“What is happening in the Middle East? What do you think provoked the latest escalation of violence?”
“We assess the situation as critical. I can agree with Terry Larsen, UN special coordinator for a Middle East settlement, that we are approaching the line when it will be almost impossible to stabilize the situation. The main danger is that this escalation has acquired certain inertia, is developing by its own logic, and becomes increasingly difficult to control. I mean not only the sides to the conflict, where unfortunately emotions get the upper hand, I also mean that the world community finds it more and more difficult to handle the situation. The problem lies in the almost complete loss of trust between sides now separated by the worst rift in the past decade.
“No doubt, it is a question of restoring some trust, above all in the security sphere. Shortly before the latest major terrorist act near Nablus, US mediators managed to persuade the security experts to resume consultations. The act of terror brought these consultations to a halt.
“Now the Palestinian national autonomous leadership is under strong pressure of the international community. They are facing a very tough and perhaps unique situation such that Israeli strong-arm actions are being condoned, Ariel Sharon has a carte blanche to carry out these actions, and the Palestinians can do nothing to counter this. The main demand is that the Palestine leadership has launched serious and resolute actions against the extremist organizations, Hamas and Islamic Jihad. As soon as the US and Europe see that the Palestinian leadership has made a strategically important decision and a very difficult choice, the Palestinians will be able to count on international support. During my meetings with Yasir Arafat in Ramallah and Nabil Shaat in Gaza, I was forced to let them know our concern over their failure to take the expected resolute measures. We had to explain that, although we still uphold our fundamental position of supporting the legitimate rights of the Palestinian nation and will continue to endorse the idea of an independent Palestinian state, we find it very difficult to render practical assistance in this situation. Only when they take certain steps will they be able to count on the support of Europe and this country.”
“What exactly can Ukraine do for a settlement? What do the conflicting parties and the go-betweens think of it?”
“There is the so-called big four or quartet of mediators composed of the US, Russia, the EU, and the UN. They conduct regular meetings and coordinate their efforts, trying to map out a single line of behavior. They are actively working with both sides. And we are aware that, in this situation, our capacities cannot be compared with those of the United States. Yet, we have certain advantages, which all parties admit. Unlike the aforesaid states, Ukraine is not burdened with a colonial past, nor do we have geopolitical ambitions in this region, although Ukraine does have its own interests there. Ukraine maintains good, balanced relations with both Israel and the Arab countries. They regard our country as an equal partner, which sincerely wants to help them. They have no grounds to suspect us of some sort of double dealing. All this creates a favorable background for our more active efforts in this direction. In September, we sent to the Israeli and Palestinian sides our proposal about holding the next round of negotiations or consultations on our territory under a format acceptable to both sides. Now we have suggested that trey consider one more possibility in this respect. The two sides do not reject our proposal. On the contrary, they have assured us they could accept it under certain conditions. Moreover, they have evinced interest in our new ideas and initiatives, which I so far have no right to divulge. Our proposals were addressed not only the Israelis and Palestinians but also to the international mediators who have shown interest in them.
“On our part, we do not intend to seek an alternative settlement or make alternative efforts. The question is to complement and coordinate the existing international peacekeeping efforts. As the international mediators at first took a dim view of outsiders attempts to elbow their way in, we have been showing, as much as we can, the transparency of our actions. So now the view is positive.”
“What actions can Kyiv be expected to take? What Ukrainian interests in the region are they based on?”
“We are going to visit more often and promote our mediation in the region. The next and very important stage is the official visit of Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres on December 27. In January, I am going to make another trip to the region, when I plan to visit Egypt and Jordan.”
“Are we going to advance any new ideas and proposals during the talks with Mr. Peres?”
“We are inclined to further discuss, only more deeply and concretely, the ideas and proposals already put forward. Besides, we have repeatedly emphasized that we are open to all initiatives about our role, taking into account our special status and our relations with both Israel and the Arab states.
“We have, above all, economic interests in the Middle East. We believe they can be implemented if the situation is stabilized. We are objectively interested in security and stability.”
“In other words, do we have something to defend and strive for?”
“Absolutely. We have considerable economic interests both in Israel and in the Arab world. The Palestinians favor, as we do a large- scale economic development, so they are expected to welcome our participation in economic projects, in the development of transport infrastructure, etc. Israel, in the person of its sober-minded politicians, will also welcome our involvement in economic projects at the territory of the Palestinian autonomous area.”
“But still, do the two sides really want peace or act by force of inertia?”
“I would say it is imperative for both sides to reach a strategically important peace accord. Only under peaceful coexistence will the two sides be able to achieve prosperity. Only in this case will both Israel and Palestine be able to achieve security. But we must note with regret that the current escalation of violence makes the broad strata of the population on both sides accept strong- arm methods.
“Incidentally, such Israeli politicians as Vice Premier Natan Sharansky and former Minister of Justice Yossi Beilin (an architect of the Oslo accords) believe that only the raised living standards on the Palestinian territories and the solution of socioeconomic problems can bring about radical changes for the better. The fact that these territories are in a pocket of poverty will always provide fertile ground for terrorism and hatred for the more affluent Israelis.”
