Withdrawing Ukraine troops from Iraq priority, Yushchenko says

sierratimes.com ^ | Sunday January 9,2005 - 11:02:59 am | AFP

[Destro]

Withdrawing Ukraine troops from Iraq priority, Yushchenko says

Posted: Sunday January 9,2005 - 11:02:59 am

KIEV (AFP) - The winner of Ukraine's presidential vote Viktor Yushchenko said that withdrawing the nation's troops from Iraq will be a priority for him once he takes office, after an accidental blast killed seven Ukrainian soldiers there.

"Viktor Yushchenko sends deep condolences to the families of Ukrainian peacekeepers who died in Iraq Sunday," said a statement released by his press office late Sunday.

"Insofar as withdrawing Ukraine's peacekeeping contingent from Iraq, it remains one of Yushchenko's priorities once he assumes office," the statement said.

The seven Ukrainian troops, along with one Kazakh soldier, died after a bomb they were about to defuse went off accidentally in Iraq's central Wasit region, where Ukrainian and Kazakh troops serve under Polish control, Kiev's defense ministry said.

Another seven Ukrainian and four Kazakh troops were injured as a result of the accident, which occurred at 12:05 pm after a team of Kazakh sappers and their Ukrainian backup had brought back for defusion some 35 aerial bombs that Iraqi police had found stashed near the central military base of As Suwayrah.

After the bombs were unloaded from their transport vehicles one of them exploded for reasons that are still being investigated, the ministry said.

Some 1,600 Ukrainian troops have been deployed since August 2003 in Iraq's Wasit region where US-led coalition forces are under Polish command.

Prior to Sunday's deaths, Ukraine has lost nine of its troops, with another 20 injured.

In the heat of Ukraine's election saga in December, parliament in Kiev approved a resolution that demanded outgoing President Leonid Kuchma withdraw Ukrainian soldiers from Iraq.

[FreeReign]

And Of course even if Ukraine would withdrawn troops, I would still support Yushchenko because I have some priorities and democracy in Ukraine is more important than 1600 troops in Iraq.

Ditto.

Destro your comment is biased because we all remember that Yanukovich during their election campaign used often anti-American rhetoric. Yushchenko was often accused for being American spy.

Objectivity is your friend Destro, use it.

[PhilDragoo]

Thank you.

[FreeReign]

Ukraine will now withdraw from Iraq, just as France and Germany had schemed all along.

Ukraine wants to withdrawn from Iraq whether it's Yushchenko or Yanukovich. It's the people of Ukraine who are the driving force behind it more than France and Germany.

[LibertarianInExile]

Well you probably don't know anything about it because of your biased media. /sarcasm

Yushchenko can withdraw all the Ukraine's troops from Iraq for all I care, if he'll keep them in the Ukraine to defend against Russian neo-imperialism.

[Destro]

Actually it os probably his own side that poisoned him - there was no other attempt on his life beyond an unsourced report by his propaganda machine talking about a bomb that failed to kill him.

[Destro]

Actualy ukie, according to this Times article it turns out that Yushchenko and his wife are not Orthodox like we were told here in the West (I don't know if this is common knowledge in the Ukraine) but rather Uniate/Greek Catholics.

[lizol]

You better don't go in any discussion with jb6. It makes absolutely no sense, like talking to a horse - the same kind of conversation.

Some FReeper warned me once - by private post - to stay away from discussing with jb6. I didn't listen unfortunately. And I found out for example (from jb6 of course), that I'm the "person who helped reelect communists in his own country". Well, he doesn't have to know, that my grandfather fought bolsheviks in 1920, my father was sent to coal mine for couple of years in 1948, that my entire family was involved in anti-communist activity, that I was engaged in many election campaigns against post-commies and so on
But - you see - he doesn't even need it, because he knows everything anyway.

That's wny I'm not going to exchange any post with him anymore. And this is also my advice for you.

[WOSG]

Actually that is not the right reason for the schism between Roman Catholics and eastern Orthodox, which had both theological (nature of the trinity) and political (frankish kings versus Byzantine empire) sources.

I had wanted to share specifics but my own history is fuzzy ... the schism occured in 1054AD when a Frankish pope delivered a Papal bull rejected by the bishop of Constaninople. But the underlying cause was a divergence since the 400s, between Augustinian theology of the west (Platonic-based theology) and eastern theology, and the fact that east and west no longer shared a linguistic or political unity.

[WOSG]

Good analysis, but once again Germany and France are like the coyote facing the roadrunner ... Ukraine is not needed in Iraq, Iraqi security forces are needed, and most of the allies became less important the day they decided they couldnt take offensive actions. We already had to 'rescue' Ukrainians once because they would withdraw dather than shed Iraqi blood ... post election, the use of other foreign troops becomes less and less important.

Meantime, whatever France and Germany gained in Ukraine they've lost in the future middle east. They have also managed to wake the sleeping Russian bear, who wil counterbalance their actions there as well.

And the small countries of eastern europe will look to the U.S. to help get a leg up on their bigger greedier neighbors.

On balance a better deal for us then a reinvention of the USSR in modern form.

[Happy2BMe]

YUSCHENKO'S EARLY DISAPPOINTMENT - ping. ==========================================================

Politics: 10 January 2005, Monday.

The winner of Ukraine's presidential vote Viktor Yushchenko pledged to withdraw the nation's troops from Iraq and that it will be a priority for him once he takes office.

The announcement came after an accidental blast killed seven Ukrainian soldiers, along with one Kazakh soldier, in Iraq's central Wasit region. The troops died after a bomb they were about to defuse went off accidentally. Another seven Ukrainian and four Kazakh troops were injured as a result of the accident.

Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov sent Monday a letter of condolences to his outgoing analogue of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma expressing his deepest empathy to the families of the seven killed soldiers.

Some 1,600 Ukrainian troops have been deployed since August 2003 in Iraq's Wasit region where US-led coalition forces are under Polish commandment.

[Destro]

The Wall Street Journal has an anti-Putin agenda. The man that reported that Yushchenko may be in fact a Uniate is Canon Michael Bourdeaux, the founder and president of Keston Institute, Oxford, which monitors religious freedom in the communist and former communist countries (www.keston.org).

Even if not disinfo by the WSJ, I am think Bourdeaux would know better about this subject than a WSJ who could not tell the difference between an Orthodox and a Uniate.

[texasflower]

Your post is one of the best responses to Destro I have seen.

Perfect.

[texasflower]

You do realize that Kuchma is the one pulling the troops out right now don't you?

I'm sure you saw the article that was posted soon after this one that outlined that.

What do you have to say to that?

[Destro]

Kuchma sent the troops to Iraq along with the PM who lost the election. Kuchma has to follow through on what the winner wants.

[Destro]

Also, Kuchma is giving Bush the finger. I helped you when you needed me and you repay me how?

"Kuchma offered a relatively large fighting force (1,600 men) to the U.S. war effort from the beginning. While President Bush was appreciative, if Kuchma thought that this move would buy him respect in Washington, he was wrong: a year and a half later, the U.S. and its Euro allies would go on to vocally, politically, and economically back the candidate running against his chosen successor, Viktor Yanukovich. This example of how the U.S. treats its allies is hardly a reassuring one for any leader thinking of aiding the American war effort in Iraq."

[Destro]

I'm Ukrainian-American, and sure as hell know the difference between Uniate and Orthodox, being Orthodox myself.

Would someone from the Wall Street Journal know the difference? Would they care to learn? By the way I am with you - every single report I read until the Times article stated that Yushchenko is Orthodox. But the articles never provided any sort of "credentials" to make such an assertion true or false.

[olde north church]

Actually that is not the right reason for the schism between Roman Catholics and eastern Orthodox, which had both theological (nature of the trinity) and political (frankish kings versus Byzantine empire) sources.
I had wanted to share specifics but my own history is fuzzy ... the schism occured in 1054AD when a Frankish pope delivered a Papal bull rejected by the bishop of Constaninople. But the underlying cause was a divergence since the 400s, between Augustinian theology of the west (Platonic-based theology) and eastern theology, and the fact that east and west no longer shared a linguistic or political unity.
Language, Trinity, Augustinian vs Hellinistic, Acceptance of Apostolic Succession, more to follow....thanks