WARSAW ACCORD

The presidents of Poland, France, and the chancellor of Germany (countries of the so- called Weimar Triangle) have voiced support for President Leonid Kuchma of Ukraine in the current domestic situation, Deputy Director of the Presidential Administration Anatoly Orel announced. On the other hand, according to Mr. Orel, the leadership of those countries is preoccupied with Ukraine’s political problems, including a threat to the further development of democracy.

It was not concealed on the eve of the meeting between Presidents Kuchma and Kwasniewski at Kazimierz Dolni that this had not been initiated by Warsaw alone.

The results of the meeting are well-known: Mr. Kwasniewski strongly advised his Ukrainian counterpart to open a dialogue with the opposition, promising, whether jocularly or seriously, to send the historic round table to Kyiv and even suggested that the Ukrainian leadership and opposition conduct talks on the territory of his country. Mr. Kuchma reassured his Polish counterpart and hence the West that under no circumstances would he resort to strong-arm methods to settle the conflict, that he was prepared to speak to the opposition, but only the opposition which takes a stand supporting Ukrainian statehood and is not trying to alter the constitutional system. And to set things in motion the opposition must formalize itself and be registered with the Ministry of Justice.

The two presidents’ meeting at Kazimierz could thus have catalyzed the renewal of the spirit of that historic round table between the communist leadership of Poland and the opposition in 1989, which instantly triggered a chain reaction all over Europe. What made that round table possible were changes in Soviet power which later resulted in the downfall of the socialist system and began the unification of Europe.

In truth, Lech Walesa’s Solidarity did not hide at that time its intention to change the constitutional system of Poland — to make it a democratic country — and succeeded in doing just that. The Polish round table resulted in the first free elections followed by the formation of postwar Poland’s first noncommunist government. Mr. Walesa was soon elected president, and Poland began to lead the processes of democratization in the region. Incidentally, Solidarity did not have to register with the Polish Justice Ministry.

Mr. Kwasniewski admitted that the current situation in Ukraine is incomparable to that in Poland in 1989: according to him, the Poles were then only beginning to build their democracy, while Ukraine now has democratic institutions of its own and Mr. Kuchma, a democratically elected President of Ukraine, is “our partner.”

Mr. Kwasniewski said that strategic partnership with Ukraine is “of the greatest value for Poland.” Thus Poland must consistently promote democratic development in Ukraine. He also announced that when he was discussing the situation in Ukraine with Jacques Chirac and Gerhard Schroeder within the Weimar Triangle framework, all the three admitted that a democratic Ukraine is a most important element in twenty-first century democratic Europe.

Mr. Kwasniewski said that strategic partnership with Ukraine is “of the greatest value for Poland.” Thus Poland must consistently promote democratic development in Ukraine. He also announced that when he was discussing the situation in Ukraine with Jacques Chirac and Gerhard Schroeder within the Weimar Triangle framework, all the three admitted that a democratic Ukraine is a most important element in twenty-first century democratic Europe.

Mr. Kwasniewski also noted, Interfax- Ukraine reports, it was important “in spite of what is going on in Ukraine, not to lose even one day of our bilateral cooperation with Ukraine, even a month of our partnership with Ukraine, even a year of movement toward the European community.”

The message of the West, relayed via Mr. Kwasniewski, coincided in timed with publication in The Financial Times of a letter in support of Mr. Kuchma, perhaps the first since Ukraine plunged into crisis. President of the Washington-based US- Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce, Campton Jenkins, taking issue with George Soros, points out that economic aid from the US and Europe is of paramount importance for Ukraine and in the interests of the West itself. Conversely, ceasing to support Mr. Kuchma and breaking contact with Ukraine would mean, Mr. Jenkins thinks, offsetting precisely those achievements the West so highly values. Of course, in the conditions of uncertainty and insufficient information about developments in Ukraine, the president of Poland could be the best actor to play the role of a “messenger of the gods,” a link which would allow the West to get information, relay its own points of view, without breaking the contacts but still exercising certain caution. Mr. Kwasniewski is to continue frequent meetings with Mr. Kuchma: it was announced the two presidents would meet again in early June at a business forum in Dnipropetrovsk, where the latest agreements with Russia were signed.

The fact that representatives of key EU countries are avoiding any assessments of Ukrainian developments, as well as that the US State Department delegation, recently visiting Kyiv, was extremely cautious in public comments, allows us to suggest that there is no question of Ukraine’s isolation. It must obviously take some time for the West and even many Ukrainians to comprehend the situation and for the leadership and the opposition to prove in practice that they are able to come to terms without outbursts of street corner emotions.

Somebody must simply show the audacity of taking the first step, as General Jaruzelski once did. And it would be extremely helpful if Mr. Kwasniewski acted in this play as a well-wishing neighbor rather than as an intermediary between the Ukrainians themselves.