EDITORIAL: No room for bigotry at State (05/09/99)

EDITORIAL

No room for bigotry at State

Just when we felt secure that Ukraine is generally respected in the foreign policy sphere, comes an affront delivered by none other than the U.S. State Department.

Department spokesman James Rubin, in a May 2 appearance on CNN's "Late Edition" newscast, was asked by correspondent Wolf Blitzer to comment on the composition of the proposed international force that would go to Kosovo to maintain the peace and protect returning refugees. He observed: "We need to get these million people back to their homes. They are not going to go back to their homes after suffering these terrible atrocities if a bunch of Ukrainians are running around with guns on their sides. We're talking about a military force that attracts them, that is a magnet, and the only military force that these people trust, the only country they really trust is the United States of America. That's why we think we have to be part of this force, we think it has to be a NATO force ..."

Outrageous!

The State Department later issued its own release quoting the interview. The "sanitized" version made no mention of gun-totting Ukrainians, noting instead: "Rubin emphasized that the 1 million displaced Kosovar Albanians will not feel confident in venturing back to their homes 'after suffering these terrible atrocities' without a strong American presence. 'The only military force that these people trust, the only country they really trust is the United States of America,' Rubin said. 'The key is that NATO must be at its (peacekeeping force) core, and the United States must participate.'" The State Department's release added that Mr. Rubin noted there is also room for inclusion of Russian forces in implementing peace and autonomy for Kosovo.

During the May 3 press briefing at the State Department, Mr. Rubin almost apologized for his performance on CNN: "... let me say that on television yesterday, I perhaps infelicitously explained this issue by saying that if there is [sic] non-NATO countries only with armaments, such as Ukraine or Belarus or some other country, that will not be enough for the Kosovar Albanians to come back. Certainly, we strongly value Ukraine's participation in the Bosnia exercise, and would welcome Ukraine's participation in a Kosovo international security force. But alone, any non-NATO country, such as Ukraine, is not going to be enough to attract the return of the refugees ..."

Infelicitous is not the word. Try bigoted or prejudiced.

Ukrainian American activists are protesting and seeking a meeting with Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright to discuss this inexcusable incident, this intolerable conduct. (An action item detailing how our community can - and should - react appears on the facing page.) Is this how a strategic partner of the U.S. is treated? Is this how the U.S. reacts to the serious mediation efforts of President Leonid Kuchma? Are Ukrainians fair game?

The State Department owes Ukrainians an apology, and Mr. Rubin's statement must be retracted - and condemned - in the strongest terms. There is no room for bigotry at State. James Rubin has got to go.

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