Funding Of Election Monitors A Concern

His Alliance for Democracy's Web site does not disclose who heads the group or belongs to it. The site describes itself as "a group of U.S. and Ukrainian citizens who are committed to ensuring a balanced and accurate assessment of the 2004 Ukrainian election."

Hundreds of U.S. and European monitors are traveling to Kiev to observe Sunday's runoff, including some funded by the U.S. government through the State Department and the Agency for International Development (USAID). Together, they have dispersed $7.9 million to help Ukrainian and American pro-democracy groups monitor the elections and $13. 7 million for "activities related to the presidential election."

One of the U.S. monitoring groups is the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress, which has sent four delegations to Ukraine since. Those visits were funded by the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation, which received a USAID grant of $143,000. The delegations' reports cited various campaign shortcomings and said the process was weighed heavily in favor of the incumbent prime minister.

The association has publicly distanced itself from Carr's delegation over the funding issue. But the group itself accepted $100,000 from the government of the West African nation of Cameroon to finance a six-person delegation to monitor the October landslide reelection of President Paul Biya.

"This is a very disturbing trend," said Charles Costello, who has worked for 30 years promoting democracy, first at USAID and then at the Carter Center in Georgia. "It raises the risk of compromising important elections that need to be free and fair. The role of international observers could be severely diminished."

Peter Weichlein, executive director of the association of former congressmen, said the Cameroon government paid its delegation's expenses but "no fee, stipend or honorarium" to the members.

He said that the association has no policy on accepting funds from foreign governments, but that he expects the issue to be discussed as a result of the Cameroon and Ukrainian elections.

Kiselev, 34, said he came to the United States in 1991 and became a citizen seven years ago. He said he is a graduate of Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and worked for five years in Maine for then-Sen. William S. Cohen (R).

Kiselev's business card identifies him as managing principal of North Atlantic Securities, based in Scarborough, Maine. He said 90 percent of his clients are U.S. citizens. He said he also has a technology company, Eurosoft, with an office in Odessa, Ukraine.

Kiselev said he became involved in the Ukrainian elections because he felt that Washington was supporting the opposition candidate, Yushchenko, and that U.S. monitoring groups were strongly "biased" in his favor. "I'm trying to level the field here," he said.

His role as financier of Carr's delegation came to light somewhat dramatically during a meeting Nov. 10 at the Nixon Center, a Washington think tank. During a discussion of Ukraine's foreign policy, a Ukrainian reporter and another former congressman, Don Ritter (R-Pa.), pressed Carr to disclose who was financing his trip. Ritter had been to Ukraine with the other group of former lawmakers.

Ritter said Carr became "quite upset" when the majority of the 30 people in attendance voted in favor of discussing the funding issue.

"I just thought it was data people should have," Ritter said. "His delegation was funded by an individual who is working as a foreign agent of the Ukraine government."

Carr said he became "a little feisty" at the suggestion that "my opinion is for hire." He added: "They didn't buy my judgment; they bought my time to reach a judgment."

In the end, Carr turned to Kiselev, who told the meeting: "It was my money and that of two other U.S. citizens."

In an e-mail sent last week to former congressmen, Carr solicited members for a new delegation to monitor the runoff election. He said in the note that all expenses would be paid for a five-day trip, including business-class airfare and "the best possible hotel accommodations."

"In addition, a $500.00 per day stipend will be earned," he wrote. He did not mention the source of the funds.

Researcher Alice Crites contributed to this report.