Ukraine's position prevails at CIS summit in Minsk (01/31/93)

Ukraine's position prevails at CIS summit in Minsk

by Borys Klymenko

MINSK - The January 22 summit of heads of states belonging to the CIS concluded here with Ukraine's position on the Commonwealth of Independent States prevailing. The 10-member-states signed a general declaration on cooperation and participation in the Commonwealth, but three - Ukraine, Turkmenistan and Moldova - did not sign the CIS Charter.

Ukraine succeeded in making its case that economic integration should be the principal aim of the CIS. Thus, the declaration states that economic questions at present are the most important.

The meeting also produced a number of economic agreements, including one creating an interstate bank that will handle multilateral clearing of international financial accounts and will serve to resolve conflicts over money transfers and currency issues. The bank will be founded in Moscow with an initial capital of 5 billion rubles to be contributed by CIS members.

Speaking at Kyyiv's Boryspil Airport upon his return from Minsk, President Leonid Kravchuk of Ukraine characterized the Minsk summit as an extraordinary success for Ukraine. The crux of the matter he said, is that "Our Commonwealth understood that the economy is paramount."

He noted that Ukraine signed 19 of 25 documents proposed at the summit and that all these dealt with economic issues. "Ukraine once again stated that it seeks economic integration and our proposals... have been incorporated into the [summit] declaration."

He also underlined that Ukraine, along with Turkmenistan and Moldova, had not signed the CIS Charter. He added, "The essence of the Commonwealth will not change as a result. Ukraine remains within the CIS as do other states. There are no sanctions, no limitations, no shortcomings that Ukraine will experience in any sphere. Bilateral agreements will function, agreements within the framework of the CIS will function. The CIS is working."

In addition to the CIS Charter, Ukraine did hold back from signing another key document: one that provided for joint command of armed forces of the CIS. President Kravchuk said, "we are not members of any collective security arrangement, or joint armed forces; we are party only to a collective strategic forces agreement as long as such weapons are located on our territory."

At a news conference in Minsk following the summit meeting, President Kravchuk commented: "There are some questions which can only be decided in the Commonwealth, but others must be left to bilateral relations. Today's meeting has shown we have begun to respect each other."

Prime Minister Leonid Kuchma, when asked in Minsk whether strategic nuclear weapons were discussed at the meeting said the matter was taken off the agenda, because both the Ukrainian and Russian delegations said this is their bilateral matter.

However, when asked a similar questions in Kyyiv, President Kravchuk told reporters that the status-quo remains. "We delineated the question of strategic forces, describing them as nuclear forces." He added that negotiations on this question will continue between Ukraine and Russia.

Radio Liberty reported the leaders of the four nuclear states where strategic nuclear weapons are stationed - Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan - could not agree on ownership of these weapons. Russia had sought control over strategic forces, but Ukraine insisted that nuclear weapons on its territory are the property of Ukraine. "All component parts of nuclear weapons on Ukrainian territory are the property of Ukraine," Deputy Defense Minister Ivan Bizhan told Reuters.

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