Ukraine: MP's Decision on Nuclear Status 'Emotional'  
Kiev UT-1 Television Network  1730 GMT 24 Mar 99 

[FBIS Translated Text] A change of the non-nuclear status of Ukraine 
against the background of the current tension in Europe might affect the 
security of both Ukraine and the whole continent, the Ukrainian 
presidential press-secretary, Oleksandr Martynenko, said, commenting on 
today's [24th March] resolution of the parliament [requesting the 
government to abolish Ukraine's non-nuclear status]. He said that only 
one person, the president [Leonid Kuchma] manages foreign policy and 
security, so all the relevant legislation has to be endorsed by him. 

Martynenko believes that the parliament decision was purely emotional. 
The Ukrainian mission to NATO both on Monday [22nd March] during the 
meeting of the Ukraine-NATO commission and today expressed to NATO its 
disapproval of strikes against Yugoslavia. The head of the mission, 
Kostyantyn Hryshchenko, in his telephone interview with TSN [news 
bulletin of Studio 1+1] said that Ukraine sees the conflict in Kosovo 
differently from NATO. Ukraine believes that the military operation in 
Yugoslavia should be approved by the UN Security Council. 

[Begin Hryshchenko recording, by telephone] The efforts should be focused 
on continuation of the negotiation process. All the sides should be ready 
for this process. We respect this [NATO] position. They explain their 
position by the absence of any other choice, saying that the current 
situation simply constrains NATO to apply force, because there is no 
other appropriate way out of the crisis which now threatens the lives of 
thousands of refugees and stability in the Balkans. In connection with 
the events around Yugoslavia, the president, Leonid Kuchma, requested 
Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Borys Tarasyuk to urgently return from 
Stockholm to Kiev. The president himself is expected to return to Ukraine 
on Thursday [25th March]. [end recording] 

THIS REPORT MAY CONTAIN COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL.  COPYING AND DISSEMINATION 
IS PROHIBITED WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE COPYRIGHT OWNERS.