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UKRAINE RADICALS SAY USA, GEORGE SOROS INTERFERE IN THE COUNTRY'S INTERNAL AFFAIRS, SPONSOR SUBVERSIVE ACTS
  

Interfax-Ukraine news agency, Kiev, in Russian, 31 Mar 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Mar 31, 2004

A radical nationalist organization in Ukraine has accused visiting US financier and philanthropist George Soros of financing alleged opposition plots to overthrow the government. It threatened more attacks on Soros after its activists pelted him with eggs and mayonnaise on two occasions earlier in the day. The incidents follow allegations by Soros, a prominent critics of the Ukrainian government and supporter of democratic reforms in the country, that Ukrainian presidential administration chief Viktor Medvedchuk is orchestrating a smear campaign against him.

The following is the text of report by Interfax-Ukraine news agency:

Millionaire and philantropist George Soros, in a wet shirt, speaks to the media in Kiev, Ukraine, Wednesday March 31, 2004. Unidentified men Wednesday threw water and glue over Soros just minutes after he was about to begin his meeting with Ukrainian human rights activists
AP Photo/Roman Ratushniy

(Click on images to enlarge them)

 

KIEV - The [radical nationalist] organization Brotherhood (Bratstvo) has promised to continue attacks against George Soros until he leaves Ukraine. Brotherhood said the attacks were in protests against the [alleged] attempts by the USA and its envoy to interfere into the country's internal affairs and "fuel domestic political confrontation".

 

Brotherhood believes that the famous financier and philanthropist George Soros has come to Ukraine "with the intention to sponsor subversive acts by the opposition and its attempts to overthrow the government according to the Georgian scenario," according to a statement by Brotherhood's propaganda department released on 31 March.

 

International financier and philanthropist George Soros smiles as he removes glue and water poured over him by an unidentified person before the start of 'Human rights at elections' forum in Kiev, March 31, 2004
REUTERS/Photoua

Brotherhood said that earlier in the day its activists, Dmytro Khmara and Attila Selley-Dovzhenko threw packets of mayonnaise as Soros during the forum of human rights NGOs "Human rights during elections" at the lobby of the Rus hotel in Kiev.

 

[On 30 March Soros said presidential administration chief Viktor Medvedchuk was orchestrating a smear campaign against him in the media and trying to disrupt the visit, see Interfax-Ukraine news agency, Kiev, in Russian 1030 gmt 30 Mar 04 and UNIAN news agency, Kiev, in Ukrainian 1504 gmt 30 Mar 04. President Kuchma is due to meet Soros later on 31 March.]

 

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