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http://www.ptd.net/webnews/wed/dt/Qukraine-politics-iraq.Ru5s_CO9.html International court could try Ukrainian president: opposition MOSCOW, Oct 9 (AFP) - Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, accused of selling sophisticated radar systems to Iraq, could be hauled before an international court if he does not resign before the end of his mandate in 2004, opposition leader Iulia Timoshenko said. "If the president does not step down voluntarily, there is a 90 percent chance he could be brought before an international court ... particularly if the accusations of selling arms are confirmed," Timoshenko told the Russian daily Vremya Novostei in an interview published Wednesday. Last month, Washington accused Kuchma of personally approving the sale of Kolchuga early warning radar systems to Iraq in violation of UN sanctions. US and British officials are due to arrive in Ukraine on Sunday to investigate the allegations which Kuchma has rejected. Timoshenko said the Ukrainian authorities had "broken so many Ukrainian and international laws that it has created a crisis both inside and outside the country." Early presidential elections were likely in Ukraine "within a year at the latest," she said. The Timoshenko bloc, backed by the Communist and Socialist parties, have staged several demonstrations in recent weeks calling on Kuchma to resign, accusing him of corruption and installing an authoritarian regime. Timoshenko, a former prime minister and unsuccessful presidential candidate, has herself been charged with corruption in connection with 2.2 billion dollars of state funds, profits on imported Russian gas. She is also accused of paying a 162 million dollar bribe to former prime minister Pavlo Lazarenko, currently under indictment in the United States on money-laundering charges. Kuchma was elected to a second five-year term in October 1999. ------------------------------------------------------- http://www.thepost.kiev.ua/main/11988/ The Kiev Post October 10, 2002 Ukraine's president calls for more diplomacy with Iraq, denies arms sale The Associated Press KYIV, October 8 - Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma denied Tuesday that he ordered the sale of a sophisticated radar system to Iraq, in his first direct comment on the U.S. accusation that he personally approved such a sale. Kuchma also called for exhausting all possible measures to avoid war with Iraq. "Today, looking into the cameras, I can say that under no circumstances would I give the order to supply arms to Iraq," Kuchma said at a ceremony marking the opening of a press center in his administration building. "Even if I wanted to or if God wanted to do that, it's impossible." He added that all Ukrainian arms exports are regulated by a system of controls created with the assistance of U.S. specialists. "We have no secrets," he said. The U.S. State Department said last month that it had verified the authenticity of a July 2000 recording in which Kuchma is allegedly heard giving his approval to the sale of a Kolchuha radar system to Iraq, in violation of U.N. sanctions. U.S. and British investigators are expected to arrive in Ukraine on Sunday on a mission to try to determine whether Ukraine actually transferred any of the radar systems to Iraq. U.S. officials have said they have "some information" suggesting Kolchuhas may be in Iraq. Kuchma also expressed doubt that Russia could have supplied Iraq with Kolchuha systems, which could imperil U.S. and British pilots patrolling "no-fly" zones over the country. Speaking about a potential military operation in Iraq, Kuchma said Ukraine shared "the point of view of Europeans" in urging the United States to use all international mechanisms to solve the Iraq issue. He also expressed concern about a potential spike in oil prices and other adverse economic effects a war on Iraq could have on this struggling former Soviet republic. ------------------------------------------------------- http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2002/10/3-CEE/cee-091002.asp Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty October 10, 2002 UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT DENIES AUTHORIZING ARMS SALES TO IRAQ At a news conference in Kyiv on 8 October inaugurating the press center of the presidential administration, President Leonid Kuchma denied that he has ever authorized the supply of weapons to Iraq, UNIAN reported. Kuchma said such supplies are impossible for "objective reasons," adding that Ukrainian military contracts are monitored by the Security Service of Ukraine and a special committee under the UN Security Council. "[Had I authorized a sale of weapons to Iraq], the entire world would have known about that," Kuchma added. The Ukrainian president said the recent allegations that Kyiv may have sold radar systems to Baghdad "will sink into oblivion." ------------------------------------------------------- http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2002/10/3-CEE/cee-091002.asp Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty October 10, 2002 KUCHMA SLAMS POLAND FOR PROPOSAL TO HOST TALKS BETWEEN UKRAINIAN AUTHORITIES, OPPOSITION Kuchma said at the 8 October news conference that he assesses the recent proposal by Polish Premier Leszek Miller to hold talks between the Ukrainian authorities and the opposition during an upcoming international conference in Warsaw (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 7 October 2002) as "interference in Ukraine's domestic affairs," UNIAN reported. He said, "We will sort out [our problems] by ourselves. Let them not stand in our way. I don't think that this [proposal] means assistance, pardon my saying." __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? 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