Zlenko addresses United Nations (10/10/93)

Zlenko addresses United Nations

UNITED NATIONS - Ukraine's Foreign Minister Anatoliy Zlenko appeared before the United Nation's General Assembly on September 30 in the opening week of its 48th session, to reassert that Ukraine had begun dismantling its nuclear weapons, but reiterating that it would need large-scale financial assistance to complete the process.

The first several weeks of each new session of the General Assembly generally sees a parade of heads of government and state leaders, who propose the agenda for the new session.

The foreign minister asked the dignitaries, "Where do we get the money to dismantle and eliminate the strategic nuclear weapons located in Ukraine?" He added, "According to our estimates, approximately $2.8 billion are needed for these purposes." He also expressed his concern for assuring Ukraine's national security once the missiles are gone.

Mr. Zlenko also voiced his concern for the military servicemen who would no longer have positions once the missile forces are liquidated.

In a far-ranging speech, he went on to reassert that the Crimea was and would continue to be an integral part of Ukrainian lands and expressed his gratitude to the U.N. Security Council for supporting Ukraine in its controversy with Russia over possession of the territory.

He warned the body that imperial thinking developed over centuries does not vanish with a change in government, alluding to Russia's continued harassment of the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union. He specifically referred to instability in Georgia and called on the U.N. to help "bring the situation back to a course of settlement through political dialogue."

The foreign minister acknowledged the dire situation of the economy in Ukraine, but reaffirmed the nation's goal of a market-oriented economy. He suggested that the Ukrainian diaspora could spur foreign economic investment through its business and political contacts.

Mr. Zlenko also said Ukraine is looking at the lightning quick development of the countries of the Pacific rim, such as Indonesia and Taiwan, and sees them as potential trade partners. "The process of the practical development of relations with the ASEAN countries has been initiated. We see this grouping as potentially one of the best trade and economic partners of Ukraine."

Minister Zlenko also emphasized the negative effect Ukraine's support for the U.N. action in the former Yugoslavia has had on its economy. He said that in addition to the loss of Ukrainian life associated with Ukraine's deployment of military units to support the peacekeeping effort, "Ukraine will suffer direct losses of more than 4 billion U.S. dollars in the state sector alone."

Finally, the foreign minister asked that the United Nations forego the 58 percent increase in contributions by Ukraine to the U.N. budget adopted last year. He explained that Ukraine could better utilize these monies to solve the overwhelming problems associated with the Chornobyl nuclear disaster.

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