Ukraine deactivates some missiles as good will gesture toward West (12/27/98)

Ukraine deactivates some missiles as good will gesture toward West

by Pavel Polityuk
Special to The Ukrainian Weekly

KYIV - During his two-day official visit to the Russian Federation, Verkhovna Rada Chairman Oleksander Tkachenko said Ukraine might joint the Russia-Belarus union and create a new common economic space through a shared currency.

Mr. Tkachenko also said creating such a union is "a necessity" for the three neighboring republics of the former Soviet Union and directly supported Russian Duma Chairman Gennadii Seleznyov, who called for the tripartite Slavic union during his visit to Kyiv this October.

As a chairman of Ukraine's parliamentary delegation, Mr. Tkachenko met with the chairman of the Russian State Duma (the lower house of the Parliament), Mr. Seleznyov; Prime Minister Yevgenii Primakov; vice prime ministers; and the governor of Russian Central Bank, Victor Gerashchenko.

"It was an absolutely successful visit," Mr. Tkachenko said at a news conference in Kyiv on December 21.

He said the major task of the visit was to push a ratification of the treaty on friendship and cooperation between Ukraine and Russia, by Russian deputies. The treaty was signed last year by Russia's President Boris Yeltsin and the president of Ukraine, Leonid Kuchma.

Ukrainian deputies ratified the treaty earlier this year, while Russian lawmakers have delayed the ratification for months.

"My task was to do everything for ratification of the treaty by two sides," Mr. Tkachenko said. "And now I can say that Mr. Seleznyov promised me that the Duma is going to ratify the treaty on December 25."

"I expect the treaty will be ratified by the Duma this month," Mr. Tkachenko said. Russian deputies previously declined to ratify the treaty because the Ukrainian Parliament would not ratify several agreements about the status of Russian Black Sea Fleet in Ukrainian port of Sevastopol.

"We agreed that the Duma will hold ratification without regard to fleet issues or questions about the status of the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Sevastopol," Mr. Tkachenko said. "We have agreed to solve one problem, and to discuss other issues after the friendship treaty is ratified."

The Verkhovna Rada chairman also confirmed that in Moscow he had called for a common economic space with Russia and Belarus. However, he categorically denied he had spoken about reviving the USSR.

"When I talk about a common economic space [with Russia and Belarus] this is completely different from another Soviet Union," Mr. Tkachenko said.

He added that he is sure the people of the three Slavic nations will support the idea of a common economic space, as well as a common currency. "I am sure that Russians and Ukrainians would support the common economic space and the creation of a common currency," he said.

In Moscow Mr. Tkachenko also had promised Mr. Seleznyov that the Ukrainian Parliament in January will join the Interparliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), despite very strong opposition from the centrist and right-wing factions in Verkhovna Rada.

"That is correct - Ukraine will join the Interparliamentary Assembly in January 1999. I spoke with President Leonid Kuchma and Prime Minister Valerii Pustovoitenko before the visit and they promised to support this idea," Mr. Tkachenko said.

But right-wing and centrist Ukrainian parties and their parliamentary factions have declared that any ideas about a union or joining the Interparliamentary Assembly will never be supported by their deputies.

They said such proposals are dangerous for Ukrainian independence and threaten Ukraine's sovereignty, pushing Kyiv to dependence on its northern neighbors.

Leaders of most Ukrainian democratic, centrist and right-wing parties, such as Rukh, the Reform and Order Party, and the National Democratic Party, signed a statement condemning anti-Ukrainian ideas and demanded that he be replaced as Rada chairman.

Commenting about Ukraine's membership in the Interparliamentary Assembly, Roman Besmertny, President Kuchma's representative in Parliament, said that Mr. Tkachenko's declarations could destroy cooperation among President Kuchma, his government and the Verkhovna Rada.

Oleksander Iliashkevych, a member of the Hromada faction in Parliament, said, "Mr. Tkachenko is running very resolutely for president, using his post [as Rada chairman]. ...I think President Kuchma has already understood he made a mistake in accepting Mr. Tkachenko as the chairman of the Parliament."

| Home Page |