Ukraine: MP's Decision on Nuclear Status 'Emotional'
Kiev UT-1 Television Network 1730 GMT 24 Mar 99
[FBIS Translated Text] A change of the non-nuclear status of Ukraine
against the background of the current tension in Europe might affect the
security of both Ukraine and the whole continent, the Ukrainian
presidential press-secretary, Oleksandr Martynenko, said, commenting on
today's [24th March] resolution of the parliament [requesting the
government to abolish Ukraine's non-nuclear status]. He said that only
one person, the president [Leonid Kuchma] manages foreign policy and
security, so all the relevant legislation has to be endorsed by him.
Martynenko believes that the parliament decision was purely emotional.
The Ukrainian mission to NATO both on Monday [22nd March] during the
meeting of the Ukraine-NATO commission and today expressed to NATO its
disapproval of strikes against Yugoslavia. The head of the mission,
Kostyantyn Hryshchenko, in his telephone interview with TSN [news
bulletin of Studio 1+1] said that Ukraine sees the conflict in Kosovo
differently from NATO. Ukraine believes that the military operation in
Yugoslavia should be approved by the UN Security Council.
[Begin Hryshchenko recording, by telephone] The efforts should be focused
on continuation of the negotiation process. All the sides should be ready
for this process. We respect this [NATO] position. They explain their
position by the absence of any other choice, saying that the current
situation simply constrains NATO to apply force, because there is no
other appropriate way out of the crisis which now threatens the lives of
thousands of refugees and stability in the Balkans. In connection with
the events around Yugoslavia, the president, Leonid Kuchma, requested
Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Borys Tarasyuk to urgently return from
Stockholm to Kiev. The president himself is expected to return to Ukraine
on Thursday [25th March]. [end recording]
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