Ukraine's ambassador reacts to reports of Libyan connection (06/23/96)

Ukraine's ambassador reacts to reports of Libyan connection

by Yaro Bihun

WASHINGTON - Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Yuri Shcherbak called a recent press allegation about a "secret 'strategic cooperation' relationship" between Ukraine and Libya "complete nonsense."

Responding to questions about the June 10 Washington Times story during a news conference at the National Press Club, Ambassador Shcherbak called it "an outrageous lie and a provocation aimed at undermining the growing U.S.-Ukraine partnership, friendship and cooperation."

He also suggested that the timing of the article may have been designed to undercut efforts to boost U.S. assistance to Ukraine, coming as it did during the Congressional debate over the foreign assistance budget.

Citing a "U.S. intelligence report" it said it obtained, The Washington Times stated that late last year President Leonid Kuchma established a top-level committee to oversee Ukraine's strategic cooperation with Libya, "raising new fears among U.S. officials that nuclear, missile and other weapons technology will be transferred to the pro-terrorist regime of Col. Moammar Gadhafi."

Ambassador Shcherbak said he discussed this issue on June 11 with U.S. State Department and National Security Council officials and they assured him that these allegations were neither a matter of concern for the United States nor did they reflect "the official position of the American government."

There has been no public U.S. official reaction to The Washington Times story, and the question has not been raised at any of the official Washington press briefings.

The question was asked during a National Press Club news conference with Yuri Kostenko, Ukrainian minister for environmental protection and nuclear safety, who said the Libyan question did not come up during his talks with U.S. officials.

Presenting the Ukrainian government's response, Ambassador Shcherbak stressed that Ukraine "has always been and remains faithful to its international commitments."

The United Nations imposed sanctions - including the prohibition of weapons transfers - against Libya in 1992, after Libya refused to turn over two men alleged to be responsible for the terrorist bombing of Pam Am Flight 103 over Scotland in 1988.

"Despite being in the grips of economic privation," Ambassador Shcherbak said, "Ukraine has forsaken Libyan markets in order to scrupulously adhere to the sanctions...(and) has never been cited or officially warned over violations of the Libya sanctions."

Some private Ukrainian companies had tried to take part in railroad construction project in Libya, he said, but stressed again that "Ukraine has no strategic cooperation with Libya."

On the contrary, he said, Ukraine has a comprehensive system of export controls for non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and means of their delivery - established with U.S. assistance - and, indeed, has prevented an attempted shipment of sensitive solid rocket fuel components to Libya through Ukrainian territory.

"Ukraine is among the world leaders in internationally responsible behavior," he said, and it has demonstrated this again by completing its denuclearization process - ironically, a few days before the article was published.

Ambassador Shcherbak added, however, that he found no irony in the fact that "this article was released at the time when hearings about overseas assistance are under way in the Congress. And its target seems quite obvious."

This is the second time this year that the Ukrainian ambassador has had to respond to damaging press allegations against Ukraine. In February, Mr. Shcherbak took the Los Angeles Times to task for its story alleging Ukrainian government complicity in the use of Ukrainian Antonov 23B planes by Colombian drug traffickers. The story appeared on the day President Kuchma arrived in Washington for meetings with President Clinton.

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