Controversy arises over whether battalion, and Ukraine, are part of U.S.-led coalition (04/06/03)

Controversy arises over whether battalion, and Ukraine, are part of U.S.-led coalition

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - The Communist parliamentary faction introduced a draft bill in the Verkhovna Rada on April 2 ordering the recall of the Ukainian army's special contamination clean-up battalion currently being deployed to Kuwait. The faction introduced the resolution in response to a speech by U.S. President George W. Bush on March 26 in which he named Ukraine as part of the anti-Iraq coalition.

Ukraine's Parliament had ratified a recommendation from the National Security and Defense Council to send the army's 19th Battalion, which specializes in nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) clean-up to Kuwait on the day the Iraq war started after Kuwaiti officials extended a request for that specific type of humanitarian support.

Amid much concern by the public and politicians, Ukrainian government officials have emphasized repeatedly that the battalion's mission is exclusively and inviolately humanitarian and precludes any possibility that it could take part in combat or even that it could enter the area of conflict.

Petro Symonenko, the head of the Communist Party, said that President Bush's enumeration of Ukraine as part of the coalition is evidence that Ukrainian authorities had deceived the nation and had more on their mind than simply a peacekeeping effort.

"The speech by the American president only brought to light what we have been saying all along: that Ukrainian state leaders had every intention of being in partnership with the U.S. in Iraq," stated Mr. Symonenko.

During parliamentary debate on the resolution to send the 19th Battalion to Kuwait, National Deputy Symonenko had stated that Ukraine's soldiers would become war casualties should they be forced to go to the Persian Gulf.

The controversy came as accusations from a U.S. publication threatened again to darken U.S.-Ukraine relations over illegal arms shipments to Iraq. This one arose after Newsweek published an article in which it mentioned "Ukrainian arms dealers" as the source of some 500 Russian-made Kornet anti-tank weapons purchased by Iraq and used to disable two U.S. M1A1 Abrams tanks in the desert south of Baghdad.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Markian Lubkivskyi categorically denied any official Ukrainian involvement in a transfer of the Kornet missiles to Iraq.

"I look at the Newsweek article as nothing more than another attempt to undermine the authority of our country, taking advantage of the increased tensions and worsening situation in Iraq and the Persian Gulf region," said Mr. Lubkivskyi, who then added, "Ukraine has done nothing to violate U.N. sanctions and it did not sell military hardware to Iraq."

The United States distanced itself from the article and the allegations during a teleconference broadcast from Washington for Kyiv journalists. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Steven Pifer, formerly an ambassador to Ukraine, said that the United States had not confronted Ukraine on the sale of the Kornets. He said the subject had been broached only with Russia. Mr. Pifer explained that the U.S. would appreciate if countries with access to Kornet missiles would review their control and verification procedures regarding the possible sale of military stocks to Iraq.

Mr. Pifer also referred to the controversy that has cropped up in regard to Ukraine's participation in the anti-Iraq coalition. He said that mention of the country in the U.S. president's speech at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa had been approved in advance with Ukrainian authorities.

"On March 25 the presidential administration [of Ukraine] told Ambassador [Carlos] Pascual that indeed they were prepared to be cited by President Bush as part of the coalition," explained Mr. Pifer.

Ukraine has not denied that it is part of the anti-Iraqi coalition, but has taken great pains to distance itself from any mention as a U.S. partner. Mr. Lubkivskyi of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, initially had a difficult time describing how Ukraine fits into the coalition during a press briefing on April 1. Pressured by journalists to state whether Ukraine was indeed part of the "U.S. coalition," the spokesperson emphasized that the only mission Ukraine had assumed was "to give humanitarian aid."

"We responded in support of a request from Kuwait to provide humanitarian aid," said Mr. Lubkivskyi. "In this way and only in this way are we part of the coalition." Mr. Lubkivskyi also denied that the battalion could take part in combat operations, an assertion that Ambassador Pifer supported from Washington.

Mr. Pifer explained that by agreeing to perform NBC decontamination operations in Kuwait should such a need arise, Ukraine, along with Poland and the Czech Republic, which have similar units in the area, freed U.S. NBC clean-up units to concentrate on Iraq.

Both U.S. and Ukrainian officials have recognized that, in addition to reinvigorated relations between Washington and Kyiv, Ukraine's economy may also benefit from its position as part of the anti-Iraq coalition.

Mr. Pascual, the current U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, said on March 28 that those countries that take part in the coalition would have priority in obtaining contracts for the reconstruction projects in Iraq that will be developed after the war ends. Volodymyr Horbulin, a national security aide to President Kuchma, said that Ukraine has the technology and know-how to help in the restoration of plants, transport infrastructure and oil wells.

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