Rumsfeld, McCain journey to Ukraine (08/29/04)

Rumsfeld, McCain journey to Ukraine

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - With upcoming presidential elections in both the United States and Ukraine as the backdrop, several prominent U.S. politicians associated with the Republican Party in the United States made their way to Ukraine on August 13-19 in separate visits to push for free and fair elections here and to thank the country for its participation in helping to resolve the conflict in Iraq.

First up in Ukraine was Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, whose visit was focused primarily on discussing the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan and speaking about NATO and EU integration with Ukraine's state leadership.

Mr. Rumsfeld, who spent a day in Crimea on August 13, was followed by a Senate delegation that arrived in Kyiv on August 18. Sen. John McCain of Arizona headed the delegation, which included Sens. John Sununu of New Hampshire, Susan Collins of Maine and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. The U.S. senators cautioned Ukraine's government about alleged campaign abuses that observers were already noting.

Mr. Rumsfeld met with President Kuchma at his official summer residence, located near the tourist town of Partinet, after completing a visit to Afghanistan and Iraq. In a daylong series of events held in informal settings under the Crimean summer sun, Mr. Rumsfeld - tie-less and coat in hand by the end of the day - thanked Ukraine for contributing to the Iraq Stabilization Force and the sacrifices its soldiers had made in the effort, and extended Ukraine a very optimistic message.

Waxing upbeat and positive, Mr. Rumsfeld explained that Ukrainians should not think that "the U.S. and the world have not noticed that Ukraine, a non-NATO member, has one of the largest contingents in Iraq." He added that Ukraine is on a "very constructive and progressive path to Europe and towards NATO and trans-Atlantic cooperation."

"We do not consider this a zero sum game," explained Mr. Rumsfeld, according to the Kyiv daily newspaper Den.

Ukraine's military force is the fourth largest in Iraq, with some 1,650 soldiers stationed in the southern region of the country and assigned to the Polish sector. A total of 32 countries have contributed to the international force.

Mr. Rumsfeld also told reporters during a press conference that the recent change in Ukraine's defense doctrine, in which specific reference to membership in NATO and the European Union as a stated goal was removed, would not be troublesome in maintaining good relations with Washington. The U.S. defense secretary said he saw no problem with Ukraine pursuing a multi-vector foreign policy, inasmuch as it is a sovereign country with the right to set its own policy directions. He did, however, stress that Ukraine and the U.S. needed to maintain close military ties, adding that lest it be forgotten, relations between Russia and the U.S. remained close as well.

In a separate meeting with Ukraine's Minister of Defense Yevhen Marchuk, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld noted that the international stabilization force would remain in Iraq until state authority has been turned over effectively to the Iraqis. Mr. Marchuk added that while there had recently been a spate of calls from Ukrainian opposition leaders to shorten the stay of the Ukrainian contingency, it would remain with the larger force until the end.

"The sooner they [the Iraqi security forces] take control, the sooner our contingent will leave," explained Mr. Marchuk, reported Interfax-Ukraine.

During Secretary Rumsfeld's meeting with President Kuchma, the two sides also discussed the political and military situation within Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the withdrawal of troops from the Serbian region of Kosovo. They also touched on presidential elections in both countries. Mr. Kuchma reaffirmed Kyiv's strategic partnership with the United States, while stressing that Ukraine remains oriented toward integration with the EU and NATO.

Five days after Mr. Rumsfeld's departure, Ukraine welcomed Sen. McCain and three of his colleagues, who came to Kyiv also to thank the country for its involvement in the Iraqi international force, as well as to assess the pre-election situation in the country. Their message to the Ukrainian government, regarding the way the pre-election campaign season was shaping up, was blunt and to the point.

"There have been widespread media reports and reports from human rights organizations that abuses have already taken place and there already has been significant restraint of the media," explained Sen. McCain, well-known for not mincing words.

Sen. McCain, who did most of the speaking for the delegation during a press conference held on the back lawn of the U.S. ambassador's residence, said he believes the upcoming elections would be a vital moment in the history of the nation and that state authorities needed to guarantee free and fair elections with open participation by all the registered candidates.

Sen. Sununu said that should Kyiv decide not to heed international advice it could face a sullying of its credibility and integrity, as well as exclusion from international organizations, including the World Trade Organization and NATO.

"I would suggest that if Ukraine and its government want to continue to be considered for membership in international organizations and a leading country in political and economic reform that credibility and openness are essential," explained Sen. Sununu, who later specified the WTO and NATO as two such organizations.

Sen. McCain expressed hope that the mass media would be allowed to present the views and platforms of all the candidates, and that all of them would have equal air time in upcoming public debates. He reminded journalists that regimes in other countries that had rejected international standards of democratic processes had faced a slew of consequences, including reduction of foreign investment, exclusion from international organizations, as well as sanctions imposed by the United Nations.

The Arizona senator was quick to add that he did not expect Ukraine to have to face such a future.

The senators rejected the notion that Ukraine's participation in the Iraq Stabilization Force had saved it from facing the cold shoulder of the West after international scandals in the past and that it would remain a strategic partner even if the October 31 elections were deemed dirty and fraudulent by international observers.

"Participating in Iraq does not give any country the right to hold elections that are not fair," explained Sen. Graham. "We hope the elections here will mirror that which we want to achieve in Iraq: people free of fear willingly voting for the candidate they want."

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