EDITORIAL: Backtracking in Brussels (09/24/06)

EDITORIAL

Backtracking in Brussels

The latest developments regarding Ukraine brought a bombshell from Brussels, where Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych told NATO officials that Ukraine would be taking a step back from seeking a Membership Action Plan from the alliance. "Because of the political situation in Ukraine, we will now have to take a pause" (in steps toward joining NATO), Mr. Yanukovych said at NATO headquarters. "Over the last two years I have detected more of a negative attitude of the Ukrainian people with regard to the Atlantic Alliance and the possibility of joining."

Thus, in one fell swoop, the new prime minister of the Yushchenko administration set back the country's Euro-Atlantic integration efforts by years. President Viktor Yushchenko's well-known and oft-repeated goal was to sign a Membership Action Plan at the NATO summit in Riga in November and to secure membership by as early as 2008.

That is why Mr. Yushchenko had harsh words for his prime minister's stance in Brussels. He called his statement in Brussels "an erroneous speech" and said, "I believe this argument ... represents a point of view that is wrong, does not meet national interests and must be corrected," Furthermore, the president underscored that Mr. Yanukovych's announcement is contrary to the country's law on national security, which lists NATO membership as a goal, and violates the Universal of National Unity signed by Ukraine's top political forces.

Defense Minister Anatolii Hrytsenko pointed out that, in fact, Mr. Yanukovych is acting in violation of the Constitution of Ukraine, which stipulates that the president, who nominates the foreign affairs and defense ministers, guides the country's foreign policy. Foreign Affairs Minister Borys Tarasyuk, too, argued that the prime minister had grossly overstepped his bounds.

Both ministers were later rebuked by the prime minister, who said they should not make statements to the press without consulting him.

The Verkhovna Rada, meanwhile, adopted a resolution supporting Prime Minister Yanukovych's stance on NATO.

So, it now appears that Ukraine has not one, but two foreign policies - one determined by the president, and the other by the prime minister.

Of course, it's not surprising that Mr. Yanukovych opposes NATO membership for Ukraine. He's made pronouncements to that effect many times before, including after he became prime minister under President Yushchenko. Back in August, when he stated that Ukraine would not begin its bid for NATO membership at the alliance's summit in November, Mr. Yushchenko strongly rebuked him and stated that Ukraine "won't veer one iota" from its plan to join NATO.

Now, thanks to Prime Minister Yanukovych, and his cronies, Ukraine has taken itself out of the NATO picture for the near term. As well, it has cold-shouldered the United States and Poland, who were most actively supporting its membership in NATO and were pushing to extend a membership invitation to Ukraine at the November summit.

What is most disturbing in this whole scenario, however, is the very clear demonstration that, though President Yushchenko insists his program takes precedence and points to the Universal of National Unity as largely supportive of that program, he is in fact dependent upon a Cabinet of Ministers led by a former opponent whose positions on key issues diverge widely from his own.

The first troubling signs had emerged several weeks ago over the language issue and the Russian-led Single Economic Space. Now it's NATO. How long can this ersatz coalition exist? And how long can Ukraine be mired in such muck?

| Home Page |