Lukashenko Votes Out Kuchma, Retaliates Putin :: Charter'97 :: News

GazetaSNG.ru
Vladimir Putin’s initiative to hand over the post of the CIS head to Ukraine and therefore start the long awaited rotation, received an unexpectedly strong repulsion at the yesterday’s summit. Nazarbaev, Shevarnadze, Aliev and Akaev upheld the initiative. But Kocharyan, Karimov and Lukashenko were categorically opposed to the proposal.

The Belarusian leader’s speech was the last drop that filled the cup. Alexander Lukashenko reminded his colleagues that in the Commonwealth of independent states Ukraine enjoys a status of an associated member, which is the reason why its leader can’t be the chairman. Putin could not counter this argument and postponed the issue till next summit, due to take place in Kiev in March next year.

There’s every ground to believe that the idea occurred to Vladimir Putin, though spontaneously, but not accidentally. It happened just ahead of the decisive talks between Russian and Ukrainian Premiers on the creation of a gas consortium network between the two neighboring states.

Alexander Lukashenko opposed this alliance and retaliated the Russian leader. It could well be that Lukashenko would prefer to replace Putin as the CIS head himself. However, as it turned out, Russia values the gas union with Ukraine more than the political union with the brotherly Belarus.