Brussels, 02/12/2004 (Agence Europe) - "Today we are all Ukrainians", was the declaration by MEPs Jacek Saryusz-Wolski (EPP-ED, Poland) and Alessandro Battilocchio (Nuovo Partito Socialista, NA) during the EP plenary on Wednesday afternoon in Brussels, a debate during which most speakers warned there was a need to safeguard Ukraine's territorial integrity and help democratic forces. They were adamant, however, that this should be done in an impartial manner (see yesterday's EUROPE, p.8). The population of Belarus looks towards Kiev, and President Loukachenko no doubt is also concerned about what is happening, some speakers said. Others stressed Ukraine's European prospects. Several MEPs (especially Polish) reproached the European Union for having realised too late how important Ukraine is for Europe, and the new Commissioner for External Relations, Benita Ferrero Waldner, sought to be reassuring. Recalling that, as Austria's Foreign Minister, she had always sought close contact with Ukraine, she promised that EU policy towards its new neighbours will be her priority. "Believe me: you spoke today of a common European soul - and this soul is also in Ukraine", she said. Speaking to deputies wearing orange, the symbolic colour of the Ukraine opposition (scarves, bags, ribbons), Council President Atzo Nicolaï noted that orange is also the Dutch national colour. He exclaimed that, like Bronislaw Geremek (member of the ALDE group and former Polish Foreign Minister and one of the founders of Solidarnosc), he felt that orange is not the colour of a party but the "colour of solidarity". "Solidarity, Solidarnosc" was born in Gdansk nearly twenty-five years ago during the events that are now called to mind with what is happening in Kiev, Jacek Saryusz-Wolski said, welcoming "democracy in Ukraine" in Ukrainian and stating: "Our support goes to democracy and not to any one candidate or party". Europe, he believes, "should foresee 2 scenarios: Negative - violation of democracy, then the eventual introduction of sanctions aimed at the undemocratic regime; Second-positive, generous assistance and helping hand, if democracy wins". German Green member Rebecca Harms called out: "Mr Geremek, I am proud of you: Thank heavens there are deputies here from the new Member States that have practised a more far-sighted policy toward Ukraine". She called on Europe to look harder at itself with more self-criticism. Ms Harms, who was in Kiev last weekend with the German Greens, also said that they are warned about the risk of things heating up in Ukraine but "violence does not come from those who have set their tents up in the street and who demonstrate peacefully, but from the former power". In Poland, Grazyna Staniszewska (ELDE, Poland) said, they were used to rapid reactions mainly from the United States rather than from the EU, but now it is the Union that is mediating in this crisis. Martin Schulz, President of the Socialist Group, also welcomed the role played by Javier Solana and President Kwasniewski, two men, he recalled, who had fought against the dictatorship in their countries, Spain and Poland. It is a mistake for Javier Solana not to have gone to Kiev until after the second round of elections, as he should have been there before the first round, CDU member Armin Laschet said (Ed.: Between the two rounds, Javier Solana had spoken to President Kuchma on the phone).
Francis Wurtz, President of the European United Left/Nordic Greens Left Group, felt that events in Kiev are "good news for democracy". He also recalled, however, that many western leaders have long considered President Kuchma as an "ally to be treated carefully". It is necessary to "relativise the scope of certain democratic professions of faith" and "avoid any simplistic or Manichean vision of Ukraine's political reality", he warned. In his view, it is above all necessary to prevent the country from splitting and the "resurgence of ethnic divisions that would take us back to the time of the Russian Empire or the Austrian-Hungarian Empire". The Ukrainian crisis must not be seen as a trial of strength between the "West" and Russia, he continued, adding: "Let us leave Paul Wolfowitz the imperialistic vision of Europe as he believes the aim of a complete and free Europe will not be achieved until Ukraine is a full member of Europe" and of NATO. Giovanni Fava (Uniti nell'Ulivo) was highly critical of any attempt to pull Ukraine into the "western sphere of influence" and against any temptation to make a distinction between "the good - the students who are demonstrating in Kiev - and the bad - the miners from the East". "If we are going to preach to some, then we should do the same to the others", Patrick Louis (Independence and Democracy) said, noting that Amnesty International has accused the opposition candidate, Iouchtchenko, of having made racist remarks. "I was in Kiev for ten days, and I heard no-one ask for the Jews or Russians to be expelled", Michal Tomasz Kaminski (UEN, Poland) said in response to this, saying it would be more worthwhile to deal with the anti-Semitism in Poland.
By adopting a common resolution by the six main political groups, the European Parliament is supporting the efforts by the CFSP High Representative, Polish and Lithuanian presidents and president of the Duma, to find a political and peaceful solution to the crisis and invites the Ukrainian authorities to organise a second round of presidential elections before the end of the year, with the participation of international observers. The EP is urging the EU to let the Ukrainian government know that use of violence against democratic and peaceful demonstrations would not be tolerated and affirms that "if this principle is not respected, the partnership and cooperation agreement will be immediately suspended and other sanctions will be applied…Parliament finds all separatist and partition threats in Ukraine unacceptable" and calls on the demonstrators to refrain from obstructing the normal functioning of the Ukrainian state bodies. By adopting the oral amendment by Stanlislaw Jalowiecki (EP-ED, Poland), Parliament calls on the EU to provide a "satisfactory" end to the current crisis by speeding up the adoption of the action plan for Ukraine in the context of the EU's new neighbourhood policy and to include new measures in it to strengthen the role of civil society.