Ukraine Leader: U.S. Meddled in Election

netscape.cnn.co ^ | Dec. 13, 2004 | YURAS KARMANAU

[crushelits]

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) - Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych accused the United States on Monday of meddling in Ukraine's internal affairs, claiming the Americans have financed his opponent's presidential campaign.

Yanukovych, in an interview with The Associated Press, said the ``interference'' can be described as Western pressure intended to exert the will of the Americans on this country of 48 million.

Yanukovych is running against Viktor Yushchenko in a Dec. 26 rerun mandated after the Supreme Court ruled that a Nov. 21 runoff election was marred by fraud. Yanukovych was the declared the winner of the Nov. 21 vote, which was nullified by Ukraine's Supreme Court after massive fraud was alleged by Yushchenko's camp and Western countries.

``The United States' meddling into Ukraine's internal affairs is obvious,'' he said. ``It is appearing as the financing of Yushchenko's campaign.''

The Bush administration has spent more than $65 million in the past two years to aid political organizations in Ukraine. U.S. officials say the activities don't amount to interference in Ukraine's election but are part of the $1 billion the State Department spends each year trying to build democracy worldwide.

[Torie]

I don't think the guy will get elected running against Bush as opposed to the guy his operatives apparently poisoned. That is my guess. The guy is l'histoire. I have him on my list to visit someday when I assume room temperature, and go to hell.

[TFine80]

Isn't it amazing how here in the US we are talking about how incompetent our intelligence services are and then around the around we get credit/blame for every major turn of events in international politics no matter how improbable?

[bahblahbah]

Thanks, that's what we do best. Except we don't go dioxin poisoning people. Well at least no this election.

What sucks is we do all the work and the EU will get most of the prize.

[followerofchrist]

We have no business putting money into political campaigns overseas, period. It's their country, not ours. We should build democracy by respecting sovereignty. Our government should respect Americans' pocketbooks by not spending our money on things like this....What ever happened to fiscal conservatism in the conservative movement.

Good grief.

[crushelits]

No when the powers are slugging it out.

The powers being the USA and Rusia.

Who do you think was behind the Ukraine elections fraud?

None other than:

PUTIN

[xJones]

And who poisoned Yanukovych's opponent with a KGB-style dioxin dose? Fortunately, which ever agent slipped it into his food didn't put enough in to to kill him.

Yanukovych is Putin's candidate and the ethnic Ukrainians know it.

[Spirited]

On the basis of what you believe I guess one of the first places from which we had better withdraw funds is Israel.
After that is a whole list of other Nations, but Israel doesn't exist without the American buck.

[bigsigh]

someone please pass the soup!

[crushelits]

one of the first places from which we had better withdraw funds is Israel.

That will not happen, or at least not until oil ceases to be such an important commodity!

The American people, deep in their sould need oil and ultimately don't care how the government gets it.

The American people need warmth in the winter, cool in the summer and lots of gasoline to run their cars in American highways and freeways.

[Spirited]

We are pampered poodles. If we had bent our backs in an effort to get away from the oil we could have done so by now.

Oil rules here and that will cost us long term. I see no reason to give up Israel even if she has done us some dirt but by the same token if we keep Israel alive we need to also look at others on an equal basis. Poland and Ukraine, put on their feet might be more faithful than Israel if they don't have turncoat leadership inspired by greed.