STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------- ListBot Sponsor -------------------------- Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb ---------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.russianobserver.com/stories/2001/07/19/995543369/995544219.html [More URLs at bottom of page] Russian Observer July 19, 2001 CIS expert: Crises in Ukraine and Belarus are masterminded in one place Campaign against Lukashenko as reflection of Western striving to wreck Russia-Belarus union 19.04.2001, 16:04 Konstantin Zatulin, Director of the Institute for CIS Countries, takes note of press reports claiming that Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has issued a decree establishing "a death squad" to "crack down on the president's political opponents" and says he sees a link between the situation in Belarus and Ukraine, especially as far as scandals arising from missing people are concerned. He points out that charging an incumbent president with political assassination is the most effective weapon. President Leonid Kuchma of Ukraine has likewise been charged with masterminding the murder of the independent journalist Gongadze. He has also been exposed to a "cassette" scandal following reports that his conversations had been tapped. Turning to recent revelations in the course of the Belarus presidential campaign by one of the candidates, Chairman of the Belarus Federation of Labor Unions Viktor Goncharik, Zatulin describes them as an act of desperation by a candidate when the outcome of the campaign is a foregone conclusion. He is skeptical of reports claiming that Lukashenko has signed a decree that could be used to mar his reputation. Besides, he says, the opposition has posed no serious threat to Lukashenko "either yesterday or today." Nor are they likely to pose it in the near future. Zatulin gives a reminder that at one time former National Bank Chairman Tamara Vinnikova was thought to be among those missing but later she turned up in London. "And it may well be that the same will happen to some of those who are missing in this way now," he says. Zatulin draws a parallel between the situation in Belarus and Ukraine, the difference being that although some forces in the West did want to topple Kuchma, they were not prepared to do it at all cost. As far as Lukashenko is concerned, toppling him is a matter of paramount importance for them. "Kuchma is anxious to make sure that Ukraine under his leadership could enjoy the benevolence of the new U.S. administration but the Americans no longer care for him because he has established unambiguous borders in the East by ratifying a treaty delineating relations between Ukraine and Russia. What they need is younger politicians with close ties to the West. Besides, Western financial institutions were nervous about the scale of corruption in Ukraine." As for Belarus, it has gone too far toward the establishment of a union state with Russia. "Hence persistent attacks on Lukashenko and the fact that this campaign is displaying artfulness and orchestration." Zatulin points out that the organized character of the campaign against Lukashenko is seen from the fact that most of the revelations come from Moscow. "The West is conscious of the fact that Belarus society regards any word coming from Moscow as very important. If a word is said in the West, it has fewer chances of being heeded and understood in Belarus but if it is said in Russia, there is a far better chance." In Zatulin's opinion, the West would accept any candidate in Belarus with the exception of Lukashenko. "If a different person comes, with the union of the two states failing to achieve irreversibility, the Western scenario will have been implemented to some extent." Zatulin feels the West wants to prevent a union of Russia and Belarus because such integration will provide an example for "very many in the space of the former Soviet Union." See also: Zbigniew Brzezinski's "Milosevic Scenario" For Belarus And Ukraine at: http://www.russianobserver.com/foreign/cis/2001/07/17/995374314.html Western Foundations In Ukraine: Wooing Pro-American Elite Starts At School: http://www.russianobserver.com/stories/2001/07/19/995543369/995543210.html __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]