Ukraine denies report it sold nukes to al Qaeda (02/15/04)

Ukraine denies report it sold nukes to al Qaeda

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - Ukraine vociferously denied on February 10 a story published in a London-based pan-Arab newspaper that it had sold nuclear arms to al Qaeda.

"Information in the foreign and Ukrainian mass media attributed to the newspaper al-Hayat that in 1998 Ukrainian scientists supposedly turned over nuclear weapons to representatives of the al Qaeda group is baseless and provokes astonishment," explained Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Markian Lubkivskyi.

Mr. Lubkivskyi questioned the integrity of major foreign newspapers, which he said proceeded to publish the allegations prior to obtaining commentary from the Ukrainian government.

"The ease with which this information was disseminated by various mass media - among them even authoritative publications - shows the extent to which certain publications have ignored common sense and a serious attitude in their race to provide sensationalism," added Mr. Lubkivskyi.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson underscored that all nuclear weapons that had been located on Ukrainian territory at the time of the demise of the Soviet Union had been accounted for and turned over to Russia during the disarmament process, as had been agreed by Kyiv, Moscow and Washington. Tactical weapons were handed over in full by May 1992 and strategic weapons by July 1996

Mr. Lubkivskyi said he believed the disinformation published in the London-based al-Hayat newspaper was being circulated to besmirch Ukraine's image in order to weaken its position with the U.S. and within the Arab world as it bids for reconstruction jobs in Iraq.

The al-Hayat news report, which appeared on February 8 under an Islamabad dateline, stated that al Qaeda bought the weapon, which was packed in a suitcase, from a Ukrainian scientist who visited the city of Kandahar, Afghanistan, in 1998. At the time the city was a stronghold of the Taliban, which was working in close cooperation with the al Qaeda terrorist organization run by Osama Bin Laden.

The article said that al Qaeda would use the weapon only within the United States if it faced a "crushing blow," according to the Reuters news agency. The report cited sources close to al Qaeda. The terrorist group is blamed for the 9/11 attacks on the United States.

A day after Ukraine's Foreign Affairs Ministry denied the report, al-Hayat reprinted its allegations, adding new information that the scientist's first name was Viktor, that he acted as a middleman in the deal and that "the Americans were aware of the deal and tracked him, but everything was kept secret," reported Interfax-Ukraine.

Rumors of the existence of suitcase nuclear weapons have circulated in Ukraine and Russia for years. Former Russian National Security Chief Oleksander Lebed stated in 2000 that 84 of 132 portable nuclear weapons, weighing from 27 kilograms to 45 kilograms (about 50 to 100 pounds) held by Russia had been discovered to be missing. While official Moscow discounted Mr. Lebed's revelation, the national security chief continued to insist he was telling the truth. Mr. Lebed died in a helicopter crash two years ago.

Volodymyr Horbulin, advisor on national security to Ukraine's President Leonid Kuchma and the head of the country's National Security and Defense Council at the time of the alleged sale, said there was no possibility that a Ukrainian scientist could have sold a nuclear weapon.

"Over the years of independence, Ukrainian scientists had no direct relation to nuclear stockpiles and nuclear weapons," explained Mr. Horbulin.

He emphasized that, in the de-nuclearization process, which Ukraine took upon itself willingly, Russia's Defense Ministry assumed control and responsibility for the removal of all the nuclear weapons on Ukrainian soil.

Mr. Horbulin said that in disseminating false information harmful to Ukraine's image at this time, someone perhaps hoped to gain an advantage in the highly competitive arms market or was attempting to influence public opinion in the run-up to the October presidential elections.

Ukraine's Foreign Affairs Ministry said it had not ruled out initiating legal action in response to the reports.

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