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U.S. Ambassador to Moldova Michael Kirby
says a solution to the frozen conflict in Transdniester must "go
through the door of Moscow," and rejects speculation that a resolution
on Kosovo's final status could serve as a precedent for other breakaway
regions. Vasile Botnaru, the Chisinau bureau chief for RFE/RL's
Romania-Moldova Service, spoke with Kirby about the Transdniester
conflict, the future of GUAM, and other regional issues.
RFE/RL: How big a part does Russia play in resolving the frozen conflict in Transdniester?
Michael Kirby: Russia, many think, helps control
the fate of the Transdniestrian regime, and that a solution to the
problem has to go through the door of Moscow as well. And we think that
Moldova should talk to Russia, but we also think that the appropriate
venue for the resolution of the Transdniestrian problem is the 5+2
talks, which include Russia, Ukraine, the OSCE, the EU, the United
States, as well as Moldova and Transdniestria.
RFE/RL: It is often argued that if Kosovo gains
independence it will serve as a precedent for other frozen conflicts,
including the one in Transdniester. What are your thoughts on this?
Kirby: I reject the notion that Kosovo is a
precedent for the problem in Transdniestria, the problem in Abkhazia,
the problem in South Ossetia, and the problem in Nagorno-Karabakh. They
are different kinds of conflicts.
RFE/RL: Russia recently announced that it intends
to withdraw from the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty. How
will Transdniester factor into possible future negotiations on a
revised or new treaty, considering that Russia has not met commitments
it made in Istanbul in 1999 to withdraw troops from Moldova and
Georgia?
Kirby: They are making almost all the progress they
need to make in Georgia -- that's going very well for removing the
troops. The big issue is Moldova. And sitting here in Moldova...I hear
from the government all the time: "Please get your troops out." ...From
the Moldovan standpoint, and we support Moldova on this: "Russia, take
your troops home. Take the weapons home too, don't leave those behind."
RFE/RL: When will it be appropriate to bring up Russia's failure to withdraw its troops from Moldova?
Kirby: It's always the right time to talk about
that. I mean, Moldova is an independent, sovereign country that has
chosen not to have foreign troops stationed on its territory. I don't
think it is ever a bad time to remind people that Moldova wants foreign
troops out of its territory -- especially those that are not invited to
stick around.
RFE/RL: What were your impressions of the June 17 local elections in Moldova?
Kirby: I wouldn't say that democracy in Moldova is
perfect, but I will say that I was impressed by the fact that a lot of
voters voted, that a lot of candidates were able to get their message
across, and that the results, I think, seemed to have reflected the
will of the Moldovan voters.
RFE/RL: Do you think GUAM has a long-term future in the region?
Michael Kirby: We encourage people to talk when
they have good reason to talk to each other, and this [GUAM] provided
the four countries [Georgia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Moldova] an
opportunity to talk about things in common. In terms of if it has a
long-term future, we think it's a useful forum for the four countries
to talk about things in common.
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