[Ohio UZO News] Den; WSJ; EDM; WP

[Deychak, Orest]

Den (Day)

May 6, 2008

Link in Ukrainian:  http://www.day.kiev.ua/200795/

English language text:

 

Ukraine and NATO Following Bucharest

By Steven Pifer

Visiting Fellow, The Brookings Institution; former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine

 

Although the NATO summit in Bucharest did not deliver what the Ukrainian government had hoped for, a membership action plan, the summit outcome was still very good for Kyiv.  NATO leaders said Ukraine will become a member of the Alliance, something that NATO has never said about a country that had not already received an invitation to join.  The Ukrainian government now must do its homework.  If it does, Kyiv should expect a membership action plan when NATO leaders meet in 2009 to mark the 60th anniversary of the Alliance, if not at the NATO foreign ministers meeting this December.  

 

What Happened and Why.  In mid-January, the Ukrainian government asked NATO to agree to a membership action plan (MAP) for Ukraine at the April Bucharest summit.  In the end, a number of European members blocked consensus for three reasons:  (1) the low level of public support in Ukraine for joining NATO; (2) the strained cohabitation between President Yushchenko and the presidential administration, on the one hand, and Prime Minister Tymoshenko and the cabinet, on the other; and (3) the possible Russian reaction.

 

Germany, France and the other countries that were not ready at Bucharest to support a MAP shared one or more of these concerns.  While some critics of the German stance blame it solely on "caving to Russian interests," that is an oversimplification and not correct.  The reluctant Europeans also had concerns about the situation within Ukraine.  

 

Some in Washington also hesitated about supporting a MAP for Ukraine, primarily due to the public squabbling between the presidential administration and the cabinet.  This prompted questions about the longevity of the cabinet and Rada coalition.  President Bush decided the issue in March and personally engaged to urge allied leaders to agree to the MAP request. 

 

The United States has major influence within NATO, but it does not run the Alliance.  The U.S. government's failure to achieve a consensus in favor of a MAP is attributable to several factors.  First, the United States engaged relatively late in the diplomatic game, less than a month before the Bucharest meeting.  Second, Washington had several goals for the summit.  In addition to getting MAPs for Ukraine and Georgia, the United States also supported membership invitations for Albania, Croatia and Macedonia; sought NATO agreement on missile defense; and wanted additional troop contributions for Afghanistan.  Third, in his final year in office, the president's influence with his European counterparts was not as strong as it might have been.

 

New Circumstances.  Ukraine has reasons to be optimistic that, if it does its part, it will receive a MAP before too long.  The NATO communiqué sets up the earliest possibility for a decision in December when NATO foreign ministers meet.  Alliance leaders have empowered their ministers to make the decision on a MAP.

 

If the issue remains undecided following December, it will be a key question at the NATO summit in 2009.  Ukraine can count on the continued support of those Central European states that strongly advocated a MAP at Bucharest.  The 2009 summit, moreover, will take place in the first year of the new American president's term in office.  Hillary Clinton, John McCain and Barack Obama have each supported granting Ukraine a MAP.  At the start of his (or her) administration, the new American president will have greater influence with allied leaders than was the case at Bucharest, and the U.S. agenda for the summit should be less complicated. 

 

The Russia factor may figure in a different way than was the case before Bucharest.  Those countries that did not agree to a MAP will not want to be seen as bowing to Moscow.  Russia's behavior of late - threatening to target nuclear missiles on Ukraine, calling into question Ukraine's statehood and territorial integrity, and embracing the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia - is not building goodwill for Moscow in European capitals.  Moreover, Russian tactics may have an impact in Ukraine, where many understandably have been offended by the rhetoric.  For its part, the Ukrainian government should continue to make clear to Moscow that its motivation for seeking to draw closer to NATO is Euro-Atlantic integration, not anti-Russian.     

 

Ukraine's Homework.  While the circumstances will improve for a positive NATO decision on a MAP, Ukraine must do its homework.  Three suggestions:

 

First, the Bucharest communiqué refers to "questions still outstanding" pertaining to Kyiv's MAP aspirations.  What does this mean?  Ukraine has accomplished as much in terms of political, economic and military reform as had Albania, Romania and Bulgaria when they received their MAPs in 1999, if not more.  Ukraine's representative in Brussels should ask NATO ambassadors to state exactly what the outstanding questions are, and Kyiv should then address them as a matter of priority.

 

Second, the Ukrainian government - the presidential administration together with the cabinet - should now launch a public information campaign on the advantages and disadvantages of NATO membership that will get beyond the myths about NATO.  A series of public opinion polls showing a steady increase in the number of Ukrainians who support joining NATO would have a significant impact in European capitals.

 

Third, the presidential administration and cabinet should smooth their relations and work together.  Politics are politics, and happily the Ukrainian political scene is largely democratic.  But Ukraine is weaker, not just on securing a MAP but on a whole range of questions, when the president and prime minister are undermining each other.  The current turmoil and immature politics create for some a justification to say that Ukraine is not ready for a MAP.

 

Kyiv's goal should be to eliminate any pretext related to Ukraine for NATO to say "not yet" on a MAP.  With strong and mature political leadership, Ukraine can do this.

 

(Ed. Note:  Two observations:  1. While Germany's caving to Russian interests certainly was not the sole reason for Ukraine's not obtaining a Bucharest MAP for the reasons cited in the article, I do think that the Russia factor outweighed the others and ultimately was the determining factor.  2.  We can only hope that the Ukrainian leadership takes to heart and acts upon Steve Pifer's three excellent suggestions, especially the last one.  Orest Deychakiwsky)

 

 

The Wall Street Journal


Giuliani Hired for Kiev Race


Former Candidate 
Will Assist Boxer 
In Bid for Mayor

By T.W. FARNAM
May 7, 2008; Page B6

After failing in his bid to get elected president of the U.S., Rudy Giuliani is now trying to get his newest client, a heavyweight boxing champion, elected mayor of Kiev, the capital of Ukraine.

 Wednesday, the former New York mayor will announce a contract for strategies to root out corruption with Vitali Klitschko, the retired boxer known as "Dr. Iron Fist" because of his doctorate in sports science from Kiev University.

The announcement comes as the erstwhile presidential candidate begins a return to the business world, where he was known for some of the clients of his strategy and security consulting firm, Giuliani Partners LLC.

In June, Mr. Giuliani stepped down as chief executive of the firm, which was filled with former members of his mayoral administration, but he has now resumed that role. After dropping out of the presidential race, Mr. Giuliani pledged his support to Republican candidate John McCain and joined him on the campaign trail.

Mr. Giuliani's business activities, which also come through the Texas law firm Bracewell & Giuliani LLP, were a campaign issue because of some contracts, such as defending the safety of the drug OxyContin and efforts on behalf of Mexico City and a state-owned firm in Qatar. Mr. Giuliani also garnered wide coverage when he spoke via teleconference to a group of Americans in Kazakhstan who donated to his presidential campaign.

The May 25 election in Kiev marks Mr. Klitschko's second attempt at becoming mayor after losing in 2006 with 26% of the vote. Although he is a front-runner this time, opposition to the incumbent, Leonid Chernovetsky, is divided among more than two dozen candidates, splitting the opposition vote.

The announcement at Nasdaq in Times Square is meant to highlight Mr. Klitschko's commitment to bringing U.S. businesses to Kiev, a goal that drove him to hire Giuliani Partners to root out corruption. Mr. Klitschko, 36 years old, serves on Kiev's City Council.

Mr. Klitschko "understands that reform and transparency are critical to attracting international business and sustainable economic development for his city," Mr. Giuliani said in a statement.

Mr. Giuliani lends his crime-fighting knowledge from his time as a U.S. attorney and also as the twice-elected mayor of New York, which he is credited with cleaning up by using aggressive police tactics.

Giuliani Partners and Mr. Klitschko declined to give the size of the contract or whether Mr. Giuliani would travel to Ukraine this month

Eurasia Daily Monitor

May 7, 2008

RACISM IS ON THE UPSWING IN UKRAINE


On May 5 a court in Kyiv sentenced four individuals of about 20 years of age to 13 years in prison each for beating a Korean national to death in 2007. According to 1+1 TV, this was one of the very few sentences that have been delivered in the country to punish xenophobia. The four refused to plead guilty, even going so far as to make racist remarks in the courtroom. They plan to appeal.

Until very recently Ukraine was reluctant to admit the seriousness of its problem with racism and xenophobia. The police manipulated crime statistics, insisting that most of the reported cases of beatings and murders of foreigners were either acts of hooliganism or robberies; and they claimed that foreigners attacked locals in Ukraine more frequently than Ukrainians attacked foreigners. President Viktor Yushchenko, who is often accused by his political opponents of imposing a policy of "monoculturalism" and "monolinguism," has also denied on several occasions that racism existed in Ukraine.

Deputy Interior Minister Volodymyr Yevdokymov said on February 28 that "racist or xenophobic motives are virtually absent among all the thousands of crimes committed against foreign guests." Also in February Justice Minister Mykola Onishchuk called "the allegations" that racism exists in Ukraine "irrelevant and untimely."

This persistence in denying the existence of the problem has done little to discourage racist attacks. The office of Ukrainian ombudsman Nina Karpachova registered some 100 cases of hostility based on xenophobia in 2006 and 2007, and 20 of those resulted in the deaths of people of various ethnic origins, the Ukrainian Center for Political Research reported in Ukrainska Pravda. From January through March alone, 35 incidents of violence committed against foreigners were registered, according to Karpachova. NTN TV reported more chilling figures, saying that in this period some 100 attacks on foreigners were registered, in which 13 people were killed.

It is very hard to identify how many of those killings were racially motivated. Human rights activists say that there must have been more such cases than were officially registered. The Council of Europe's Commission against Racism and Intolerance noted in its report on Ukraine released in February that Article 161 in Ukraine's Criminal Code, which provides for punishment for deliberate actions aimed at inciting ethnic, racial, or religious animosity, refers only to Ukrainian citizens and completely ignores stateless persons and foreigners. What is more, "the article has seldom been implemented by the courts, as conviction based on this provision requires proof of deliberate action on the part of the perpetrator, which is difficult."

The problem of racism is especially acute in Kyiv where there are many foreign students and refugees as well as many skinhead groups. On February 19 foreign students staged a sit-in protest against racial abuse on the campus of the National Technical University, complaining of frequent attacks and robberies on and off campus. On March 23 a group of students tried to stop a torchlight march that was held on the campus by far-right groups using such slogans as "Migrants go home," but riot police protected the xenophobes, pushing the students aside, according to Karpachova's office.

In March, a citizen of Sierra Leone was stabbed to death in broad daylight in a Kyiv suburb, and a group of teenagers stabbed a Nigerian on the bus, reportedly saying, "What are you doing here?" Interior Minister Yury Lutsenko blamed the attacks on underage skinheads. His ministry has identified over 500 members of a skinhead movement in Kyiv.

As the international community has begun to tell Ukrainian officials about the problem, they have reluctantly started to recognize its seriousness. US Ambassador William Taylor, when signing documents granting technical aid to the Ukrainian police on March 14, said clearly that he regarded the efficiency of the Interior Ministry's work in investigating crimes against foreigners to be low. The European Union representatives shared their concern about racism and xenophobia in Ukraine at a meeting with Onishchuk and Lutsenko in Kyiv on March 21.

Deputy Interior Minister Mykhaylo Verbensky admitted at a meeting with human rights activists on April 2 that the police were unable to solve the problem on their own. He asked other ministries and NGOs for help in fighting racial hatred and xenophobia. The Foreign Ministry on April 4 suggested shutting down racist websites. It said that the number of attacks on Ukrainians abroad increased in response to violence against foreigners in Ukraine. On April 11 Yushchenko instructed Lutsenko and Prosecutor-General Oleksandr Medvedko to take urgent steps to fight xenophobia. In his official letters to the two officials, he pointed to the increasing number of racist attacks and to the international concern that they raised (www.coe.int, February 12; Channel 5, March 12; Ukrainska Pravda, UNIAN, March 26; Segodnya, March 31; Inter TV, April 2; NTN TV, April 4; 1+1 TV, February 19, May 5)

--Pavel Korduban

 

The Washington Post

Editorial

The Peace Corps Wants You; But not if you contract HIV. 

6 May 2008

The Washington Post <javascript:void(0)> 

FINAL

A18

"The men and women who join the Peace Corps reflect the rich diversity of America in race, ethnic background, age, and religion."

-- From the Peace Corps Web site

THAT RICH diversity apparently doesn't include able-bodied Americans who are also HIV-positive. As Post columnist Stephen Barr reported last week, Jeremiah S. Johnson learned that harsh lesson in January when he was drummed out of his service in Ukraine and out of the Peace Corps altogether after he tested positive for the virus that causes AIDS. The American Civil Liberties Union is suing the 47-year-old creation of President Kennedy on Mr. Johnson's behalf to get it to stay true to its ideals.

Mr. Johnson, 25, who was HIV-negative when he joined the Peace Corps, had been teaching English to middle and high school students in Rozdilna, Ukraine, since December 2006. While in Kiev this past January for a Russian language program attended by other Peace Corps volunteers, Mr. Johnson received a midservice medical exam and consented to an HIV test. The results came back positive. He was given two days to shut down his work, pack up his belongings in Rozdilna and head back to Washington.

In his lawsuit, Mr. Johnson said the Ukraine country director for the Peace Corps told him that he had to return to Washington because Ukraine does not allow foreigners with HIV to work there. We will save our quarrel with Ukraine's policies for another day; no matter how misguided and discriminatory, they cannot excuse the U.S. government. After another medical examination in Washington in February, Mr. Johnson's Peace Corps volunteer career came to an end.

"The resolution of your condition(s) will take longer than the maximum-allowable 45 days," Mr. Johnson's medical separation notice said. It went on to add that it was determined that he "would be medically unable to perform" his volunteer assignment. Never mind that Mr. Johnson is in good health and eager to help others. In a brief note acknowledging receipt of the separation notice, Mr. Johnson wrote, "My signature does not imply that I agree that my separation is lawful or appropriate, or has any sound medical basis." A letter from the ACLU to Peace Corps Director Ronald A. Tschetter challenged Mr. Johnson's termination as a violation of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act because it "appears based upon a Peace Corps policy to terminate volunteers who are HIV positive without an individualized assessment as to whether they are able to serve with reasonable accommodation."

A more formal response to the ACLU letter is forthcoming. Peace Corps press director Amanda H. Beck told us yesterday that the agency does not have a policy of "automatically excluding people with HIV." Still, the fact remains that Mr. Johnson, now waiting tables back in Colorado, was booted from the Peace Corps because of his diagnosis. HIV should not be a barrier to public service. Making it so, as in Mr. Johnson's case, is a waste of talent and goodwill. With all of its work in dealing with HIV-AIDS around the world, the agency should know that.

http://www.washingtonpost.com <javascript:void(0)> 

 

 

 

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