Ukraine elections amid lack of choice risk further split - Russian envoy to UN
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"At present there are no prerequisites for the election
to defuse the existing tensions. The more so since, as you know, in
Ukraine there is no political leader capable of uniting the nation.
Holding elections in a situation like this would be the surest way to
split the country, which would be a rather sad development," Churkin
said after a meeting of the UN Security Council behind closed doors.
Churkin
said holding elections would be particularly risky at a time when
"Ukraine lacks a new constitution that would make all regions and
political forces certain about their future".
The Russian envoy said that he explained that situation to the UN Security Council members in very clear terms.
On
Friday the Security Council heard a report by UN Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon on his trips to Moscow and Kiev on March 20-22. Churkin said
there was "a rather detailed discussion over the general situation
involving Ukraine. "I believe that the discussion was not useless, but I
would prefer not to say that our Western colleagues have changed their
minds regarding a further line of action in relation to the Ukrainian
issue," Churkin said.
In his opinion, "some members of
the UN Security Council have been trying to create the atmosphere of an
international crisis around Ukraine and waiting for Moscow to take steps
to ease the tensions.
"We drew their attention to the
fact that there is no international crisis on the agenda. There is a
crisis in Ukraine, and we have a very clear idea of how Ukrainians
should negotiate that crisis - through dialogue, through convening a
constitutional assembly, through holding a referendum and through
adopting a new constitution and then holding a presidential election -
precisely what the February 21 accord provided for," Churkin said.
He
expressed regret that Russia’s Western partners "are appealing to some
general ideas that are very far from Ukrainian realities".
"This is possibly the reason why the crisis in Ukraine has gone so far," Churkin said.
May presidential elections in Ukraine illegitimate, it runs counter to Feb 21 agreement - Russian envoy to OSCE
Russia
currently believes that the Ukrainian presidential election due this
May is illegitimate because it fails to comply with the conditions set
out in the February 21 agreement between the country's authorities and
opposition, Russian Permanent Representative to the Organization for
Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Andrei Kelin said in Vienna.
"As
regards the question whether (the election) will be legitimate or
illegitimate, we currently believe that this election is illegitimate
because it does not fit into what was set out in the (February 21)
agreement," Kelin said during a video link-up between Moscow and Vienna
on Friday.
For a legitimate president to be elected in
Ukraine, the country's leader must be supported by all Ukrainians, and
that requires changes to the legislation, he said.
"A constitutional reform is urgently needed. It must not be put off," the Russian diplomat said.
West put pressure on countries ahead of UN General Assembly's Ukraine vote - Russian envoy
A
number of countries apparently came under heavy pressure from Western
states in the run-up to the UN General Assembly's vote on a draft
resolution affirming Ukraine's territorial integrity, Russian Ambassador
to the UN Vitaly Churkin told reporters. In addition, the results of
the vote on the Ukraine resolution in the UN General Assembly on
Thursday, March 27, show that Russia is not in isolation, Churkin said.
"A
very large number of countries complained that they were subject to
colossal pressure on the part of Western powers in order to make them
vote in favor of supporting this resolution. Obviously, this tactic of
pressure, which has been used by our Western colleagues, had a certain
effect, and some countries voted [in favor of the proposed resolution],
albeit reluctantly," he said.
He also said that the results of the vote on the
Ukraine resolution in the UN General Assembly on Thursday, March 27,
show that Russia is not in isolation.
"This is a rather
good result for us. We have earned a moral and political victory. There
can be no question of Russia's isolation in this situation," the
diplomat said.
The resolution against the secession
referendum in Crimea, which was part of Ukraine but seceded from it and
reunited with Russia last week, was passed by a 100-11 vote with 58
abstentions.
Armenia, Belarus, Bolivia, Venezuela,
Cuba, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Zimbabwe, Nicaragua,
Syria, and Sudan supported Russia and voted against the resolution.
Unlike UN Security Council resolutions, those adopted by the UN General Assembly are not binding and are advisory in nature.
The resolution is "confrontational in nature", Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin said.
"Russia's attitude towards the proposed draft resolution is negative," he said before the vote in the UN General Assembly.
Churkin
believes that the document "is trying to call into doubt the
significance of the referendum in Crimea, which has already played its
historic role."
Churkin's remarks were broadcast by Russia's Channel One television station.
The
draft resolution, which was submitted by Ukraine with the help of
Canada, Costa Rica, Germany, Lithuania and Poland, was supported by 100
nations at the UN General Assembly vote. Eleven nations (Armenia,
Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, North Korea, Nicaragua, Russia, Sudan, Syria,
Venezuela, and Zimbabwe) voted against, with 58 abstentions (among them
China, Argentina, India, Brazil, Pakistan, Egypt, Senegal, Gabon, South
Africa, and Kazakhstan).
"There is a clear tendency.
Whereas some of our Western colleagues started to speak about Russia's
isolation after the vote at the [UN] Security Council, here it is
obvious that there is no isolation," Churkin said.
UN General Assembly didn't recognize Crimean referendum's results
The
193-nation UN General Assembly passed Thursday a resolution declaring
invalid Crimea's referendum that led to the region's reunification with
Russia. Moscow is opposed, Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations
Vitaly Churkin said earlier. "The draft attempts to cast doubt on the
significance of the referendum held in Crimea, which has already played a
historical role. It is counter-productive to dispute this," Churkin
said. At the same time, the draft resolution has "some right
provisions," he said.
The
non-binding resolution, titled "Territorial integrity of Ukraine," was
approved with 100 votes in favor, 11 against, and 58 abstentions. The
document says the March 16 referendum "has no validity, and cannot form
the basis for any alteration of the status of the Autonomous Republic of
Crimea or of the City of Sevastopol."
It
also "calls upon all States to desist and refrain from actions aimed at
the partial or total disruption of the national unity and territorial
integrity of Ukraine, including any attempts to modify Ukraine's borders
through the threat or use of force or other unlawful means."
Read also:
Voice of Russia, AFP, TASS, Interfax, RIA
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