Posted on 08/22/2008 1:12:22 PM PDT by lizol
Ukraine urges Russia to move its warships out of Ukrainian ports
18.08.2008
Ukraine is in danger of becoming involved in Russia-Georgia war over Ossetia.
Halyna Pastushuk reports
The Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, back from a visit to Georgia to offer support in its confrontation with Moscow, has introduced tougher regulations on the movements of Russian warships based in his ex-Soviet state. Long at odds with Moscow over its campaign to seek NATO membership, Ukraine's pro-Western leadership has issued statements backing Georgia's position and urging Russia to withdraw from the country's territory. The Foreign Ministry this week reserved the right to prevent ships from the Black Sea fleet returning to base in Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula if they had taken part in military action.
On August 13, the president issued a decree ordering Russia to advise 72 hours in advance of any movement by its ships, aircraft, and personnel based in Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities would be empowered to alter its travel plans. A statement issued after a meeting of the National Security Council said the presence of foreign warships ‘poses a potential threat to Ukraine's national security, particularly if parts of Russia's Black Sea fleet are used against third countries.’ In Moscow, the Interfax news agency quoted Russian Foreign Ministry sources as saying that the new regulations were ‘politically motivated’ and ‘lacking a serious nature. They contradict all the agreements between Russia and Ukraine concerning the Black Sea fleet.’
Yushchenko attended a mass rally in Tbilisi on August 12 in support of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, along with the leaders of other countries once in the Soviet orbit – the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania and Poland. Under a 1997 agreement, Ukraine agreed to lease harbour space in the Crimean base of Sevastopol until 2017 – as an exception to a provision in the post-Soviet constitution barring foreign bases from the country. Yushchenko and other officials say Ukraine has no intention of extending the lease and have called for negotiations to ensure for an orderly departure of the fleet by 2017 – a position strongly criticised by the Kremlin. Russia has in the past two weeks also accused Ukraine of encouraging Georgia to engage in ‘ethnic cleansing’ in the separatist region of South Ossetia by selling weapons to Tbilisi. Ukraine denied the allegation. Meanwhile, Ukraine agreed early this week to conclude a special agreement with Russia about the use of Black Sea fleet vessels in military conflicts. Such a statement was made by a special representative of the President of Ukraine and Deputy Foreign Minister Kostiantyn Yeliseyev. He also said that for Ukraine it is unthinkable to accept the fact that the ships which are temporarily allowed to be present on the territory of Ukraine are being used in a military conflict:
‘Russian vessels, if they decide to return, we shall conduct a dialogue with the Russian side about the conditions of such a return. Our aim is not a confrontation with the Russian side, our aim is a normal constructive and productive dialogue. But this dialogue must take into consideration also the interests of the Ukrainian side.’
Ships of the Russian Black Sea fleet based in Crimea at any price will return to their base, such a statement was made by the vice-head of the general headquaters of Russian Federation Military Forces Anatoliy Nahovitsyn. According to him, even technically, it is impossible not to let the warships back into their base. Besides, he said, there had not been any official statements from the side of Ukraine. It is available only from the internet and mass media:
‘I may have as well not commented this at all since it is not an official abandonment. One cannot imagine even the procedure of such an abandonment. The ships left the base, they are under the command of the General Commander, they have particular tasks, they are not going to attack anyone. And in this case we had to take defensive measures only, all ships are meant for this action. It’s not a principle. But the attacking side must have been very well aware of its risks.’
In the situation when Russia involved Black Sea fleet warships into its war against Georgia, the Ukrainian side may try to review its agreement about basing this fleet in Crimea. Of such opinion is, at least, the vice-president of Institute for Euro-Atlantic integration, Hennadiy Druzenko. He says it’s the only way our state can choose in order to avoid direct involvement into the Ossetian conflict, although this would mean that Russia is deliberately destabilising the situation in Crimea. Hennadiy Druzenko:
‘It is a distinctive trait if International Law that in it, unlike criminal or civil law, many things are based not only on the wording of agreements but also on certain international law customs. The logic here is very simple. Participation of any units of the Russian Black Sea fleet in any conflict is automatically turning the base of this fleet, above all Sevastopol, into a target for hostile side. Out of this logic, one can really raise a question not only about the return or postponing of the return but about the revision of the agreement itself or about its premature termination. Even we all, not military people, can understand that in case if Georgia declared official war to Russia it would be only natural to direct missiles not only at the ships but also at the Crimean peninsula. This is a very simple logic of any war, unfortunately very cruel logic.’
Urge? I think that’s too soft a word. They should be more like, “Russia, get out of our territory, or we’ll force you out!”
I love the country of Ukraine...Georgia...???
Asking for trouble.
L
Ukraine must be incorporated within the NATO umbrella ASAP or the Russkies will move in their too.
So far, the NATO umbrella is full of holes. Again, NATO has been shown to be totally impotent without the US military, confirming what Russia has believed for quite awhile.
A poor tool is better than none at all.
If you want an unwanted tenant to move out, but they delay, you make the immediate area unconducive to further comfortable/safe delay.
Russia’s BlackSea Fleet is in serious disrepair. Problem is Ukraine’s is in much worse shape. They can’t force the Russians to do anything.
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