US cites absence of relevant treaty
The visit to Kyiv by US Under Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia Steven Pifer, former US Ambassador, was part of a Russia-Belarus- Ukraine-Moldova tour. His stopover in Ukraine, now a tradition, was to discuss the elections marking what is described as a crucial point. During his third visit to Ukraine since leaving the embassy, Mr. Pifer had meetings at the Foreign Ministry, NSDC, and Presidential Administration. At a press conference, the ranking US guest said in part that Melnychenko and Lazarenko cannot be extradited because there is no US-Ukrainian extradition agreement. Such an agreement can be signed only with both sides satisfied that the other country’s judicature is less severe; the penitentiary system is another factor to be taken into account, said US Ambassador Pascual. He referred to European countries refusing to extradite criminals to the US because it still practices the capital punishment.
As for the cases on hand, one more thing remains to be clarified. Kyiv, expecting US authorities’ good will in the deportation of Lazarenko and Melnychenko, constantly refers to a Ukrainian-US agreement on reciprocal legal aid. The Ukrainian side, specifically the Prosecutor General’s Office, has repeatedly claimed that Melnychenko and Lazarenko could be extradited under that agreement. Washington, however, does not accept this. Mr. Pascual stressed that the said agreement contains no extradition clause. He further admitted that US authorities have no Melnychenko tapes and that their testing by the America’s Back Tech firm allegedly confirming their authenticity cannot be held legally valid, because Back Tech is a private business.
The OSCE will be the main organization to assess the Ukrainian elections, Mr. Pifer told journalists. When asked about his personal impressions, he said they were both positive and negative. Among the positive aspects are the campaign’s openness and access to foreign observers, the serious intent of all those non- governmental organizations to disseminate information about the elections, and so on. Media coverage this year is different from what he observed in 1998, Mr. Pifer said.
The US economic sanctions against Ukraine could be lifted only if the new law against audio piracy is rigidly implemented, he declared. Washington so far does not see it as an effective one, but everybody would be happy should this prove to be wrong.
Mr. Pifer further said that Ukraine was threatened by such sanctions four years ago, in retaliation for arms supplies to countries blacklisted by the United States. Eventually, however, Washington received information that allayed its concerns. Incidentally, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stated a week ago that Ukraine would not take advantage of its relations with Baghdad and Tehran. In general, Ukrainian diplomats stress that Kyiv will not tolerate any “unilateral diktat.”
