EDITORIAL: Ukraine gets left back (10/20/02)

EDITORIAL

Ukraine gets left back

Readers of this newspaper know well that Ukraine has proclaimed its intention of becoming a full member of both the European Union and NATO. We now know that Ukraine will not be among the dozen states slated for EU membership, much less the seven that are next in line to join NATO. Reuters reported on October 16 that "European Union leaders told Ukraine ... it stands no chance of becoming a member until it respects common values of democracy, press freedom and arms control." And, prior to that, NATO officials said that plans for a summit with Ukraine next month have been dropped, indicating a serious lack of progress in Ukraine-NATO relations.

The result will be that, though the geographical center of Europe is actually located in Ukraine, Europe's political border will stop at Ukraine's western border. The reason in a nutshell: despite all the words emanating from Ukraine about its European choice, though Ukraine has learned to talk the talk, it has yet to walk the walk.

Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski, perhaps Ukraine's staunchest ally at this point (true friends tell you the truth - whether it's good or bad), has expressed grave concerns about Ukraine turning away from Europe, and he convened a meeting of EU leaders, allies of President Leonid Kuchma and Ukrainian opposition leaders in an effort to help his neighbor. Speaking in Warsaw, EU foreign-policy chief Javier Solana said, "The course that Ukraine is taking now is not bringing it closer to European institutions - it's bringing them further apart. A change of course is necessary."

Another good friend of Ukraine, the United States, also is concerned. During an October 10 hearing held by the Helsinki Commission, Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell commented: "... the gravity of President Kuchma's personal approval of the sale of sophisticated radars to Iraq requires a decisive and unequivocal response ... Priority should be given to investigating any financial links between the Ukrainian leader and his associates and sales to rogue states, including Iraq. Devoid of credibility, Mr. Kuchma deserves to be treated as the pariah he has become."

And it's not only the Kolchuha case that is at issue. Also in Warsaw this week, Swedish Premier Goran Persson criticized arms sales by Ukraine to Macedonia in 2001, at the same time that the EU was negotiating to defuse ethnic tensions in that country. "We would never expect, never accept that our friends would sell arms to that kind of country," he said. As U.S. News and World Report indicated, Ukraine has become a transit point for shipments of parts for military hardware, and missile and nuclear technology. "So wide open is that nation that Iraqis are smuggling parts from other nations for assembly there before shipment to Baghdad," U.S. News reported, adding that Kharkiv has become a mecca for arms traffickers from around the world.

And then there is the issue of money laundering. Ukraine remains on the watch list of the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering, comprising 31 member-states. Yep, Ukraine is right up there on the list of 11 "non-cooperative countries" along with Nigeria, Egypt, Indonesia, Guatemala ... well, you get the picture.

And so, it appears that it is not Europe that is not ready for Ukraine, but Ukraine that is not ready for Europe.

Ukraine under the Kuchma administration has not proved it deserves entry into Euro-Atlantic structures, and no spinmeister can disguise what is happening, or not, in Ukraine today. Issues of rule of law, transparency in the economic sphere, arms control and freedom of the press must be addressed if Ukraine is to make the grade.

Otherwise, Mr. Kuchma should listen to the diverse voices who say he should step aside and let Ukraine move on. Recent polls conducted in Ukraine show that more than 70 percent think it's time for Mr. Kuchma to go; more than half believe he should be impeached. Clearly, Mr. Kuchma does not represent the people of Ukraine. Perhaps it's time for regime change.

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