UKRAINE: RADA MANAGES TO OPEN NEW SESSION AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KYIV 000283

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/05/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR UP
SUBJECT: UKRAINE: RADA MANAGES TO OPEN NEW SESSION AND
ADOPT AN AGENDA, BUT NOT MUCH ELSE

Classified By: Political Counselor Kent Logsdon for reasons 1.4(b,d).


1. (C) Summary. The Rada got off to a rocky start on
February 5 with more blockading and fistfights, but Speaker
Yatsenyuk did manage to close the old session and open the
new one as required in the constitution, although the
President's planned "state of the nation" address to the Rada
was postponed. With support from the coalition and the
20-member strong Lytvyn Bloc, the Rada adopted an agenda that
addresses about 20 items, including: a resolution to the NATO
MAP question; the creation of committees to investigate the
work of Interior Minister Lutsenko and the mayors of Kyiv and
Kharkiv; and the elimination of deputy's immunity, as well as
a future address of the President. BYuT MPs were the first
into the Rada this morning and were able to take up position
around the Speaker's chair, giving Yatsenyuk a measure of
protection and blocking Regions' efforts to block the
rostrum. However, with BYuT and Regions MPs coming to blows,
the President decided to postpone his "state of the nation"
address and flew to Geneva as planned for the ceremony
marking the WTO's invitation for Ukraine to join. During the
delayed session, Yatsenyuk conducted a roll call and
announced he will dock the pay of approximately 60 MPs who
were not present, including some from the coalition. The
session was closed for a recess and will not open again until
Thursday, according to Regions MPs who, stopped from
blockading Yatsenyuk from getting to the dais, are now
blockading Yatsenyuk in his office.


2. (C) Comment. Coalition MPs have expressed frustration
that Regions has now hamstrung the parliament for most of the
last month, but there does not seem to be a resolution in
sight. The coalition says it is trying to gain a consensus,
and Regions may be taking advantage of this to halt work.
For its part, Regions continues to insist that the rostrum
will be blocked until the Rada passes a resolution formally
calling for a referendum prior to Ukraine joining NATO and
firing Yuriy Lutsenko as Interior Minister (as a result of
his personal "attack" on Kyiv Mayor Chernovetskiy). That
Yatsenyuk was able to move forward at all was due in part
Lytvyn Bloc voting. He was also helped by BYuT's protection;
interestingly, we did not see any OU-PSD MPs, members of
Yatsenyuk's own bloc, up on the rostrum. End Summary and
Comment.

Blocking the Blockade
--------------


3. (SBU) According to the constitution, the spring Rada
session must be opened on the first Tuesday of February, i.e.
February 5, but Party of Regions's blockade over the past few
weeks had prevented the official closing of the previous
session and put the February 5 events in question. President
Yushchenko met with all faction heads on February 4.
Afterwards, he told the media that although there was enough
on the table for a compromise, he thought that the issues of
NATO and Lutsenko were just a cover for certain forces that
do not want the parliament to work. The Rada Coordinating
Council (the Speaker, faction leaders, and committee
chairmen) also held meetings on the evening of February 4 and
the morning of February 5 to try to find a compromise.
Yushchenko was also scheduled to give his "state of the
nation" address to the parliament -- a speech that was
originally scheduled for last December.


4. (C) OU-PSD MP Kulykov told us that an agreement had been
reached to start the new session by addressing key issues,
including resolution to the NATO/MAP letter controversy and
an investigation of the issue of Interior Minister Lutsenko
slapping the Kyiv mayor. However, the agreement clearly fell
apart before the Rada's 10 am scheduled opening. Nothing
happened for almost an hour. Regions entered the chamber and
hung banners that read "NATO Will Not Pass" and
"Lutsenko--one law for everyone." BYuT, however, had the
last laugh, having arrived in the chamber even earlier and
staked out the Speaker's dais. When Yatsenyuk came in, the
BYuT MPs flanked him. Regions tried to charge the dais, but
were pushed back, leading to a brief scuffle. In the end,
Regions had to content itself with blocking the rostrum
instead and Yatsenyuk was able to close the old session and
close the new one. Yatsenyuk also held a roll call to
determine who was present. Approximately 60 MPs who did not
respond will be docked pay, as authorized by the law on the
status of MPs -- some of the coalition was missing, as well
as members of the opposition, and all of them will lose a
day's pay.

Agenda Adopted, Followed by Recess
--------------


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5. (SBU) There was then another long delay, with the rumor
circulating that Yatsenyuk was delaying because some
coalition members were still missing, depriving them of the
majority needed to adopt an agenda and consider pending
legislation. Finally, the deputies debated the agenda for
the day and passed it with 243 votes in support. All
coalition members in the hall voted, plus Lytvyn Bloc.
Lytvyn had told the press earlier that day that things in the
Rada were going from "bad to worse" -- his bloc's vote
continues their record of jumping in at key moments to keep
progress moving forward. Regions and the Communists did not
participate in the vote.


6. (SBU) On the lengthy agenda are: a vote in support of the
MAP letter signed by the President, PM, and Speaker; a
discussion of resolutions regarding MAP submitted by Regions
and the Speaker; the creation of ad hoc committees to
investigate whether the actions of the mayors of Kyiv and
Kharkiv and Minister Lutsenko comply with the constitution
and law; an amendment to the constitution to remove
parliamentary immunity; a presidential draft on the minimum
living standard to make its calculation more transparent;
changes to health-related legislation; the President's
address to the nation; the removal of the heads of several
key executive bodies, including the State Property Fund; and
some appointments.


7. (SBU) The Rada then went into recess for lunch with the
intention to resume in the afternoon. BYuT continued to
defend the dais, but Regions changed its tactics and
barricaded Yatsenyuk in his office. Regions MP Shufrych
announced that the Rada will not open again until Thursday
morning, although there has been no official confirmation.
The Rada will probably work from the same agenda, although
they can amend it. The President's address will also be
rescheduled. His spokesperson noted that it would be
"postponed until another day."

Accusations Fly, No Compromise Found
--------------


8. (C) At a February 4 dinner for visiting Congressman Robert
Wexler, MPs exchanged accusations about why the political
gridlock was so hard to break. Regions members Shufrych and
Akimova charged that the whole political gridlock was
Yushchenko trying to sabotage Tymoshenko by preventing real
work from being accomplished and letting her take heat on the
NATO MAP letter. In response, coalition MPs accused Regions
of using the MAP letter as a pretext to politick and delay
work. Regarding Lutsenko, Akimova said that the Minister
needed to be dismissed. His presence in the Cabinet was a
disgrace and a signal that the new government did not value
rule of law. BYuT MP Semerak argued that most Kyivites
support slapping Chernovetskiy; the real reason Regions had
initially blocked the rostrum was to prevent confirmation
votes to key executive branch positions (such as the head of
the State Property Fund and the head of the Anti-Monopoloy
Committee).


9. (C) Coalition MPs seemed genuinely frustrated, but their
desire for broader consensus has not helped alleviate the
situation. OU-PSD MP Vakarchuk said they just want an
opportunity to work. When we asked PSD's Kulykov if he would
fight to protect Yatsenyuk (while BYuT MPs were shielding the
Speaker),he shrugged and said probably not. BYuT MP Bilorus
told us that it was an artificial blockade and an attempt by
the minority to dictate policy. He said they had offered the
opposition half the committee chairmen positions and the post
of first deputy speaker, and now the opposition felt
empowered. The coalition's continued inability to get 226
MPs into their seats in order to set the agenda and pass
legislation is also exacerbating the situation.


10. (U) Visit Embassy Kyiv's classified website:
www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/kiev.
Taylor