Ukrainian president blasts 'smear campaign'

MOSCOW, Russia -- Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma has accused "big money and professionals" of masterminding a scandal linking him to a leading journalist's disappearance.

Georgiy Gongadze, who had been harshly critical of Kuchma and his entourage, vanished in mid-September and friends believe he has been murdered.

Last month Socialist Party leader Olexander Moroz released an audio cassette, which he said, proved that Kuchma and several senior officials had played key roles in the disappearance.

Kuchma has vigorously denied the claims and says the allegations are an attempt to blackmail him.

"Big money and professionals stand behind this," Kuchma told a news conference shortly after he arrived in Moscow for a working visit on Thursday.

"I tend to believe that they are ours, Ukrainians. I tried to find a logic in all these actions but could not see any," he added.

Previously, Kuchma has said the furore over Gongadze was a large-scale provocation staged by forces outside Ukraine seeking to create chaos.

Last week Gongadze's wife Myroslava was allowed to view a decapitated corpse found outside Kiev which she said appeared to be the body of her husband.

The journalist had turned to the Internet after the radio station he worked for was closed down with a Web site called "Ukrainian Truth."

On Thursday Ukraine's parliament urged the government to speed up its investigation into his disappearance and also called for an authenticity check of the tape by independent experts.

Moroz says the tape, which has been played in parliament, was provided by a retired security officer who had planted a bug under a sofa in Kuchma's office.

It depicts Kuchma allegedly telling two top aides it would be a good thing if the journalist was kidnapped although it is not clear whether the speaker is ordering action or simply venting anger.

Kuchma lambasted unnamed officials for breaking state secrets and said Moroz's cassette "contained no hint that the president wants to eliminate a reporter."

He has said the cassette is being examined by independent experts, Ukraine's Prosecutor General and the Council of Europe, a democracy and human rights body.

Parliament has demanded the resignation of Interior Minister Yuri Kravchenko and the head of the SBU secret police chief, Leonid Derkach over the affair.

Ukrainian security police have offered a 100,000 hryvnia ($18,400) reward for information on the case.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Reward offered for missing Ukrainian
December 18, 2000

Ukrainian Parliament
Ukrainian Truth

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