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.






