Rep. Weldon blames Washington, as well as Kyiv, for mistakes in bilateral relations (02/23/03)

Rep. Weldon blames Washington, as well as Kyiv, for mistakes in bilateral relations

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - U.S. Congressman Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) during a brief visit to Kyiv asserted on February 19 that Ukraine did not sell Kolchuha air defense systems to Iraq in contravention of United Nations sanctions. He blamed Washington, as well as Kyiv, for making mistakes that inflamed the situation and said it was time to move past the controversy and begin a re-warming of relations.

Rep. Weldon also announced that he had laid the groundwork for a larger dialogue between the two countries on military non-proliferation and export controls.

Speaking in unambiguous language at a press conference at the end of his two-day visit, the well-respected vice-chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and co-chairman of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus in the Congress stated that allegations that Ukraine was involved in the illegal transfer of the anti-aircraft radar complexes had not stood up to scrutiny.

"We have no evidence that military equipment was transferred anywhere. There may have been reports and comments, but we have no evidence. That is why we are asking for cooperation on military proliferation," said Rep. Weldon, adding, "there have been mistakes made on both sides."

In commentary uncharacteristic for a U.S. politician, Rep. Weldon went out of his way to note that the legislative branch was on par with the executive branch in the U.S. Constitution, while remaining quite separate. However, he also stressed that his views did not necessarily reflect the thinking of either the White House or the State Department.

The congressman, who met with President Leonid Kuchma in Kyiv, sidestepped a direct question on whether he would support a meeting between the Ukrainian president and U.S. President George W. Bush.

"I cannot speak for the president of the Unites States or the secretary of state - that is their decision to make," said Rep. Weldon.

The remarks seemed to be a criticism of repeated statements from White House representatives over the last weeks that official meetings between U.S. and Ukrainian officials would not take place at the highest levels of state authority.

U.S. Ambassador Carlos Pascual, who speaks officially for both the White House and the State Department on policy matters and sat with Mr. Weldon at the press conference, attempted to dull the bite of the congressman's remarks. Mr. Pascual interjected that he did not believe the U.S. line on the Kolchuha scandal differed from what Rep. Weldon had stated.

"We have established that the Kolchuha issue remains an open question. We cannot prove that a transfer has taken place and cannot prove it did not take place," said Ambassador Pascual.

The U.S. envoy agreed with Rep. Weldon that Washington could not continue to force the issue, however. "We need to move forward," he stated.

Both Ambassador Pascual and Rep. Weldon applauded Ukraine's positive response to a diplomatic request from the United States to provide non-combat military support in the form of a battalion specializing in neutralization of the afteraffects of nuclear, chemical and biological attacks. Mr. Pascual emphasized that Ukraine would not be asked to take part in battlefield operations and its forces would remain outside Iraq unless needed.

Mr. Weldon, chairman of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus, the body that consists of members of Congress with concentrated Ukrainian American constituencies or with specific interest in Ukraine, said he had traveled to Ukraine to get a better handle on the mood within the country.

"I have been troubled by our relationship in the last few months," explained Rep. Weldon. "Actions by both countries have caused our relations to become much cooler. As a result, there may be those here who believe that the U.S. has lost interest in Ukraine. I can tell you that we in the Congress want close relations with Ukraine."

After meeting with the Ukrainian president, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Volodymyr Lytvyn and several government ministers, Rep. Weldon said he could report back to President Bush and his fellow legislators that "what I have heard makes me very optimistic."

The congressman announced that he had spoken with Ukrainian leaders about developing better cooperation between the Verkhovna Rada and the U.S. Congress. The first step along that path would be a legislative exchange to begin this May with a group of U.S. representatives traveling to Kyiv, followed later by a trip to Washington for a group of Ukrainian national deputies, who would meet with political and business leaders there. Rep. Weldon also said that a videoconference between leaders of both legislatures would take place within a month.

Also on the agenda of the Pennsylvania congressman's quickly planned trip was discussion on closer cooperation regarding military non-proliferation. In a discussion with Minister of Defense Volodymyr Shkidchenko the two sides addressed a possible expansion of the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, which is funded by the United States. Ukrainian and U.S. leaders also discussed the possibility of developing a list to monitor Ukrainian firms and government organizations of the military-industrial complex that have input into military hardware eventually sold abroad.

Rep. Weldon said an exchange program to bring U.S. and Ukrainian scientists that develop military hardware into closer cooperation also was discussed, with a visit of Ukrainian scientists to the U.S. being prepared for September.

The congressman noted that a meeting with Prime Minister Yanukovych proved very fruitful as well. Rep. Weldon explained that the Ukrainian government leader assured him that land and bank reforms would continue with new impetus and that the country would soon see development of a mortgage plan, an effort the U.S. might support financially.

Rep. Weldon also committed himself to continued support for Ukraine's efforts to become a member of the World Trade Organization and to assist in overturning Jackson-Vanik legislation in the U.S. Congress, which has stymied trade development between Ukraine and the United States.

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