A Ukrainian is no match for a Belarusian

The Belarusian Ministry of Defense plans to impose restrictions on visits of officers and civil employees having access to military secrets, to Ukraine. Restrictions are planned to be imposed in connection with Ukraine’s joining the NATO which is almost a decided issue.

As we have informed, Ukraine stated its intention to join the NATO about 5 years ago, though broad hints to that had been done event earlier. However real actions in this direction were started by the Ukrainian authorities in 2005. Since that time Russia started to oppose that process, “Ezhednevnik” writes.

However, at the latest NATO summit in Bucharest the issue of Ukraine’s (and Georgia’s) joining the NATO was on the agenda. On the one hand, the summit has postponed the decision on the two new members’ admission to the NATO Membership Action Plan, but their joining the alliance was guarantees in the near future. Besides, reading out the decision of the high meeting, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer stated that membership of Ukraine and Georgia is a closed issue.

Ukraine hasn’t received an invitation to the NATO Membership Action Plan. At the same time heads of the state have adopted a decision to start intensive political consultations with Ukraine and Georgia at the high political level, in order to solve issues which are remaining in order to move on to executing the MAP, NATO Secretary General said.

That is why right after the summit the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that the door to the NATO is not just open for Georgia and Ukraine, but “wide open”. “The NATP members have agreed that in the future Georgia and Ukraine will join the ranks of the organisation, and it is the most important thing, she said.

Most of experts incline to an opinion that despite of all efforts of Russia, Ukraine will join the MAP before 2009. It looks like this point of view is favoured by experts of the Belarusian Ministry of Defense as well. They started to consider limiting trips of officers and civil employees who have an access to secrets. The matter doesn’t concern absolute prohibition of trips, but about a launching of a standard procedure which would be used in cases when officers and civil servants having access to secrets are gong to go to the NATO countries (for a rest, for instance).

This procedure envisages that when such a person wants to go to Bulgaria for instance, he or she must write an application to their leadership and ask for permission. After that a standard procedure of checking the applicant with the help of the KGB Military Counter-Intelligence department will be launched. If nothing suspicious is found, permission for going abroad will be issued.

Notably, the procedure has nothing serious in it. But many people do not like to be checked every time they want to go for holiday with their families. That is why many officers preferred to go to Ukraine, as restrictions were not applied to Ukraine until recently.

Now the situation is to change. In connection with a firm intention of Ukraine to join the NATO, the Ministry of Defense is dealing with an issue of imposing standard restrictions for officers and civil employees who have an access to secrets. Now they are warned that if they plan to go to Ukraine this summer, they are to write an application or request to their commanders. It is necessary so that for the Ministry of Defense could judge the potential danger of a secret information leak.

Besides, carriers of secrets have been warned that it is possible that in the beginning of the summer season the full procedure of checking of those going to Ukraine would be lauched.