The “Ukrainian question”, on the day on which the two leaders (winner and loser) reached provisional agreement on a re-run of the presidential elections, continues to draw the attention of the main international dailies. “The Ukrainian political leaders writes Judy Dempsey in the Herald Tribune (2/12) reached a tentative agreement on Wednesday night to resolve the crisis over the contested results of the presidential elections, trying to avert the spectre of economic collapse and the possible partition of the nation”. “The result of the Parliament’s decisions on Wednesday will depend on Kuchma”, adds Dempsey, who stresses that “only he can permit the government to remain in office for 60 days, pending the formation of a new government” . “The Ukraine is preparing to return to the ballot box”, headlines La Croix (30/11). In his editorial, Bruno Frappat also underlines the key role of the outgoing President: “ At a time when the progressive enlargement of the frontiers of the European Union is exerting a force of attraction on two peoples, a contrary force is being exerted both with regard to the Union and its frontiers. Europeanization, continental version of globalization, is arousing at once fear and desire”. “The Socialist Party and Europe: the vote that may change everything”: on the eve of the response of the French Socialist Party to the European Constitutional Treaty (favourable as it turned out), Le Monde (1/12) analyses the real scope of the referendum, which “will be followed with the greatest attention in the 25-member Europe”, says the opening article, in which it is added: “The majority of European Socialist leaders have invited French Socialist militants to vote ‘yes’. Jacques Chirac will also observe the results of this consultation with the greatest interest, considering that it will have a strong influence on the national referendum, due to be held in 2005 on the same question”. The German press too continues to devote close attention to the case of Ukraine in the light of relations with Russia. Writing in the Frankfurter Rundschau (1/12), Knut Pries observes: “ The destiny of Ukraine does not just concern the EU and its largest member country, Germany. It also has a special significance for the policy of Schöder in relations with Russia and its President Putin […] By word and deed, the Chancellor has guaranteed that the pallid lord of the Kremlin is a pure democrat“. Writing in Die Welt, Alexander Gauland analyses the possibility of a partition of Ukraine and its consequences: “ Only if Russia has the sensation of occupying a place in Europe, albeit with its diversity, will it suffer less from the loss of Kiev and be able finally to reject the bloody legacy of Lenin and Stalin. Not only Lvov and Kiev, but also St. Petersburg and Nischni Nowgorod belong to Europe“. An editorial in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung comments as follows: “ The chances of Berlin or Brussels being able to act on Moscow are limited. More important therefore is to present their own position in a clear and unequivocal way, since remaining silent or using the rhetoric of partnership are interpreted as encouragement or even as a backward step. Western Europeans will best defend their own political and economic interests towards Russia with coherence and firmness. Berlin and also the Chancellor have a special role to play: Germany is in fact Russia’s most important European trading partner […] If he really wants to modernise Russia, Putin has a need for the support of the West, and also the support of Germany“. ———————————————————————————————————– Sir Europa (English) N.ro assoluto : 1346 N.ro relativo : 86 Data pubblicazione : 04/12/04
