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On Exceptional Role and Sincere Thanks 

13 July, 00:00

By Viktor ZAMYATIN, The Day The US President sent a letter to his Ukrainian counterpart. Bill Clinton wrote Leonid Kuchma that "Ukraine's willingness to participate in the peacekeeping forces in Kosovo have become another indication of its growing role in Europe." Indeed, this "continuously growing role of Ukraine in Europe" was confirmed by the fact that nobody either in Europe or the US even noticed the journey of Ukraine's ministers for foreign affairs and defense to Belgrade immediately after beginning of the NATO campaign against Yugoslavia. Another sign of Ukraine's constantly growing role was that nobody was interested in the peace plan elaborated by Kyiv; it was ignored when the G7 was only preparing to discuss this issue with Russia... And nobody recalled it when Germany put forward its own plan. And when the G7 with Chernomyrdin came up with their peace plan, which suffered its own labor pains, Ukraine had could do nothing but express its satisfaction, for most provisions from the text of Ukrainian diplomats were included into this plan without the least reference to their Ukrainian provenance. Now it is the same case how Ukraine's tremendous role in providing stabilization and security in Europe was shown by the fact that NATO and US have cordially welcomed Ukraine's willingness to participate in nobody knows what, for nobody has seen a letter from the UN General Secretary with a specific invitation for the Ukrainian contingent, specific distribution of tasks, or its precise responsibilities. And for ordinary mortals, under whose command the Ukrainian contingent will be, its location, associated costs, and the financial arrangements remain a mystery. Perhaps this was determined during negotiations with a NATO delegation, which was slated to arrive in Kyiv on June 7.

The strategic partnership with Ukraine, declared once again in Clinton's letter to Kuchma, was confirmed last week in Baku: during Foreign Minister Tarasiuk's visit to Azerbaijan, where the possibility of arranging and utilizing the Ukrainian route for exporting Caspian oil to the West was discussed, the US representative unambiguously discarded this option. As information agencies report, Special Advisor to US Secretary for the Development of Caspian Energy Resources John Wolf said that "the talk about laying a pipeline up to the Georgian village of Supsa is incorrect," while precisely this pipeline was supposed to become the basis for a transit route via Ukraine.

If true, then all the statements by Washington about supporting Ukraine and Ukrainian projects, strategic partnership and ever-growing role of Ukraine can be considered simply a joke. Perhaps this was precisely the case when recently a State Department spokesperson, whom they had forgotten to notify about Ukraine's exceptional role, dared to question the ability of Ukrainian military to restore order in Kosovo. Although Ms. Albright later apologized, the fact is still a fact.

Let's look the truth in the eyes: in a few days the US and its allies will begin to say what they really think of us. Because we obviously deserve it.

Newspaper output №:

№26, (1999)

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Day After Day