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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

Tarasiuk Asks, Brussels Keeps Silent

25 May, 1999 - 00:00

By Viktor ZAMYATIN, The Day
After some pause Ukraine once again broached the subject of peacekeeping
in the Balkans, as Foreign Minister Borys Tarasiuk on May 20 met with NATO
and Western European Union Secretaries General Javier Solana and Jose Cutileiro.
"We must propagate our peacekeeping potentialities after hostilities end
in Yugoslavia," stated First Deputy Foreign Minister Yevhen Bersheda. President
Kuchma said earlier that Ukraine is prepared to dispatch a peacekeeping
unit to Yugoslavia.

That sounds good, even logical. Indeed, Ukraine needs advertising in
the international arena and its initiatives could be submitted to Brussels
and Belgrade, except that no one has given any answers. Moreover, peacekeeping
plans worked out in Kyiv seem to have been used when making other programs,
by other countries - first by Germany and then by G-7 together with Russia.
The US State Department spokesman also let slip a few unsavory remarks
about that country's attitude toward the Ukrainian initiatives (for which
Madeline Albright later apologized). Perhaps the only outcome of Ukraine's
activity in this domain will be its battalion attached to the internal
peacekeeping contingent, something Belgrade still adamantly rejects. So
far no one mentions anything about Ukraine's contribution to stopping the
Balkan war, just as no one at the NATO headquarters says anything about
any compensation for Ukraine's losses because of NATO operations in Yugoslavia
(the amount of which, according to some estimates, is over $1.2 million
daily). In any case, Foreign Minister Tarasiuk wanted to hear Mr. Solana's
opinion.

It is generally known what Ukraine has long been trying to receive from
the European Union (some analysts are prepared to regard this structure
as one of the key elements of the future European security system). WEU
Secretary General Cutileiro has repeatedly said that Ukraine's membership
of this organization would be possible after becoming an associate member
of the EU. Again no word from EU headquarters, at least nothing specific.
Sometimes membership is mentioned as a possibility, but (so hint members
of both the European Commission and officials of other EU member countries)
raising the matter at this time would be premature.

Perhaps the new President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi,
meeting with Borys Tarasiuk, will dwell on the importance and strategic
value of the unique EU-Ukrainian partnership, carefully avoiding explanations
why the EU-Albanian agreement envisages Tirana's full membership, but its
counterpart signed with Ukraine does not. No one knows as yet whether the
June EU summit in KЪln will announce the Union's strategy with regard to
Ukraine, Russia, and the Balkan states. In a word, there is the European
idea as a strategy, but nothing is being done to translate it into life.
Ukraine and the EU have a number of differences (for example, the Daewoo
saga, television set import restrictions on the one hand, and humiliating
quotas imposed on Ukrainian metal and textiles on the other). Ukraine is
accused of overstated protectionism and Ukraine says that its economy is
not competitive enough, and so on and so forth.

One thing has become clear. Despite all the warm words of support, nobody
wants to consider Ukraine - and this is largely our own fault - as either
a worthwhile partner or potential ally. They do not understand our "multivectorism"
and the "special features" of our transition period, about which both Presidents
of independent Ukraine have said so much. And here even Mr. Tarasiuk's
indisputable competence cannot always help.

 

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