Kuchma comments on Kosovo peace plan

The following commentary by President Leonid Kuchma was released in Washington by the Embassy of Ukraine.

Ukraine welcomes the agreement of President Slobodan Milosevic and the Serbian Parliament to accept the peace plan proposed by the European Union and Russia.

Since the very first hours of the Kosovo crisis, Ukraine has exerted efforts to settle this crisis by peaceful means. On March 27 we proposed our plan for settling the crisis, provisions of which were reflected in proposals approved by Belgrade. In view of that, we truly hope that the next step will be the practical and expeditious realization of the reached agreements.

We have already stated and confirm again our readiness to participate in the international forces in Kosovo. I am glad that there is unity on this matter between the executive branch and the leadership of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

Ukraine, having suffered from damages as a result of the crisis, is ready to join the efforts at rebuilding Yugoslavia's economy, as well as at stabilizing the countries of the region, in the framework of the Stability Pact for Southeastern Europe.

I am confident that the Kosovo crisis should become a bitter lesson, from which the whole international community must draw respective conclusions. They are as follows: Without respect for human rights, the rights of national minorities, as well as without respect for international law as a whole the world will continue to face conflicts and humanitarian catastrophes.

Another conclusion: there is a need for the major international organizations - primarily the United Nations and the OSCE - to urgently improve the mechanism for conflict prevention.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, June 20, 1999, No. 25, Vol. LXVII

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