Viktor Yushchenko wants EU to be lighthouse for Ukraine

"A ship must always know what its destination harbour is"

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By Kaija Virta in Kiev
     
      Ukraine is not asking the European Union for a specific day or year when it might be accepted into the European Union. However, it would like to have the light of a guiding star or a lighthouse to help steer its ship of state in the right direction.
      This is how Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko describes his expectations in advance of his country's summit with the EU, which will be held in Helsinki on Friday. He was interviewed in the Presidential Palace in Kiev by two Finnish newspapers: Helsingin Sanomat and Hufvudstadsbladet.
     
The EU was a strong supporter of Yushchenko and his so-called Orange Revolution movement in the fight for an honest Presidential election in late 2004. After the election, the EU has nevertheless refused to open the door to Ukrainian membership, even though Turkey and the remote Balkan countries have been allowed to embark on this road.
      "A ship must always know what its destination harbour is", Yushchenko says, metaphorically. Only then, he feels, can the wind speed, direction, and other realities be sensibly taken into consideration.
      Lighthouses are needed in navigation. "The same holds true for our strivings for Europe. We would like to see the shine, the light, that shows our country and our people what the destination is."
      "Please note that we are not asking when", the President says. "We are only talking about the aim, the goal, that should stay more or less in place. Everything else is the responsibility of my people and my country."
     
Yushchenko speaks in a pensive, calm, and even voice, even though the day of the interview is not the calmest possible.
     In the morning the President persuaded the reform-minded interior Minister Yuri Lushenko to stay in the government, even though the Our Ukraine Party, which is the main supporter of Yushchenko himself, had declared that it would go into opposition.
     At noon he gave moral support to a widow at the funeral of a close supporter - a Member of Parliament who had died unexpectedly.
     In the evening the EU's Foreign Policy envoy Javier Solana was arriving in Kiev, apparently to ask for clarification of Ukraine's foreign policy line, over which there was some uncertainty.
      Yushchenko hardly smiles at all, and his grey eyes are extremely serious. Nevertheless, the President's face is much smoother than at the worst times in 2004 after the shocking case of dioxin poisoning.
     
People have hardly ever been poisoned in that way before", he says in a detached and matter-of-fact manner. "I must be some kind of guinea pig."
      The crime has not yet been tried in court. The President says that the investigation has taken a long time because the case is so unprecedented.
      "The investigations must answer many, many questions if the criminal is to be apprehended. What kind of a toxic compound was used, who manufactured the poison, how it got into the system, and the most important question is, what its effects are, what kinds of signs it has, what kinds of symptoms it causes, and how soon does it show."
      The President says that international and Ukrainian experts have been working hard on the case. "I could probably already answer the question of who was behind the poisoning."
      He says that he knew the answer "already a long time ago".
      "I have an idea of who did it. But it is the task of the public prosecutor to make it public."
     
Ukraine's foreign policy has not been easy to predict this autumn, now that power is being shared by decision-makers who differ on the matter.
     The President and the Foreign and Defence Ministers appointed by him represent the Western orientation of the orange revolution. Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich and a large part of the government want to have closer ties with Russia.
     Viktor Yushchenko insists that the EU orientation does not vary according to political cycles. In his view it corresponds with the Ukrainian way of life. "Modern Ukraine is a European country. This is undeniable. We do not need others to specifically recognise this fact."
     The President feels that under the EU's own treaties, Ukraine has the undeniable right to apply for membership. "Naturally, we must also speak about the meeting of certain criteria. This is also required of other countries, and therefore of Ukraine as well."
     He hopes that Ukraine and the countries in the west of Europe would develop practical interaction regardless of political discussions. Ukraine has much to offer in the energy industry, for instance, or in the building of ships and planes, the President pointed out.
     
Under the constitution, the President also decides on Ukraine's policy toward Russia, under guidelines determined by Parliament, Yushchenko says.
     "We understand how important it is to establish good and stable relations with Russia, but relations must be based on equal partnership, in which there is mutual respect for national independence."
     "I am not saying that this kind of policy is easy to carry out, and I do not say that the history of relations between Ukraine and Russia would have been simple", he admits.
     However, he is conspicuously eager to demonstrate that Ukraine does not seek to push the EU and Russia into a conflict with each other.
     "We understand completely that it is a big country which has an important role in both European and global politics. And because we feel that our relations with the EU are strategically important, we understand that we should find the right kinds of arrangements and right kind of harmony in our policy toward Russia."
     
In Yushchenko's view, Ukraine has not made a single move during his Presidency that would "weaken or destroy" relations with Russia.
     
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 22.10.2006


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Ukrainian President Yushchenko says he knows who poisoned him (23.10.2006)

KAIJA VIRTA / Helsingin Sanomat
kaija.virta@hs.fi