UKRAINE: REGIONS LEADER YANUKOVYCH ON NEW

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KIEV 002500

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/23/2016
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PINR SOCI SCUL KIRF UP
SUBJECT: UKRAINE: REGIONS LEADER YANUKOVYCH ON NEW
COALITION, ANTI-SEMITISM

REF: KIEV 2462

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, a.i., reasons 1.4 (b, d)

Summary
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1. (SBU) In a lengthy June 23 meeting with an American Jewish
Committee (AJC) delegation, Party of Regions leader Viktor
Yanukovych claimed that anti-Semitic violence was infrequent
in Ukraine and repeated the Soviet-era canard that such
violence primarily occurred in "radical" western oblasts.
Yanukovych committed to support communal property restitution
legislation in the Rada. He deferred to his press
spokeswoman, Regions MP Hanna Herman, to answer questions
about the anti-Semitic Inter-Regional Academy of Personnel
Management (MAUP). Herman asserted that Yanukovych had
criticized the foreign-funded diploma mill and had called on
President Yushchenko to stop MAUP from distributing its
anti-Semitic publications -- a challenge the president had
"failed to meet," Herman claimed. Regions MP and foreign
policy guru Leonid Kozhara pointedly blamed his nemesis,
Foreign Minister Tarasyuk, for Yushchenko's "softness" on
MAUP; Kozhara disingenuously claimed Tarasyuk protected MAUP
and was to blame for Yushchenko postponing a planned July
2005 visit to Israel.


2. (SBU) On domestic politics, a still-smoldering Yanukovych
criticized the coalition of Tymoshenko's bloc (BYuT),Our
Ukraine (OU),and the Socialists formed June 22, saying it
was comprised of people "who lacked the ability" to solve the
country's serious economic problems, which would be
aggravated by a looming hike in natural gas prices.
Yushchenko had been "silly" not to green-light the formation
of an OU coalition with Regions, Yanukovych said, adding that
Yushchenko had bowed to "U.S. pressure" in opting to revive
Team Orange. The spurned Regions was now on the warpath; he
vowed they would hinder the Rada's work, including coming
votes on the new prime minister and Rada Speaker. Regions
was looking for a legal way to force new parliamentary
elections and was already preparing for fall of the Orange
coalition, Yanukovych boasted. Yanukovych's comments on NATO
and the controversy in Feodosia, Crimea over the Sea Breeze
exercise will be reported separately. End summary.

Yanukovych Meeting With AJC: Anti-Semitism...
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3. (SBU) In a June 23 meeting with a AJC delegation led by
AJC Executive Director David Harris, Party of Regions leader
Viktor Yanukovych asserted that there were "infrequent
individual acts" of anti-Semitic violence in Ukraine.
Repeating a Soviet-era canard, he claimed that such violence
occurred largely in western Ukraine, where people were
"radical"; people in southern and eastern Ukraine (i.e.,
where Regions' support is strongest) were "normal."
Yanukovych vaguely added that all of Regions' 186 MPs would
support communal property restitution legislation in the
Rada, and related that Regions MP/entertainer Jan Tabachnyk
would be the party's point man on Jewish community issues.
(Comment: Yanukovych's assertion about anti-Semitic violence
being centered in western Ukraine is wrong. The last two
major violent anti-Semitic assaults, in which Yeshiva
students were seriously injured, occurred in Kiev and
Dnipropetrovsk, a major eastern Ukrainian city. End comment.)

...MAUP...
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4. (SBU) Yanukovych deferred to his press spokeswoman, MP
Hanna Herman, and his foreign policy guru, MP Leonid Kozhara,
to answer a question about the anti-Semitic Inter-Regional
Academy of Personnel Management (known by its Ukrainian
acronym, MAUP). Herman claimed that Yanukovych "paid
attention" to MAUP's activities and had publicly criticized
the diploma mill, which receives significant funding from
several Middle Eastern governments (note: we later asked
Herman for citations of Yanukovych's remarks; she said she
would send them to us). Herman claimed that Yanukovych had
called on the Yushchenko administration to stop MAUP from
spreading anti-Semitic literature, a challenge that she said
the president had "failed to meet." Anti-Semitic material
was easy to buy in Kiev, and was even available on
Independence Square (the Maidan),Herman claimed, in an
obvious reference to the site of The Orange Revolution
protests.


5. (C) Seizing an opportunity to bash his bete noir, Kozhara
blamed FM Borys Tarasyuk for the Yushchenko administration's
alleged "softness" on MAUP. Tarasyuk still chaired MAUP's
Institute for Euro-Atlantic Integration, Kozhara

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disingenuously claimed, and Tarasyuk "does all he can" to
protect MAUP and "allow it operate." Taking another poke at
Tarasyuk, Kozhara told the delegation that the foreign
minister had been behind the postponement of Yushchenko's
planned July 2005 visit to Israel; if he had been the foreign
policy adviser, Kozhara added, "I would have urged Yushchenko
to go." (Comment: Tarasyuk cut his ties with MAUP in 2005,
and the school only has an Institute for International
Relations, not an Institute for Euro-Atlantic Integration.
Kozhara neglected to mention to the delegation that his
relations with Tarasyuk are extremely complex. Kozhara
bitterly -- but perhaps justly -- blames Tarasyuk for his
unceremonious dismissal from the Ukrainian diplomatic service
following the Orange Revolution--he was serving as foreign
policy adviser to then-President Kuchma in the Presidential
Administration. We understand that he was dismissed under
terms that denied him a pension and other benefits. End
comment.)

...A "Weak and Divided" Orange Coalition....
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6. (SBU) Shifting to domestic politics, Yanukovych derided
the new parliamentary majority which emerged June 22. The
coalition was comprised of people "who lacked the ability" to
solve Ukraine's pressing economic problems, including a
massive upcoming hike in the price of natural gas. The
coalition, according to Yanukovych, would not be effective
and "would not last," as it had "serious internal
contradictions" and could be easily divided.

...Yushchenko's "Mistake"...
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7. (SBU) Reflecting on Our Ukraine's (OU) talks with Regions
to form a so-called "Grand Coalition," Yanukovych said
President Yushchenko had been "overconfident and silly" to
spurn the powerful, professional, and united Regions. The
talks with OU had gone smoothly, and there had been no major
differences between the two sides he claimed. Yanukovych
suggested that Regions might have even supported Yushchenko's
reelection bid in 2009. While stressing that Regions was not
anti-American and would not oppose USG policy in Ukraine,
Yanukovych nonetheless alleged that Yushchenko had bowed to
"U.S. pressure" in opting to form an Orange coalition.

...and Regions "On The Warpath"
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8. (SBU) Echoing what a moderate Regions deputy leader told
us June 22 (reftel),Yanukovych declared that Regions was
now "on the warpath." Yushchenko, he ominously warned, now
bore "full responsibility" for what happened in the country
and would have to answer to the voters "in 2009 or earlier."
According to Yanukovych, Regions would block the work of the
Rada, only allowing passage of legislation that it deemed
"non-political" and in the "national interest"; he predicted,
moreover, that Regions would be able to prevent upcoming
votes on the new prime minister and Rada Speaker. Regions'
short-term goal was to force early parliamentary elections,
Yanukovych said, adding that the party was examining its
legal/constitutional options. Moreover, he boasted, Regions
was already preparing for the fall of the Orange coalition,
holding discussions with unidentified parties likewise
convinced that Team Orange will soon falter.
Gwaltney