PRESS REVIEW (04/27/97)

PRESS REVIEW

The Washington Post editorial focuses on "The Ukraine Dilemma"
Chicago Tribune editorial says "Ukraine does the right thing"

The Washington Post editorial focuses on "The Ukraine Dilemma"

Following is an excerpt from an April 14 editorial in The Washington Post headined "The Ukraine Dilemma."

... the United States has rightly gotten very interested in the fate of Ukraine. At congressional insistence, it is giving about as much foreign aid to Ukraine as to Russia, which has three times the population. NATO is preparing to negotiate a charter with Ukraine that would parallel the agreement the Western alliance seeks to work out with Russia. In all of this, however, one player is not following the approved script. Guess who that is. The country itself. Nearly six years into independence, Ukraine has yet to get its internal reform process in gear. The level of official and unofficial corruption in the country is breathtaking. In recent days, the deputy prime minister in charge of economic reform, one of the few top officials with unquestioned reformist credentials, has resigned in frustration. ...

Ukraine has made some progress in six years. Unlike Russia and most other former Soviet republics, it weathered a peaceful transition when President Leonid Kuchma defeated Ukraine's first president in a free and fair election. Last June it adopted a democratic constitution. Thousands of state-owned firms have been privatized. Ukraine voluntarily gave up the nuclear weapons it inherited when the Soviet Union collapsed. ...

Nonetheless, the institutional corruption of the Ukrainian political economy and its slow progress on reform pose a real dilemma to the West. ... The strategic goal of helping Ukraine is sound. But in the end, Ukrainians will have to act in ways that make such help possible, not to say productive.

Chicago Tribune editorial says "Ukraine does the right thing"

Following are excerpts from the Chicago Tribune's April 17 editorial titled "Ukraine does the right thing."

There hasn't been much opportunity of late to say good things about Ukraine. Since its emergence as an independent nation upon the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine has fumbled badly in its efforts at economic reform and development. It is still grappling with the most basic of questions, including whether its destiny lies more with Russia or with Western Europe.

But Ukraine deserves a big dollop of praise for its decision - in the face of staggering economic woes - not to profit from Russia's ill-conceived and dangerous plan to help Iran create a nuclear power industry by selling it atomic reactors.

While the reactors would be designed for civilian purposes, the United States and Israel, among other countries, are convinced the power stations would afford Iran a head-start toward production of nuclear arms - a frightful prospect, given that country's history of flouting international standards and persistent allegations that it sponsors terrorism. ...

Since Turbo-atom is one of just a handful of companies building this type of equipment, Ukraine's action [to not sell reactor spare parts] was likely to delay delivery of the reactors to Iran - although the Russian project was still expected to go forward. Perhaps Ukraine's move will give Moscow cause to re-think the wisdom of its course. ...

One hopes that [the decision] also signals a new willingness to heed Western advice on easing the country's economic distress. In any case, the U.S. should find a suitable way to reward Ukraine for its responsible behavior.

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