US embassy cable - 04PARIS9160

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 009160 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/28/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, EU, UP, FR, PL 
SUBJECT: UKRAINE: FRENCH ON YUSHCHENKO VICTORY 
 
REF: A. KIEV 5146 
 
     B. PARIS 9042 
 
Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt for reaso 
ns 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1.  (U) MFA desk officer for Ukraine Benoit Fremont described 
French satisfaction that the re-run of the second round of 
the Ukrainian presidential election had been conducted freely 
and fairly.  Fremont agreed that while there had been some 
problems with the balloting, the level of fraud had not begun 
to approach that seen in November.  Fremont did note the 
French Embassy's expectation that the Yanukovych camp may 
seize on the change in rules governing the use of the mobile 
ballot boxes, which saw several problems in implementation. 
 
2.  (SBU)  Fremont noted particularly the importance of 
Russia's willingness to accept the election results and 
Yushchenko's savvy decision to make his first foreign visit 
to Moscow.  He also praised Yuschenko's intention to build a 
type of national unity government that would include 
Yanukovych supporters, thereby increasing the stakes those 
opposing Yushchenko will have in the new government. 
 
3.  (SBU)  Fremont denied that calls for eventual Ukrainian 
EU membership would grow so loud as to create problems within 
the EU.  Pointing out that the Union had just formalized its 
neighborhood policy at the Dec. 17 Council meeting, Fremont 
said, "I don't think the question of Ukraine will divide the 
25." 
 
4.  (SBU) Fremont re-emphasized the appreciation the French 
had for the European negotiators -- in particular, High Rep 
for CFSP Solana, Lithuanian President Adamkus, and Polish 
President Kwasniewski.  He noted that Kwasniewski and Chirac 
had spoken by phone during the negotiations process, as had 
officials at lower levels within the MFA, and said that these 
efforts had helped to buttress the improving French-Polish 
relationship since Kwasniewski's early October visit. 
 
5.  (SBU) Meanwhile, Le Monde editorialized on Dec. 27 that, 
after the Baltics and Georgia, Ukraine had showed that 
"autocracy was not the inevitable destiny awaiting peoples in 
the former Russian (sic) empire." It further said that it is 
not only Putin who needs to recognize that, but Europe as 
well, noting that Europe must "aid Ukraine to do everything 
possible to develop a stable democracy and a modern economy." 
 
6.  (C) Comment:  It is unclear whether Fremont's assessment 
that the EU can easily handle Ukraine's European aspirations 
is wishful thinking or reflects the MFA's confident belief. 
Although the French -- along with the rest of the former 
EU-15 -- joined the new member states in encouraging the 
Ukrainians to stand up for democracy, the Quai's line will be 
that encouraging democratization and the establishment of a 
progressive regime in Ukraine does not automatically lead to 
consideration of Ukraine for candidate status in the near or 
mid-term -- far short of the wishes of Poland and other 
recent Central European entrants.  End Comment. 
Wolff