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Where there is no law, but every man does what is right in his own eyes, there is the least of real liberty
Henry M. Robert

A MEDIATOR NEEDS FORCE TO BE HEARD

13 November, 2012 - 00:00

The Russian media seems to have totally overlooked the Ukrainian peace
initiative in the Kosovo conflict. Is big brother feeling envious about
Kyiv's superfluous foreign political activity? Perhaps, except that Western
news agencies felt content to describe the two Ukrainian ministers' trip
to Belgrade and Borys Tarasiuk's further peace mission taking him to Warsaw,
Bonn, Paris, and London in a couple of lines, among other reports describing
efforts to find a solution to the Kosovo problem.

This might hurt patriotic feelings in Ukraine, but the attitude is only
natural. In the dramatic situation that has developed only intermediaries
backed by real force - influential countries or prestigious international
organizations - will be heard. Or representatives with an international
reputation. In other words, the attitude shown toward the Ukrainian initiative
mirrors the rung Ukraine and its leaders occupy on the world hierarchical
ladder.

At a time when everyone was trying to guess when NATO would proceed
with phase two of its operation in Yugoslavia, Ukrainian leaders went on
a tour of European capitals to persuade the interested partiesto to do
so. President Kuchma flew to Slovenia and Foreign Minister Tarasiuk to
Warsaw, Bonn, Paris, and London to convey Kyiv's stand towards the Balkan
situation (ten settlement elements which, people at the Ukrainian Foreign
Ministry say, do not tally with the contact group's ten principles). Interfax
quoted Ukrainian Ambassador Anton Buteiko as saying that "in Washington
the Ukrainian position concerning Yugoslavia was received with understanding."
This is the only reaction known so far. In the meantime, NATO air raids
in Yugoslavia continue.

There is much Slovenian President Milan Kucan could tell Leonid Kuchma.
For example, about his membership of a Yugoslav delegation whish vainly
tryed to talk Slobodan Milosevic, leader of the Yugoslav League of Communists,
to sign a confederation agreement. He refused and this set off a series
of Balkan wars, the first one, between Belgrade and Ljubljana, lasting
ten days. Mr. Kucan could further tell his Ukrainian counterpart about
why his country's living standard now matches that of neighboring Austria,
and that this was actually why Slovenia was invited to negotiate its EU
membership - but this is another topic. Mr. Kucan does not seem to have
announced his support of NATO bombardment, but he has never voiced support
for Slobodan Milosevic and his methods of government.

Polish Foreign Minister Bronislaw Geremek (Poland was the only one of
the three newly admitted NATO members to resolutely support the organization's
stand toward Yugoslavia) who headed the OSCE last year agreed with Borys
Tarasiuk on the key issue: political problems cannot be solved by force.
German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer declared prior to his meeting with
his Ukrainian colleague that he will welcome any initiatives offering an
end the NATO attacks and a resumption of talks. Similar views were expressed
by Western ministers as Borys Tarasiuk and Defense Minister Kuzmuk visited
Belgrade. On March 30, however, US representatives announced that the Ukrainian
ministers did not bring with them anything new in principle, nor did they
achieve anything worth writing home about. Likewise, the West regards the
Primakov-led Russian delegation's visit to the Yugoslav capital with a
great deal of skepticism, for it actually follows in Tarasiuk's footsteps.
"We are not giving anyone orders and we do not intend to substitute for
the contact group," Mr. Tarasiuk declared. Slobodan Milosevic has not as
yet replied to Kyiv or those other Western countries with which he has
not severed contact.

By Victor ZAMYATIN, The Day

FROM A LETTER TO THE EDITOR

"Now wouldn't it be funny if our Left bowed and scraped before Russia
long enough and finally got back its nuclear weapons? Or declared war on
NATO? Of course, if the first Russian missile crossed the Ukrainian border,
NATO would also pay a visit the way they are visiting Milosevic. Then it
would no longer be funny, but they would have every right to treat us that
way. So long as we base out thinking on 'Slavic brotherhood,' there will
be a chance to receive something from that 'inhuman West' to keep our simple
Slavic bodies and souls together. The world has become unipolar and trying
to resist this brandishing the Communist Manifesto is dangerous
and stupid. There is nothing we could do even if we wanted to. We don't
have a single card up our sleeve and all our previous trumps - moral, historical,
and material - have long since been beaten. They were beaten even as the
first humanitarian aid shipment from Germany crossed the then Soviet border
and our victorious war veterans were clawing at each other in lines to
get second-hand clothes. Hence, we might as well save our breath trying
to teach the real victor how to do things, let alone show our ambition,
even less so on an occasion like this one. The whole world knows that Milosevic
really ordered the massacre of Albanians, and now he is getting his just
desserts - and not only from the US, but also from Europe, Slavs included..."

Valery NAPYTKIN, Khmelnytsky

 

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