Fleet negotiations are nearly completed (11/03/96)

Fleet negotiations are nearly completed

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - Discussions on the splitting of the Black Sea Fleet are practically completed and a draft agreement should be ready for review by the countries' two prime ministers shortly, said the press service of Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers on October 31.

A statement by First Vice Prime Minister Vasyl Durdynets released by the press service explained that his current meetings with Russia's Vice Premier Valerii Serov "open the way to the resolution of the politicized and extremely painful Black Sea Fleet (BSF) problem and the signing of a comprehensive bilateral treaty of friendship and partnership," according to Interfax-Ukraine.

The two high-level Cabinet ministers have met several times in the last month and have slowly moved forward in resolving many strategic, political and ethnic issues that have held up or de-railed the process for the last four years.

However, even as Messrs. Durdynets and Serov were making their announcement, news sources were saying the discussions, few details of which have been announced, were stalled on the issue of who is to receive what docks in Sevastopol.

Interfax and Vseukraiinski Viedomosti quoted Minister Serov as saying, "The negotiations were drawn out and strenuous. We have a number of unsettled issues, including the division of bays. However, Viedomosti did report that a 20-year lease had been agreed upon.

President Kuchma later stated, "So far as Russia has agreed to a lease, it is not worth returning to rubber-band pulling," referring to the political gamesmanship that has surrounded movement toward resolution of the differences.

The latest round of discussions began on October 29, with the two sides struggling through three issues: the status and terms for the basing of the Russian fleet in Sevastopol; on the parameters of the splitting of the infrastructure; and the terms of lease and method of payment.

At that meeting, Mr. Durdynets urged the parties to work to ensure a November 10 signing date. He said the three issues are the final obstacles to agreement. The two sides are scheduled to finalize negotiations next week. President Kuchma has said he would like to see a formal signing of the Black Sea Fleet agreement before November 15.

The city of Sevastopol seems to finally have accepted the idea of two fleets in its port. On October 31, Sevastopol Mayor Viktor Semenov told Interfax-Ukraine that the signing of an agreement on the Black Sea Fleet will contribute to an improvement of the city's economic situation. He also criticized Russia's Duma for "not realizing the complexity of the situation." He said separate bases would provide income for the city from both Russia and Ukraine.