Ukraine grants U.S. access to airspace as global effort to fight terrorism intensifies (09/30/01)

Ukraine grants U.S. access to airspace as global effort to fight terrorism intensifies

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - Ukraine announced on September 24 that it would give the United States open access to its airspace for limited military cargo transport as part of its role in the fight against international terrorism. A few days later Kyiv indicated that the role would be limited, stating that Ukraine would refuse to take direct part in ground actions on Afghanistan territory.

As the U.S. military build-up around Afghanistan continued in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon near Washington, Kyiv made it clear that it fully supports the United States but would not send troops to Afghanistan for historic reasons.

"Ukraine will give America ideological, organizational and moral support," said Ukraine's President Leonid Kuchma during a visit to Kazakstan on September 26, according to Interfax-Ukraine. "But one thing must be made clear: we will not fight in Afghanistan again," said Mr. Kuchma.

As part of the Soviet Union, Ukraine took a particularly heavy toll in human casualties during the decade long Afghan war that raged during the 1980s.

On September 24 Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council met in special session and approved a U. S. request for access to its airspace. However, the council limited what the United States could move through Ukraine to the Central Asia region.

The type of cargo to be hauled was limited in part because, in accordance with Ukraine's laws, the Verkhovna Rada must approve the transport by an outside force of a wide variety of military equipment through Ukrainian territory. If that were required in this case, Ukrainian officials fear that the often-fractious legislative body, which continues to have a strong Communist influence, might take considerable time to approve U.S. air access, if it did at all.

Yevhen Marchuk, secretary of the council, said a "strict corridor" would be established for the flight path of the U.S. planes, and the United States would be required to inform Ukrainian officials two to three hours before U.S. aircraft entered Ukrainian airspace. He added that no agreement had been reached on the number of aircraft that could enter or on the duration of the agreement.

Mr. Marchuk said the transport of any nuclear, biological or chemical weaponry was outrightly forbidden, and that the U.S. side had expressly assured him that nothing of the sort was planned. The head of the security council also said the United States understands that the transport of fighter jets, helicopters, tanks and artillery with calibers of over 100 millimeters would require the approval of Ukraine's Parliament.

Mr. Marchuk said the United States had not specified whether such supplies might be included. He added that in his opinion it would be more practical to ship many of these types of weapons via sea and noted that most of the heavy armaments are already in place in Bahrain, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

On September 25 a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson clarified Ukraine's stance and said the resolution goes further and excludes any transportation of arms whatsoever. "The resolution makes it quite clear that there must be no arms. All freight must be purely for use in the rear zones," said the spokesperson.

The Verkhovna Rada informally upheld the decision for U.S. access to Ukraine's airspace by a near unanimous vote of the heads of the various parliamentary factions. Minister of Foreign Affairs Anatolii Zlenko, who was present at the meeting between the parliamentary leaders and President Kuchma, said Ukraine's cooperation with the United States in the fight against terrorism is "in Ukraine's national security interests in the context of global security."

U.S. experts have spent the last days fine-tuning the details of the operation with Ukraine's armed forces, which remain in a normal state of preparedness, except for its air forces, which have moved to heightened readiness. The United States is also in communication with Ukraine's Air Defense Command and the Ministry of Transportation in order to work out the details of the operation, including the method and place of entry into the air corridor - which is expected to be through the southern part of the country - convoying, flight control and probable joint efforts during possible enemy intrusions.

"You never can tell what may happen. It is necessary to determine which aerodrome can provide emergency landings and to coordinate refueling and medical service matters," Mykola Palchuk, deputy chief of the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces, told Interfax-Ukraine.

Other countries that have thus far provided air corridors for U.S. aircraft are Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Turkey and, most recently, Russia.

In other developments in Ukraine associated with the looming war against terrorism, Kyiv recalled its diplomatic staff in Islamabad, Pakistan, on September 25, leaving in place a small skeletal presence. It also warned Ukrainian citizens in Pakistan and Afghanistan to leave those countries immediately. Ukraine does not recognize the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and has no diplomatic representation there.

Also on September 25, Ukraine proposed during a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York that the organization create a structure to coordinate the effort to combat international terrorism.

Ukraine's Ambassador to the U.N. Valeriy Kuchinsky said the United Nations must play a resolute role in creating the corresponding institutional framework to lead the fight against international terrorism.

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