multitude of political parties were expressing their views in
the media and attributed their fairly peaceful coexistence to
Zakarpattya's history of diversity. (Note: Zakarpattya is
Ukraine's westernmost oblast, bordering Hungary, Slovakia,
Romania, and Poland, and has a diverse population of ethnic
Ukrainians (the majority),significant minorities from
bordering nations, plus small Roma and German populations.
Since the 11th century, control of Zakarpattya has rested
with various powers, including the Austro-Hungarian Empire,
the Czechoslovak Republic, Hungary, and the Soviet Union).
Presidentially-appointed "Governor" Havashi expressed belief
(echoed later by local political scientists and party
leaders) that President Yushchenko's Our Ukraine bloc would
receive the most votes in the oblast, followed by the
opposition Party of Regions and the pro-government
Socialists, while the SPDU(o) (note: the once-powerful party
of ex-President Kravchuk) would not reach the 3% threshold to
enter the oblast council.


3. (SBU) When asked about measures to fix technical problems
with voter lists and polling station commissions, Havashi
responded that problems with voter lists were caused by
computer error and were not deliberate. Regarding the dearth
of election commissioners, he noted that commissioners were
resigning due to a lack of structure in regional political
party branches in local districts (rayons). Havashi
recommended political parties conduct roundtables to find
solutions to solving this problem.

Refugee management a problem
--------------


4. (SBU) Ambassador raised concerns about smuggling and
corruption in the oblast and reports of abuses at the
Pavchino refugee detention facility. Havashi said that
combating smuggling was a central government problem, not a
local problem, and that the situation had improved, partly
due to coordination meetings with customs, border guards, and
the security service (SBU). He expressed belief that the
Pavchino facility should be closed.


5. (SBU) Chief of the western regional State Border Guard
Service (SBGS) office Oleh Valkyv further outlined the
challenges in a region bordered by several nations, answered
questions regarding the refoulement of individuals fleeing
Chechnya, and defended the conditions of the Pavchino
detention facility, denounced by NGOs as a den of abuse and
forced labor and raised as an area of concern by the European
Union. Valkyv said that the SBGS has been increasing the
level of cooperation with neighboring nations' border guard
services. Valkyv blamed large numbers of illegal border
crossings on Slovakian laws that easily granted refugee
status; many illegal migrants, he said, used Slovakia as a
jumping-off point to other European countries. When asked
about the refoulement of Chechen refugees to Russia, Valkyv
said that Chechens detained at the border who did not claim
refugee status had to be returned to their country of origin
pursuant to Ukrainian law, and that almost none requested
refugee status. Ambassador expressed hope that the SBGS
would work with UNHCR to insure Chechens were not being
forcibly returned to Russia.


6. (SBU) Ambassador raised the issue of allegations of abuse
at the Pavchino facility, including forced labor, stealing of
food and packages, and granting of asylum only to those who
could pay. Valkyv denied that any abuses took place at the
facility, claiming that detainees were fed and received
supplies from charitable organizations several times a week.
He emphasized that Pavchino was technically not part of the
SBGS, but of the local militia, although the SBGS managed the
facility with the support of local NGOs. He claimed that
information regarding the facility had been distorted during
the recent filming of a documentary program, when detainees,
upon discovering they were being filmed, removed their warm
clothing and intentionally gave the appearance of being
poorly clothed and abused.


7. (U) Volodymyr Navrotsky, Director of the Carpathian Agency
of Human Rights "Vested," opened a mini-roundtable meeting
with Ambassador noting that the legal clinic had been a
leader in refugee and asylum work in Zakarpattya. The clinic
is staffed by 15 law students who provide pro bono legal
services to refugees and asylum seekers under the auspices of
clinic lawyers. The clinic enjoys a good relationship with
immigration services, which refers applicants to their
center. Navrotsky mentioned an unwritten rule, prohibiting
the Immigration Services from granting asylum to applicants
from Chechnya under the categorical exclusion for terrorists.
On average, the clinic provided services to 30 refugees a
month, with summer being the busiest season. He noted that
local authorities were helpful in granting access to the
courts, although favorable decisions to grant asylum tended
to be given to refugees from Russia, while Middle Eastern and
Asian refugees were often denied asylum. Navrotsky noted
that 30 percent of asylum seekers were refugees from Iran and
Iraq, 20 percent were from the Russian Federation, mostly
Chechnya, and the rest come from Afghanistan, Vietnam and
other countries.

Lunch with political observers
--------------


8. (SBU) Ambassador hosted a lunch attended by Pavlo Chuchka,
a local businessman and head of a pro-Yushchenko local
election bloc; Oleksandr Ledida, head of the Party of Regions
Zakarpattya headquarters; political scientist Viktor
Pashchenko; Oleksandr Prystaya, head of the local Socialist
Party; and MP Serhiy Radushnyak, leader of the local Lytvyn
bloc. Amid discussion of possible outcomes of the March 26
parliamentary elections and the decline of the SPDU(o),the
guests backed Governor Havashi's claim that the various
groups coexisted peacefully in Zakarpattya. Lunch guests all
noted Zakarpattya's history of diversity as contributing to
the relative peace between political factions. On possible
election outcomes, Pashchenko noted that despite
disappointment thus far with President Yushchenko's
administration, Our Ukraine would win the March 26 vote in
the oblast by plurality, followed by Party of Regions and
Tymoshenko's bloc.


9. (SBU) Ambassador noted that the SPDU(o) had lost a great
deal of ground in a region where it formerly enjoyed strong
support. Pashchenko said that many of the current Our
Ukraine membership had departed from the SDPU(o),which was a
significant cause of its decline. He said that although the
SDPU(o) had garnered 33% of the vote in the 1998 elections,
the subsequent governorship of the SDPU(o)'s Ivan Rizak, who
was widely seen as corrupt and having abused power, and the
perception locally that the SPDU(o) leadership was solely
concerned with forwarding their own business interests, had
caused people to change parties.

Visits to journalism school, press club, Windows on America
-------------- --------------


10. (U) At the Uzhhorod journalism school, Ambassador visited
a studio supported by a Media Fund Grant and met with
approximately 100 journalism students. He emphasized the
importance of freedom of the press and U.S. efforts to
support free press in Ukraine, as evidenced by the grant that
made possible the school's production studio that gives
students hands-on training in broadcast media. Ambassador
took questions from audience members, who were particularly
interested in the repeal of Jackson-Vanik and how that would
effect trade relations between the U.S. and Ukraine. At the
Uzhhorod Press Club, Ambassador participated in a roundtable
with local media. At a local Windows on America center,
Ambassador toured a U.S.-supported computer lab and library.
Herbst