Is Ukraine Choosing Priorities?
The United States has not yet decided whether to launch a war on Iraq. Yet, preparation for this can be seen on all fronts – especially on the diplomatic one. US President George Bush has made another anti-Iraqi speech with the following leitmotif: either Baghdad disarms on its own or it will be ‘helped’ to do so. The American leader said Saddam Hussein must kick-start disarmament, otherwise the US-led coalition will throw all its weight on Iraq.
Assurances of support for the US administration’s efforts against the Saddam regime have already come from Great Britain, Australia, Japan, Italy, Israel, Poland, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and some others.
On the Iraqi question, Ukraine takes the same stand as the overwhelming majority of states in the world. Kyiv does not approve of any unilateral US actions against Iraq without the proper sanction of the UN Security Council, the only body in the world authorized to endorse a decision of military intervention by a particular country. However, a large number of experts fear that Ukraine may change its position under pressure from the recent events, namely, American suspicions that the Ukrainian leadership might have been pondering the supply of a Kolchuha radar system to Iraq in violation of UN sanctions. The possibility has not been ruled out that Kyiv may cave in to Washington’s threats of revising its policies toward Ukraine. Meanwhile, a knowledgeable source told The Day that Kyiv’s position would remain unchanged in spite of any pressure. The source, who preferred not to disclose his identity, stressed that Ukraine is convinced of its innocence and has therefore invited American and British experts to conduct an investigation in this country. Hence, there is no reason why the Americans should demand – or even exert pressure for – a change of position from Kyiv in the Iraqi question. Incidentally, Kyiv has been claiming for the past few days that it is sure of the total number of the Kolchuha systems produced and where they are each currently deployed. The source told The Day that documents would be handed over to the UN Security Council and Committee 661 for a proper inquiry. What is more, “one state said it was not prepared to look into the matter.”
Meanwhile, The Day was told that Ukraine might begin revising its US policies should the Americans take a similar step. “The main principle of international cooperation is a balance of mutual respect. Naturally, the American step will not remain unanswered,” the source emphasized to our correspondent. Let us hope this opinion does not prevail in the Ukrainian corridors of power. For otherwise it would raise a number of questions. Has Kyiv weighed everything before taking such a step? Is it not afraid that an anti-US stand will only hurt Ukraine? And are the Ukrainian side’s arguments about revising its US policies commensurate with those of Washington?
Trying to restore its reputation, Ukraine has not forgot about its foreign political priorities. Kyiv is still actively bracing itself for the NATO Prague summit to be held on November 21, with President Leonid Kuchma likely to take part in it. Nothing is known about whether NATO has revoked its invitation for the Ukrainian delegation to visit Prague. This would require a consensus-based decision at least on the ambassadorial level by the 19 member states, and Brussels has not put this item on the agenda so far. The point is that nobody can say anything about the format of Ukraine’s participation. The US delegation led by Assistant Secretary of State Elizabeth Jones, which visited Kyiv the week before last, did not say that Ukraine might be barred from signing any Prague summit documents. So Kyiv still has a chance, although Ukraine will only be able to seize them if it shows firmness in negotiations and ensures transparency in the investigation of Iraqgate.
