NATO secretary-general underlines Ukraine's importance (05/11/97)

NATO secretary-general underlines Ukraine's importance

by Marta Kolomayets
Special to The Ukrainian Weekly

KYIV - Welcoming a new phase in relations between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Ukraine, Secretary-General Javier Solana arrived in Ukraine for a one-day visit on May 7, to open the new NATO Information Center in Kyiv and "to illustrate the high regard the allies have for Ukraine."

"The alliance acknowledges that Ukraine has an important and even unique place in the European security order. An independent, democratic and stable Ukraine is one of the key factors of stability and security in Europe. Its geographic position gives it a major role and responsibility. Ukraine's decision to renounce nuclear weapons and to accede to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty greatly contributed to the strengthening of security and stability in Europe. It has earned Ukraine special stature in the world community," said Mr. Solana, after a full day of meetings with President Leonid Kuchma, Verkhovna Rada Chairman Oleksander Moroz and Foreign Affairs Minister Hennadii Udovenko.

"NATO attaches a special importance to its relationship with Ukraine. In 1995, NATO and Ukraine jointly issued a statement in which we agreed to strengthen and expand our relationship. I have already mentioned the areas of progress; in the Partnership for Peace, in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in our frequent diplomatic and military meetings.

"Now we want to go further. We want to develop a document which will see the NATO-Ukraine relationship go beyond what we have today," he said addressing journalists invited to attend a meeting organized by Ukraine's association of journalists, the Ukrainian Media Club, at the Ukraine House (formerly the Lenin Museum).

Mr. Solana was referring to a draft agreement presented to President Kuchma outlining a "special relationship" between Ukraine and NATO. Although details of the agreement were not available, Mr. Kuchma told journalists that in principle he agrees with the document. It is expected that the document will be signed at the NATO summit in Madrid in July, when the alliance is scheduled to announce it plans for expansion.

President Kuchma also said Ukraine and NATO do not diverge on the issue of the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty. During his discussions with the NATO secretary-general, the Ukrainian leader said that the two men discussed the issue of flank restrictions, adding that guarantees were given that the deployment of military units from foreign countries would not be allowed on Ukrainian territory without Ukraine's consent. [The deadline for Ukraine to ratify the CFE Flank Agreement is May 15 Mr. Solana said this is important if the current talks in Vienna on modernizing are to move ahead.]

Foreign Affairs Minister Udovenko also expressed satisfaction with the course of the meetings held in Kyiv on May 7. He said the draft agreement presented to President Kuchma reflected many of Ukraine's proposals, yet added that the negotiating process has not yet been completed.

Minister Udovenko and Secretary-General Solana signed a memorandum of mutual understanding between Ukraine and NATO regarding the opening of the NATO Information Center in Kyiv, the first of its kind.

"This paper seals the interest and the wish of NATO's member-countries and independent Ukraine to inform each other about the role and functions of NATO, as well as public attitudes toward the alliance, proceeding from the new realities on the continent," said the Ukrainian diplomat, who was accompanied by Ukraine's ambassador to the Benelux countries and special envoy to NATO, Borys Tarasiuk.

The new center, which opened in the building that once housed the Higher Party School of the Communist Party of Ukraine, is meant to dispel myths about the Atlantic alliance, said Roman Lishchynsky, a Canadian who will serve as NATO's representative to Ukraine.

"The opening of the information office today is a result of months of hard work by NATO and Ukrainian officials. It represents a new phase in our relationship," said Mr. Solana.

"From today onward, we will have an additional means to increase the understanding between the people of Ukraine and NATO. There will be NATO officials in Kyiv ready to respond to the growing interest in the alliance by Ukrainian citizens. The purpose of this office is just what its name implies - to provide information on the alliance. NATO and Ukraine expect to formalize our relations in a document to be signed by the time of the NATO summit in Madrid. It is important, therefore, that NATO becomes fully transparent and understood in this country," continued Mr. Solana.

In a poll released by Democratic Initiatives on May 7, only 7 percent of those surveyed said they knew "a lot" about NATO, while 19 percent said they knew something about the alliance.

Those polled were asked three questions concerning NATO. Twenty-five percent said they viewed it as a defensive alliance while 22 percent saw it as a peacekeeping force and 15 percent regarded it as an "aggressive military bloc."

To a question asking them to characterize NATO, 38 percent said they viewed it as a stabilizing force in Europe, 17 percent saw it as a leftover of the Cold War and 45 percent did not express an opinion.

Thirty-one percent of those surveyed saw NATO as a guarantor of Ukraine's sovereignty, while 19 percent said if Ukraine becomes a member of NATO, it will lose its independence. A full 50 percent of those surveyed did not express an opinion.

On May 7, it was clear where Ukraine's democratic youth, united in Young Rukh, was headed. Holding signs that read "We love NATO" and "Eastern border of NATO - eastern border of Ukraine," they met Mr. Solana at the opening of the information center and later at the Ukraine House. This was not the case when Mr. Solana met with Chairman Moroz, who informed the NATO leader that "political forces in Ukraine hold opposite stands on the NATO issue."

He informed Mr. Solana that 187 deputies in Parliament had signed a petition to form an anti-NATO bloc called "Ukraine outside NATO" (most of these deputies belong to the Communist and Socialist factions in Parliament).

The Ukrainian Parliament chairman expressed concern that NATO's expansion eastward will bring about a new division of Europe and will have a negative impact on Ukraine's national security, which may become a buffer between the two blocs.

However, on the eve of Mr. Solana's visit to Ukraine, Volodymyr Horbulin, secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, in a letter to the Verkhovna Rada said Ukraine is re-thinking its official policy of neutrality and that this status can be viewed "only conditionally." He said that Ukraine cannot have absolute neutral and non-aligned status, given its sensitive geopolitical position. Although Ukraine is not officially even considering applying for NATO membership, it does have the rights as a member of the United Nations to join any political or military bloc, especially one involving European security, he wrote.

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