А Кучма таки їде до Праги.
11/18/2002 | vj
NSDC Decides That Kuchma And Zlenko Will Attend NATO Summit In Prague.
(Ukrainian News, Ruslan Kyrylenko, 11/16/2002) The Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council decided on Saturday that President Leonid Kuchma will attend a meeting of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council while Foreign Minister Anatoly Zlenko will attend a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Commission during NATO's summit in Prague next Friday.
The Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council's Secretary Yevgeny Marchuk announced this to journalists.
"Ukraine will participate in the NATO summit in Prague: the president will attend the meeting of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council while Foreign Minister Zlenko will attend the Ukraine-NATO Commission's meeting," Marchuk said.
Moreover, Marchuk said that the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council believed that neither Ukraine nor its president deserved to be left out of the next stage of the processes of creation of a new European security system.
"We are hoping that [Ukraine's partners in the Ukraine-NATO Commission] will be guided not only by political conditions, but also by political fairness, elementary ethics, and hospitality," Marchuk said.
According to him, all the members of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council approved this decision after very long discussions.
He disclosed that a Ukrainian-NATO action plan will be considered at the Ukraine-NATO Commission's meeting, which is scheduled for 10:00 next Friday. The meeting of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council is scheduled for 09:30 on the same day.
Marchuk said that the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council decided that Kuchma and Zlenko should participate in these meetings because of Ukraine's role in the creation of a new European security system.
"Ukraine relinquished the world's third largest nuclear potential. Ukraine has resolves extremely difficult issues with Russia, thus transforming the eastern part of Europe into a zone of peace and stability," Marchuk said.
Marchuk further said that Ukraine shut down the Chernobyl nuclear power plant at the request of NATO member-countries.
"Ukraine acted in unison with the alliance during the most difficult situations in recent years, including the Kosovo crisis and the antiterrorist operation," Marchuk said.
He stressed that Ukraine has taken a course toward integration into Euro-Atlantic structures and does not intend to change course under any circumstances.
"All these facts about the concrete contributions of Ukraine and its president to European security are, in my opinion, unprecedented for the entire continent," Marchuk stressed.
Zlenko himself expressed satisfaction with the decision of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council.
"The Foreign Minister is very satisfied with the council's decision," Zlenko said.
As Ukrainian News reported, Kuchma said at a press conference on Friday that Ukraine should not participate in the NATO summit in Prague, including the meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Commission, if he himself did not attend the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council's meeting.
NATO had earlier decided not to invite Kuchma to the NATO summit in Prague. Instead, it decided to hold a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Commission at the level of foreign ministers.
Kuchma recently said that Ukraine did not want to discuss the allegations that it sold the Kolchuga early warning system to Iraq at the NATO summit. Instead, according to him, Ukraine is interested in dialogue.
Mary Jovanovich, spokesperson for the US Ambassador to Ukraine, announced on September 25 that the United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation had authenticated part of a recording made by Nikolai Melnichenko, a former bodyguard to Kuchma, in which Kuchma authorized the sale of the Kolchuga early warning systems to Iraq. The United States consequently froze USD 54 million in aid to Ukraine.
(Ukrainian News, Ruslan Kyrylenko, 11/16/2002) The Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council decided on Saturday that President Leonid Kuchma will attend a meeting of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council while Foreign Minister Anatoly Zlenko will attend a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Commission during NATO's summit in Prague next Friday.
The Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council's Secretary Yevgeny Marchuk announced this to journalists.
"Ukraine will participate in the NATO summit in Prague: the president will attend the meeting of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council while Foreign Minister Zlenko will attend the Ukraine-NATO Commission's meeting," Marchuk said.
Moreover, Marchuk said that the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council believed that neither Ukraine nor its president deserved to be left out of the next stage of the processes of creation of a new European security system.
"We are hoping that [Ukraine's partners in the Ukraine-NATO Commission] will be guided not only by political conditions, but also by political fairness, elementary ethics, and hospitality," Marchuk said.
According to him, all the members of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council approved this decision after very long discussions.
He disclosed that a Ukrainian-NATO action plan will be considered at the Ukraine-NATO Commission's meeting, which is scheduled for 10:00 next Friday. The meeting of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council is scheduled for 09:30 on the same day.
Marchuk said that the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council decided that Kuchma and Zlenko should participate in these meetings because of Ukraine's role in the creation of a new European security system.
"Ukraine relinquished the world's third largest nuclear potential. Ukraine has resolves extremely difficult issues with Russia, thus transforming the eastern part of Europe into a zone of peace and stability," Marchuk said.
Marchuk further said that Ukraine shut down the Chernobyl nuclear power plant at the request of NATO member-countries.
"Ukraine acted in unison with the alliance during the most difficult situations in recent years, including the Kosovo crisis and the antiterrorist operation," Marchuk said.
He stressed that Ukraine has taken a course toward integration into Euro-Atlantic structures and does not intend to change course under any circumstances.
"All these facts about the concrete contributions of Ukraine and its president to European security are, in my opinion, unprecedented for the entire continent," Marchuk stressed.
Zlenko himself expressed satisfaction with the decision of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council.
"The Foreign Minister is very satisfied with the council's decision," Zlenko said.
As Ukrainian News reported, Kuchma said at a press conference on Friday that Ukraine should not participate in the NATO summit in Prague, including the meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Commission, if he himself did not attend the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council's meeting.
NATO had earlier decided not to invite Kuchma to the NATO summit in Prague. Instead, it decided to hold a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Commission at the level of foreign ministers.
Kuchma recently said that Ukraine did not want to discuss the allegations that it sold the Kolchuga early warning system to Iraq at the NATO summit. Instead, according to him, Ukraine is interested in dialogue.
Mary Jovanovich, spokesperson for the US Ambassador to Ukraine, announced on September 25 that the United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation had authenticated part of a recording made by Nikolai Melnichenko, a former bodyguard to Kuchma, in which Kuchma authorized the sale of the Kolchuga early warning systems to Iraq. The United States consequently froze USD 54 million in aid to Ukraine.