BELGIUM: Ukraine shelves NATO membership bid

Ukraine told NATO on Thursday (September 14) it was shelving its aspirations to join the Western defence alliance because of widespread public opposition and to preserve the former Soviet republic's relations with Russia. Ukraine's new prime minister, Viktor Yanukovich, met with top EU and NATO officials throughout the day in which he said his country wanted closer ties with NATO but that there was little support for membership of the Western military alliance. The EU said they were encouraged by reforms but that more needed to be done on trade issues and that EU accession was not on the agenda. "We have the firm intention to have excellent relations with the EU and a stable relationship which will bring us in the long term to accession and into the EU," Yanukovich said. "Regarding integration with NATO this is a question which has a favourable response in Ukraine of only a small part of the Ukrainian population, this part being in the region of 12 to 25 per cent. For the time being we are looking at enlargement of our cooperation with NATO," he added On Wednesday (September 13), Ukraine won the promise of negotiations early next year on broader ties with the European Union that could include a free trade deal. Yanukovich stated Ukraine's long-term goal of accession to the EU but european commissioner for external affairs Benita Ferrero-Waldner reiterated the EU's position that this was not a prospect for the moment. "The future is not pre-judged but at this moment clearly there is no membership perspective," Ferrero-Waldner said. Ferrero-Waldner reiterated that signing of a free trade deal with Ukraine was dependent on the former Soviet republic's accession the the World Trade Organisation. Yanukovich said Ukraine aimed this year to pass all the laws needed to join the WTO and the government was working on reforms to deal with corruption and boost economic growth. "For the enhanced agreement it is important that Ukraine first undertakes the still lacking steps towards WTO accession but we have heard today that the Prime Minister and his government are already working very very merrily on this issue so I am confident that it will be possible to have WTO accession until the end of the year and thus the way will be open," Ferrero-Waldner said Energy cooperation will be part of the talks with the EU which was alarmed in January when Moscow cut supplies of gas through Ukraine to Western Europe in a dispute over pricing. The EU and Ukraine signed a deal on Thursday paving the way for European financing of oil and gas meters on pipelines across Ukraine's borders. "I have just signed an aide memoire which paves the way for a European financing scheme for oil and gas meters for use on the pipelines across Ukraine's borders. I think this is a very concrete cooperation to increase transparency, reliability and safety of supplies to Ukraine but also transit to the European Union," the EU commissioner said. Ferrero-Waldner said the project was aimed at increasing the transparency, reliability and safety of supplies. At NATO headquarters officials were watching for signs of whether Yanukovich is interested in joining the alliance. Yanukovich was appointed in August after months of political deadlock and is friendlier towards Russia than previous pro-Western reformist governments. At a news conference he said the talks would be put on hold because of the internal political situation of the country. "In my speech I said that the process of joining the plan is a question of time. I said that Ukrainian society does not fully support it," Yanukovich said. "Today there is need to boost our information policy and to inform people about NATO activity, as soon as the time comes, we will take the next step". "The question was about map (time table): We have explained that because of the political situation in the Ukraine we will now have to take a pause but the time will come when the decision will be made," Yanukovich said. The translator explained what he said as "taking a pause". "We have explained that because of the political situation in the Ukraine we will now have to take a pause but the time will come when the decision will be made," the translator said. However he said all efforts would be made to persuade Ukrainians that NATO membership was in their interest. "There is no alternative today for the strategy the Ukraine has chosen with NATO," Yanukovich said. Russia fiercely opposed the previous Ukrainian government's intention to join NATO's Membership Action Plan, a path towards eventual membership. Yanukovich, regarded as closer to Moscow than reformist President Viktor Yushchenko, said he wanted Ukraine to be "a reliable bridge" between Europe and Russia. Ukraine's previous government was seeking actively to join NATO's Membership Action Plan, a move opposed by Moscow. NATO leaders are due to discuss the issue at a summit in November. Yushchenko, who came to power in a so-called Orange Revolution after defeating Yanukovich in a disputed election in 2004, had a long-stated desire to seek membership despite Russian objections.

ITN Source | September 16, 2006

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